An integrated model of customer loyalty in the Macedonian mobile service market

摘要

The main objective of this paper is to develop and test an integrated model of customer loyalty inthe Macedonian mobile service market, analysing its determinants and their interrelationships andeffects on customer loyalty. The proposed research model integrates service quality, customersatisfaction, switching costs and switching barriers as the main determinants of customerloyalty, further analysing their different effects (direct/mediating/moderating) on customer loyalty.Confi rmatory factor analysis (CFA) is used in order to assess the validity of the measurementmodel, and the developed structural model is tested with structural equation modelling (SEM).The reported results indicate that the proposed research model as a whole has a satisfactory levelof adequacy and most of the hypothesized realtionships are confi rmed. The results suggest thatcustomer satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between service quality and customerloyalty and also service quality has a direct and positive effect on customer loyalty. The satisfactionloyaltyrelationship is not mediated nor moderated by switching barriers, but switching barriers havea direct and positive effect on customer loyalty. The presented results would be of great importancefor managers for the successful development of strategies for creating mobile service users’ loyalty.The empirical evidence obtained in this study suggest that Macedonian mobile operators shouldhave in mind alternative strategies in creating customer loyalty, emphasising the fact that customersatisfaction has a stronger positive infl uence in creating customer loyalty than switching barriers.The present research provides an integrated approach in examining customer loyalty and exploresthe different roles of switching barriers in the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty.In order to further develop the integrated approach of customer loyalty modelling, some additionalconcepts should be incorporated and examined in the future.