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The relationship between consumers' unethical behavior and customer loyalty in a retail environment
De Wulf, Kristof Van Kenhove, Patrick Steenhaut, Sarah
De Wulf, Kristof
Van Kenhove, Patrick
Steenhaut, Sarah
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Publication Type
Working paper
Editor
Supervisor
Publication Year
2003
Journal
Book
Publication Volume
Publication Issue
17
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Publication End page
Publication NUmber of pages
36
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Abstract
This paper investigates the relationship between two outcomes of relationship marketing - affective commitment and behavioral loyalty - and consumers' unethical behavior. The main objective of the study is to assess whether affective commitment and behavioral loyalty to a store translate into more ethical behavior towards that store, controlling for the variables of age, gender, and ethical beliefs. The study does not rely on a single measurement tool, but is based on ten months' panel data and three different mail surveys targeted at 359 Belgian households. The results provide support for our hypothesis that affective commitment is indeed negatively correlated with consumers' unethical behavior. The same conclusion could not be drawn for the relationship between behavioral loyalty and consumers' unethical behavior. No significant relationship was detected, not even in situations where affective commitment was high. The results hold major implications for retailing practice.
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Keywords
Customer Satisfaction