Assessing behavior before it becomes behavior: An examination of the role of intentions as a link between satisfaction and repatronizing behavior

• Published in: International journal of service industry management 2005-01, Vol.16 (2), p.169-185
• Main Authors: Soderlund, Magnus, Ohman, Niclas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Behavior; Causality; Consumer behavior; Customer satisfaction; Planning; Questionnaires; Service industries; Studies; Variables
• ISSN: 0956-4233; 1757-5818; 1757-5826
• DOI: 10.1108/09564230510592298

This study is based on the belief that different intention constructs capture different aspects of the customer's assessments of his or her future repatronizing behavior -- and that intentions measures based on different intention constructs are not equally correlated with firstly, the customer's global evaluation of the supplier, such as satisfaction, and secondly, his or her overt repatronizing behavior. The specific purpose is to examine if such variation is at hand in with regards to two specific intention constructs: intentions-as-expectations and intentions-as-wants. A first questionnaire was used to collect data on satisfaction and intentions in a restaurant setting, and a second questionnaire captured behavioral data. The analysis shows that the two intention constructs produced different strength in the association with customer satisfaction and with repatronizing behavior. In addition, the findings suggest that the two constructs are characterized by different levels of assessment volition, and this also serve as the main explanation of the results.