Curvilinear Effects of Consumer Loyalty Determinants in Relational Exchanges

Drawing from need, motivation, and social exchange theories, this study conceptualizes and empirically examines the differential curvilinear effects of multiple determinants of loyalty intentions, including transactional satisfaction, trust, and value for relational exchanges. The authors conceptualize trust as a “motivator,” satisfaction as a “hygiene,” and value as a “bivalent” factor in consumer loyalty mechanisms. Using consumer data on relational exchanges in two different service contexts—retail clothing and nonbusiness airline travel—and accounting for different sources of error—namely, measurement, common method, and response style—the authors empirically investigate the hypothesized mechanisms. The…