Title: Implicit and explicit loyalty: the role of satisfaction, trust and brand image in mobile telecommunication industry

Authors: Eric Yeboah-Asiamah; Simon Gyasi Nimako; Daniel M. Quaye; Samuel Buame

Addresses: Department of Marketing and Customer Management, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana ' Department of Management Studies Education, University of Education, Winneba, Kumasi, Ghana ' Department of Marketing and Customer Management, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana ' Department of Marketing and Customer Management, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana

Abstract: This paper assesses the moderating role of satisfaction, trust and brand image within implicit and explicit brand loyalty framework in mobile telecommunication services in Ghana. The proposed model was evaluated based on data from 338 consumers obtained from a cross-sectional survey. Partial least square (PLS) structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analysed data. The results show that implicit loyalty, comprising of cognitive, affective and conative, makes significant influence on explicit loyalty; the moderating role of satisfaction on this relationship was strongly supported while the role of trust and brand image were partially significant. This paper provides theoretical extensions to sequential loyalty models. Despite its contextual limitations, the paper implies that marketing managers need to develop marketing and loyalty strategies that result in better customer satisfaction, induce more trust in the brand and project the image of the brand high to build a stable customer base which is a core business asset.

Keywords: customer brand loyalty; customer satisfaction; telecommunications industry; implicit loyalty; explicit loyalty; trust; brand image; Ghana; mobile communications; partial least squares; PLS; structural equation modelling; SEM.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBEM.2016.073402

International Journal of Business and Emerging Markets, 2016 Vol.8 No.1, pp.94 - 115

Received: 20 Aug 2014
Accepted: 25 Mar 2015
Published online: 01 Dec 2015 *

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