Effects of customer personal characteristics on the satisfaction-loyalty link: a multi-method approach

Abstract

This study aims to examine the moderating effects of customer personal characteristics on the satisfaction-loyalty link in order to overcome potential response bias and common-method variance in the link by using both real-life purchasing behavior data and survey in a cross-method and panel data. Two separate data collection procedures dealt with survey and customer relationship management (CRM) data. A total of 391 members of restaurant loyalty program participated in the survey. Also, additional data were gathered on restaurant CRM. Data were analyzed using SEM and multi-group analysis. This study confirmed the nonlinear relationship between customer satisfaction and brand loyalty due to the significant moderating effects of customers' personal characteristics on subsequent stages of the link.