Consumer Loyalty to Service Providers: An Integrated Conceptual Model

Abstract

Published research on customer loyalty to a service provider remains underrepresented in the marketing literature compared to publications dealing with brand loyalty. In an effort to encourage more research on the former, this article integrates the present body of knowledge regarding the concept of service loyalty, defined herein as the loyalty of a household consumer to a service provider. A unified definition of service loyalty is proposed, together with a conceptual model that represents the relationships among the antecedent constructs of loyalty as discussed in the research literature. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the model, along with possible directions for future research in this area.