When selecting a store, service or brand product to purchase consumers must
choose one entity over several others. Developing and maintaining a strong customer
loyalty relationship is a competitive advantage that every company must strive to
accomplish. The article Customer Loyalty: Toward an Integrated Conceptual Framework
by Alan Dick and Kunal Basu develops a customer loyalty theory to better understand the
influences of customer loyalty and its consequences. Based on past literature and
theoretical analysis, the conceptual framework developed provides executives and
managers the opportunity to manage customer loyalty.
Prior to 1994 brand loyalty was viewed as the attitudinal and behavioral measures
that result in repeat purchases (Lutz & Winn 1974). It was known that a strong relative
attitude toward a brand indicated a stronger chance of repeat patronage; however the
reasoning was not fully understood. Dick and Basu theorize using the multicomponent
perspective (Greenwald 1968) that cognitive, affective, and conative antecedents
influence the attitudes of consumers purchasing behaviors.
English: Dunkin' Donuts in Geneva, New York.
As depressing at it sounds, I get my morning coffe...
English: Dunkin' Donuts shop on Jinnah Avenue in B...The accessibility of a brand
product from one's memory and the confidence attitude towards a service or brand are
examples of cognitive antecedents. Emotions, moods, primary affect and satisfaction are
affective antecedents that consumer's experience when considering a purchase. Switching
costs, sunk costs and expectations are the conative antecedents described in the
conceptual loyalty framework. Understanding and managing the attitudinal antecedents
that impacts the attitude-repeat patronage relationship allows entities to strengthen
customer loyalty.
Nonattitudinal influences of the attitude-repeat patronage relationship include
social norms and situational influences A family member or a friend's belief is a social
behavior. This factor can be positive or negative based on a significant others approval or
disapproval of a product. Situational influences including store promotions or reduced
prices can impact customer loyalty. In addition to the influences of the attitude-repeat
patronage relationship impacting loyalty, the...