Beyond customer loyalty

Abstract

Research suggests that while customer satisfaction and loyalty provide a foundation for high levels of customer lifetime value, they support a range of customer behaviors with widely varying values, characterized by mere loyalty (repeat purchase), commitment (willingness to refer others to a product or service), apostle‐like behavior (willingness to convince others to use a product or service), and ownership (willingness to recommend product or service improvements). As a result of these findings, it is of increasing importance that the small number of apostles and owners in a customer portfolio that can drive all of the profits should be identified and cultivated.