Relational Benefits, Alternative Attractiveness and Customer Loyalty: Implication for Service Distribution Channels

Purpose: This study explores the types of relational benefits that generate loyalty to room-sharing services among Chinese customers based on the relationship marketing literature. The study also examines the moderating effect of alternative attractiveness on this relationship. Research design, data and methodology: Based on research hypotheses, questionnaires with items measuring the proposed constructs in three dimensions, including relational benefits, alternative attractiveness, and customer loyalty, were designed to test the hypotheses. Data were collected via an online questionnaire of 220 room-sharing service customers in China. Results: Results verify the effects of relational benefits on customers’ loyalty to room-sharing services and the mediating effect of alternative attractiveness. More specifically, confidence, social, and safety benefits positively affect customer loyalty to room-sharing services, and alternative attractiveness moderates only the effect of social benefits. Conclusions: The results suggest that room-sharing service providers should concentrate on providing confidence, social, and safety benefits to maintain long-term relationships with customers. This study also provides practical implication for building relationships between channel members in service distribution channels. The study concludes that without customer relationships marketing for managing collaborative and social communication channels, the entire distribution channel might lose out eventually.