TY  - JOUR
AB  - Little attention has been paid to prospective customers who defect before buying. This paper examines the almost customer phenomenon. It reviews literature on service quality, customer satisfaction, retention, relationships, loyalty and defection. It also categorizes the causes of almost customer experiences into a series of themes. The almost customer phenomenon and its effects are presented in the context of implications for managers and for future research. The almost customer phenomenon may appear to be a study of early customer defection, but the almost customer defects before buying. The customer defection literature assumes that a firm has attracted customers. But, not every attempted transaction leads to a purchase. Sometimes, elements of the interaction have an impact on whether or not the individual buys. This paper examines defection before a customer becomes a customer. Reducing the incidence of almost customer episodes represents an opportunity for firms to optimize growth and profitability.
VL  - 14
IS  - 2/3
SN  - 0960-4529
DO  - 10.1108/09604520410528563
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/09604520410528563
AU  - Barnes James G.
AU  - King Brian R.
AU  - Breen Gordon A.
PY  - 2004
Y1  - 2004/01/01
TI  - The almost customer: a missed opportunity to enhance corporate success
T2  - Managing Service Quality: An International Journal
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 134
EP  - 146
Y2  - 2024/04/19
ER  -