The Intention-to-Repurchase Paradox: A Case of the Health and Fitness Industry

Abstract

The factors that lead customers to continue to use a particular organization have been subject to extensive research which has focused on service quality (Olorunniwo, Hsu, & Udo, 2006; Parasuraman, Zeithaml, & Berry, 1985, 1994a, 1994b) satisfaction (Jones & Suh, 2000; Murray & Howat, 2002; Söderlund, 2006), and image (Lassar, Mittal, & Sharma, 1995; Zins, 2001). Although the factors investigated may be different, there is general agreement that the retention of customers is fundamental to the success of an organization (Oliver, 1999; Söderlund, 2006; Zeithaml, Berry, & Parasuraman, 1996). The notion of customer retention is encapsulated by the concept of customer loyalty (Ganesh, Arnold, & Reynolds, 2000; Zins, 2001) and it is evident that loyal customers are considered key to organizational profitability and success. Selin, Howard, Udd, and Cable (1987) found that consumers of municipal recreation programs who demonstrated the greatest levels of loyalty to the service tended to repurchase more often and spend more money. In addition, research carried out with theater customers showed that greater levels of loyalty led to greater repurchase behavior (Divett, Crittenden, & Henderson, 2003). From this it is apparent that it is of benefit to organizations to create loyal customers