Customer Value Anticipation, Satisfaction, and Loyalty: The Moderating Role of Competition and Gender

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to assess how customer value anticipation (CVA) influences customers’ behavioural and attitudinal outcomes such as satisfaction and loyalty. The thesis also aims to examine the moderating effect of boundary conditions such as competition (as perceived by customers) and gender on the relationship customer value anticipation has with satisfaction and loyalty respectively. Data collected from a total of three hundred (300) MBA students who double as customers of twenty (20) retail banks situated on the University of Ghana campus, was analysed and used to validate the study’s theoretical and empirical contribution. Structural equation modeling, a multivariate analysis technique that is used to analyse structural relationships, was used to analyse simultaneously the hypothesized relationships among the study’s five conceptualized constructs (i.e. customer value anticipation, satisfaction, attitudinal and behavioural loyalty, and competition). The study found that customer value anticipation positively influences customer satisfaction and loyalty (i.e. attitudinal loyalty and behavioural loyalty). For the moderated hypotheses, a two stage approach employed showed some contrasting results. First, the study established that the link amongst customer value anticipation, satisfaction, and loyalty is not moderated by competition as perceived by customers. On the contrary, a multi-group moderation analysis involving gender showed that gender has a moderating influence on the model in terms of its influence on attitudinal and behavioural loyalty, but not with satisfaction. By implication, the findings suggest that even though customer value anticipation is positively correlated with satisfaction and loyalty, its implementation may or may not be aligned to the prevailing market condition. This is particularly true if the association is gauged through the lens of the service customer whose demographic gender can moderate the relationship between customer value anticipation and loyalty. The findings challenges service firms, especially banks to more innovative and futuristic in handling customer value delivery and its management. It also suggests to banks to be more particular about their market-based segmentation strategies, especially in markets where consumers respond differently to firm offers.