A Delightful experience? The role of delight in loyalty formation

Recent research has questioned the value of satisfaction and has emphasized the need to delight customers. Despite this, few studies have explored how satisfaction and delight jointly determine customer loyalty. This study examines the effect of disconfirmation, satisfaction, surprise, arousal, positive affect and delight on customer loyalty. This research examines the effect of these constructs on loyalty using a structural equation modelling approach and a sample of 474 service consumers. Recognising that customer-provider relationships transpire over time, the authors also consider the effect of service experience on these relationships for new and repeat purchase customers. Satisfaction was ultimately found to generate loyalty. Interestingly, service experience did not influence the salience of delight and ultimately, delight did not lead to loyalty. The findings of this research have important implications for the management of customer-provider relationships for high-involvement services and for managers who are considering a service program designed around delighting the customer.1 page(s