To read this content please select one of the options below:

The social aspects of consumption as predictors of consumer loyalty: Online vs offline services

Rodoula H Tsiotsou (Department of Business Administration, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece)

Journal of Service Management

ISSN: 1757-5818

Article publication date: 18 April 2016

Issue publication date: 18 April 2016

2745

Abstract

Purpose

Nowadays, companies are seeking to create meaningful and long-term relationships with their customers. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the role of parasocial and social aspects of consumption in building trustworthy and loyal relationships in both offline and online services.

Design/methodology/approach

Two studies were conducted using the survey research method. The first study collected data from 285 soccer fans, and the second study collected data from 298 Facebook consumers.

Findings

The study confirms the proposed model and suggests that parasocial and social relationships act as significant antecedents of service brand loyalty in both offline and online services.

Originality/value

This is the first study that examines parasocial and social relationships in tandem and their role in developing loyal relationships with service brands. It also confirms that social relationships in a service setting play a significant role in predicting brand trust and loyalty.

Keywords

Citation

Tsiotsou, R.H. (2016), "The social aspects of consumption as predictors of consumer loyalty: Online vs offline services", Journal of Service Management, Vol. 27 No. 2, pp. 91-116. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-04-2015-0117

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Related articles