Customer loyalty presents a fascinating paradox. 75% of consumers declare brand loyalty, yet only 25% show consistent loyal purchasing behavior. The gap between stated and actual loyalty reveals a crucial insight – what customers feel about a brand differs significantly from what they do.

Attitudinal loyalty stands apart from behavioral loyalty through its focus on psychological commitment and emotional connections. Modern businesses recognize this distinction matters more than ever.

Recent research by Akhgari & Bruning (2024) uncovers how trust, commitment, and consumer attitudes create lasting customer bonds. Their findings prove attitudinal loyalty shapes behavioral loyalty, making it essential for effective customer retention programs.

The research breaks new ground in understanding loyalty formation. Trust emerges as a key driver, working alongside emotional connections to build enduring brand relationships. For businesses seeking stronger customer bonds, these insights offer practical ways to move beyond simple transactions toward meaningful engagement.

Foundations of Attitudinal Loyalty

Akhgari & Bruning’s research reveals the psychological and emotional building blocks of attitudinal loyalty. Their statistical validation through structural equation modeling shows impressive fit indices (CFI = 0.966, RMSEA = 0.046), proving the reliability of their loyalty formation framework.

Attitudinal vs Behavioral Loyalty

Customer loyalty takes two distinct forms. Attitudinal loyalty reflects a customer’s psychological and emotional connection to a brand. Behavioral loyalty shows up in actual purchases. The difference matters:

Aspect	Attitudinal Loyalty	Behavioral Loyalty
Nature	Psychological/Emotional	Transactional/Action-based
Indicators	Trust, Commitment, Identity	Repurchase, Word-of-mouth
Measurement	Emotional attachment scales	Purchase frequency data

Core Elements of Loyalty Formation

Three key elements shape attitudinal loyalty:

• Trust: Works as the primary bridge between customers and brands, affecting both feelings and actions
• Commitment Types:
  • Continuance commitment – based on rational calculation
  • Affective commitment – driven by emotional desire
• Identity Connection: How customers see themselves in the brand’s values

Modern Loyalty Understanding

The research adds fresh perspectives to traditional loyalty thinking:

1. Combines pleasure-seeking and practical attitudes
2. Proves trust-commitment theory works today
3. Shows emotional factors matter more than thought

Hedonic attitudes strongly influence loyalty components (β = .36, p < .001). The emotional side of loyalty carries more weight than previous research suggested. These findings change how we see customer relationships developing over time.

The study’s size – 1,028 respondents – and thorough analysis validate these foundations. Results prove attitudinal loyalty predicts customer behavior, with satisfaction driving both repurchase plans (β = .49) and word-of-mouth (β = .42).

Consumer Attitudes Shape Loyalty Patterns

Consumer attitudes determine how loyalty behaviors develop. Akhgari & Bruning’s study of 902 participants reveals fascinating patterns in how emotional and practical factors work together to build brand relationships.

Pleasure Drives Loyalty

Emotional attitudes stand out as powerful loyalty builders. The numbers tell a clear story:

• Cooperation rises with emotional engagement (β = .13)
• Word-of-mouth flows naturally (β = .10)
• Customer engagement deepens

Service companies take note – emotional connections predict loyalty better than practical benefits alone. The pleasure customers feel from brand interactions matters more than rational thinking suggests.

Practical Benefits Matter Too

Smart brands know emotional bonds need practical foundations. The research spots key functional elements:

Attitude Type	Loyalty Impact
Functional Benefits	Sets satisfaction baseline
Service Quality	Builds trust
Value Perception	Keeps customers committed

How Attitudes Turn into Action

Statistical modeling shows attitudes shape loyalty through two paths:

1. Direct Path:
   • Good feelings boost cooperation and recommendations
   • Practical benefits encourage repeat purchases
2. Indirect Path:
   • Trust bridges attitudes and loyalty
   • Commitment strengthens the connection

The study proves something surprising – emotional attitudes predict practical attitudes. This challenges old ideas about keeping emotional and practical benefits separate.

Strong model fit scores (CFI = 0.966, RMSEA = 0.046) back these findings. The large sample size (n=902) adds weight to the results.

Smart businesses build both emotional bonds and practical value. The research shows attitudinal loyalty needs both elements working together. Customers stay loyal when brands deliver pleasure and purpose.

Trust Bridges Attitudes and Loyalty

Trust stands out as the critical link between customer attitudes and loyalty. Akhgari & Bruning’s statistical modeling (CFI=0.966, RMSEA=0.046) proves trust shapes how customers bond with brands.

Building Trust Foundations

Trust works as the master key in relationship marketing, opening both direct and hidden pathways to loyalty. The numbers tell us trust grows from:

• Emotional connections (β = .20, p < .001)
• Practical benefits (β = .61, p < .001)
• Daily brand interactions
• Quality service delivery

Trust Drives Commitment

The trust-commitment theory holds true under rigorous testing. Trust affects different loyalty elements in distinct ways:

Trust Impact On	Direct Effect	Significance
Relationship Satisfaction	Strong Positive	p < .001
Continuance Commitment	Moderate Positive	p < .01
Affective Commitment	Strong Positive	p < .001
Behavioral Intentions	Moderate Positive	p < .01

Trust acts as the bridge between customer attitudes and loyal behavior. This bridge proves especially strong when connecting emotional attitudes to lasting relationships.

Trust Builds Lasting Bonds

Trust shapes long-term relationships through multiple channels. The research shows trust both sparks loyal behavior and strengthens emotional connections. This two-way impact creates an upward spiral of customer loyalty.

The study’s size (902 participants) and thorough analysis back these findings. Practical benefits (β = .61) build trust more directly than emotional connections (β = .20), yet both play vital roles in trust formation.

Trust works like a two-way street – positive attitudes create trust, and trust breeds loyal behavior. This dual role makes trust the cornerstone of customer relationships that last.

Three Pillars of Attitudinal Loyalty

Akhgari & Bruning’s research uncovers three core elements that build lasting customer loyalty. Each element plays a unique role in keeping customers close to brands.

Satisfaction Sets the Foundation

Satisfaction drives loyalty behavior. The research measures it through:

• Service experience scores (α = .951)
• Quality assessments
• Value delivery checks
• Emotional satisfaction levels

Numbers tell the story – satisfied customers buy again (β = .49) and spread the word (β = .42). Yet surprisingly, highly satisfied customers show less cooperation (β = -.21).

Two Faces of Commitment

Commitment comes in two flavors:

Type	What It Means	How Reliable
Continuance	Staying because switching costs too much	α = .865
Affective	Staying because they want to	α = .951

Practical commitment drives repeat purchases (β = .10) and cooperation (β = .31). Emotional commitment sparks both buying (β = .13) and word-of-mouth (β = .07).

Brand Identity Bonds

Brand identification marks the deepest loyalty level (α = .913). When customers see themselves in the brand, good things happen:

Direct Results:

• Cooperation jumps (β = .44)
• Brand champions emerge
• Emotional ties deepen

The research model fits perfectly (CFI = 0.966, RMSEA = 0.046). Using 7-point scales, it captures the full range of customer feelings and connections.

These three elements work like building blocks. Satisfaction lays the ground, commitment builds the walls, and identity puts on the roof. This explains why some customers stick with brands despite tempting alternatives.

Statistical proof confirms each element stands alone yet works together. Different elements trigger different customer actions – smart brands know which buttons to push for desired results.

Loyalty in Action: How Attitudes Turn into Behavior

Behavioral manifestations of loyalty show how customer feelings turn into real actions. Akhgari & Bruning’s analysis (CFI=0.966, RMSEA=0.046) spots three clear patterns in loyal customer behavior.

Buying Again

The numbers tell us why customers come back (α=.938). Different loyalty elements drive repeat purchases in unique ways:

Loyalty Element	Effect on Repurchase	Significance
Relationship Satisfaction	β = .49	p < .001
Continuance Commitment	β = .10	p < .001
Affective Commitment	β = .13	p < .001

These patterns reveal how customer feelings translate into sales. The study measured everything from likely purchases to definite buying plans.

Spreading the Word

Word-of-mouth proves powerful when emotions run high. The research spots strong links between recommendations and:

• Happy customers (β = .42, p < .001)
• Emotional attachment (β = .07, p < .05)
• Feel-good attitudes (β = .10, p < .001)

Here’s the twist – customers who stay just because switching costs too much actually talk less about the brand (β = -.10).

Working Together

Customer cooperation shows fascinating patterns (α=.922). Brand connection drives the strongest teamwork (β = .44, p < .001), yet oddly, very satisfied customers cooperate less (β = -.21, p < .10).

Three clear patterns emerge:

1. Practical commitment boosts cooperation (β = .31)
2. Brand identity strengthens engagement
3. Good feelings spark helpful behavior (β = .13)

The large study group (902 people) proves these patterns hold true. Different attitudinal loyalty components trigger different behaviors. Happy customers buy again and spread the word, while those who identify with the brand work better with companies. Smart businesses match their loyalty strategy to the behavior they want to see.

Research Methods: Proving the Loyalty Framework

Akhgari & Bruning built their loyalty research on rock-solid foundations. Their two-step approach combines early exploration with thorough statistical proof.

Study Design

The journey started small but smart. A pilot study with 177 Canadian university students (94 males, 53%) tested early ideas about banking relationships. The numbers looked good – measurement fit (χ2/df = 2.53; CFI = .943) and structural fit (χ2/df = 2.600; CFI = .938) both showed promise.

Success bred ambition. The main study grew to 902 participants across multiple service types. The attitudinal loyalty framework faced real-world testing with both current and potential customers.

Measuring What Matters

Five key measures captured the full loyalty picture:

What We Measured	How We Measured	How Reliable (α)
Identification	6-item scale	.913
Affective Commitment	4-item reversed scale	.951
Continuance Commitment	3-item scale	.865
Repurchase Intentions	4-item scale	.938
Cooperation	4-item scale	.922

Seven-point scales caught the fine details of customer attitudes. Z-score analysis proved the measurements worked across different service types.

Proving It Works

The proof came in two waves:

1. First Check
   • Every construct passed reliability (all above 0.60)
   • Average variance extracted beat targets (all above 0.50)
   • Distinct measures proved unique through AVE square roots
2. Deep Dive
   • Confirmatory analysis validated measurements
   • Structural modeling tested big ideas
   • Alternative models proved our approach worked best

The final model fit perfectly (CFI = 0.966; RMSEA = 0.046). Each measure stood alone – variance inflation stayed under 3, proving no overlap problems.

The method caught potential biases through both prevention and statistical checks. The full model (χ2/df = 2.927) beat all alternatives, backing our theoretical framework.

The framework proved reliable across service types, with one twist – practical commitment varied by context while other loyalty elements stayed steady. The numbers tell the story – satisfied customers buy again (β = .49) and spread the word (β = .42).

What the Research Tells Us About Loyalty

Numbers tell stories. Akhgari & Bruning’s research reveals fascinating patterns in how customer loyalty grows across different service types. The findings show how various loyalty pieces fit together to create lasting customer bonds.

Feelings and Actions Connect

Attitude Type	Direct Result	Hidden Impact
Feel-good	Word-of-mouth (β = .10)	Through Trust (β = .20)
Practical	Buying again (β = .15)	Through Trust (β = .61)
Combined	Working together (β = .13)	Through Commitment

Customer attitudes shape loyalty in surprising ways. Good feelings flow through multiple channels:

Feel-good attitudes actually predict practical attitudes (β = .36). This explains half the story of trust formation, proving emotions matter more than we thought in building customer relationships.

Trust Makes Everything Work

Trust stands at the center of everything, touching multiple loyalty elements:

• Customer Satisfaction: Strong boost (β = .34)
• Emotional Bonds: Solid lift (β = .26)
• Brand Connection: Clear impact (β = .21)
• Customer Actions: More purchases (β = .17) and recommendations (β = .33)

Trust works both ways – good attitudes create trust, and trust creates loyal behavior. This cycle keeps getting stronger over time.

Making It Work for Business

Smart businesses can use these findings to build stronger customer bonds:

1. Put Emotions First
   • Build emotional connections
   • Make services feel good
   • Create trust-building programs trust-building initiatives
2. Match Your Market
   • Fit strategy to service type
   • Watch how commitment works differently
   • Adjust tactics by industry

Banks see the strongest word-of-mouth effect (β = .547) compared to restaurants (β = .319). Different industries need different approaches.

Practical commitment shows interesting twists. It helps pharmacies (β = .162) and luxury hotels (β = .131) get repeat business but hurts word-of-mouth everywhere else. High switching costs don’t always help.

Practical benefits still matter – they drive emotional commitment in banks (β = .164) and pharmacies (β = .163). But feelings matter more overall, suggesting businesses should focus on emotional connections while keeping service quality high.

These insights change how we see loyalty across different services. Smart businesses build both emotional and practical bonds, knowing different industries need different balances.

Where Loyalty Research Goes Next

Akhgari & Bruning’s research opens doors. Their robust model (CFI = 0.966, RMSEA = 0.046) points to exciting new questions about how customer loyalty grows and changes.

Fresh Territory to Explore

The research spots gaps in our loyalty knowledge. Tomorrow’s studies should dig into:

Research Area	Why It Matters	Expected Value
Emotional Bonds	Strong feeling effects (β = .36)	Better loyalty predictions
Global Patterns	Beyond current geography	Wider model use
Digital Services	New service world	Modern loyalty rules
Time Effects	Beyond snapshot views	How loyalty evolves

The strong link between feelings and trust (β = .20) hints at hidden loyalty mechanisms. Plus, practical commitment works differently across services – we need to know why.

Better Ways to Measure

Numbers tell us where measurement can improve:

• Smarter Tools Needed
  • Track changes over time
  • Model dynamic patterns
  • Analyze multiple levels
  • Compare across contexts

The current model fits well but could do more. Future work should tackle why practical commitment varies across services when other loyalty pieces stay steady.

Industry Insights Needed

Different businesses build loyalty differently. Banks see stronger word-of-mouth effects (β = .547) than other sectors – we should find out why.

Future research should look at loyalty across:

1. Service Complexity
   • Complex services (banking, healthcare)
   • Simple services (shops, restaurants)
   • Expert services (consulting, legal)
2. Digital Mix
   • Pure online services
   • Mixed delivery
   • Traditional service
3. Time Patterns
   • New customer behavior
   • Growing relationships
   • Long-term loyalty

Practical attitudes drive emotional commitment differently in banks (β = .164) and pharmacies (β = .163). We need to understand these industry patterns.

Trust plays a huge role in loyalty (β = .61 for practical attitudes). Each industry might need its own trust-building playbook.

Better research tools could include:

• Multiple data sources
• Industry-specific scales
• Long-term tracking methods
• Global validation approaches

The model works well but needs testing in new contexts. Digital transformation might change how loyalty grows. New factors might matter in tech-heavy services.

Methods should tackle the complex dance between feel-good and practical attitudes. The current model’s strength (CFI = 0.966) gives us solid ground for deeper understanding.

Each industry needs its own loyalty research. Why does practical commitment help some sectors but hurt word-of-mouth in others? Answers could help businesses build better loyalty programs.

Service type might change how attitudes turn into actions. Will satisfaction still drive word-of-mouth (β = .42) in new service models and digital platforms?

These research paths promise better understanding of loyalty while offering practical business insights. The strong statistical foundation supports both theory building and real-world applications across different service types.

What Makes Loyalty Last

Numbers don’t lie. Akhgari & Bruning’s research proves how customer loyalty really works. Their model fits perfectly (CFI = 0.966, RMSEA = 0.046), showing trust bridges the gap between how customers feel and what they do. Most surprising? Emotions matter more than anyone thought.

Four big discoveries stand out:

• Good feelings drive loyalty through multiple paths
• Trust makes everything work
• Happy customers act differently
• Every industry needs its own approach

Smart businesses take note. Want loyal customers? Build emotional bonds first, but don’t forget the basics. Banking customers need different treatment than restaurant patrons. One size doesn’t fit all in loyalty.

The research stands on solid ground. As services change and digital takes over, these findings light the way. They show how customer feelings turn into lasting relationships. That’s what every business wants to know.

Unlock Loyalty with Attitudinal Commitment!

Are you ready to elevate your loyalty program? Understanding attitudinal commitment is key to fostering deeper connections with your customers. At Loyalty & Reward Co, we specialise in designing loyalty programs that not only reward but also engage. Contact us today to learn how we can help you build a loyalty program that truly connects!