THE IMPACT OF INDIVIDUAL HETEROGENEITY ON BUILDING CUSTOMER LOYALTY

Abstract

Consumer loyalty is a powerful source of competitive advantage. Managers should pay more attention to the factors that could improve the long-term relationship between consumers and companies. The aim of this study is to explore predictors of customer loyalty in the retail bank sector in order to identify the effect of stability perceptions in addition to customer satisfaction and service quality which have been traditionally accepted as the primary predictors of customer loyalty, especially for services. Another purpose of the study is to investigate the moderating effects of gender, age and income on the mentioned relationships. A random sample of Croatian bank customers was surveyed to collect information on customer perceptions and behaviours in relation to satisfaction with service quality, stability and loyalty. The research results revealed that service quality, consumer satisfaction and stability perceptions have a significant impact on consumer loyalty. Furthermore, age has a moderating effect on the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty as well as on the relationship between quality and loyalty. Thanks to the specialty of the banking sector, gender, age and income moderate the relationship between perceived stability and loyalty.