The Satisfaction of Change: How Knowledge and Innovation Overcome Loyalty in Decision-Making Processes (Palgrave Studies in Democracy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship for Growth)

This book analyzes the impact of the digital economy on customer satisfaction, shopping experience, resistance to change, script theory, and loyalty. The model introduced assumes that online markets have led to a redefinition of the concepts of loyalty and shopping scripts as a way to reduce customers’ cognitive effort, by optimizing purchase time and increasing the speed and satisfaction of the shopping experience. It describes the utility function of the script by retaining customer loyalty and making the customer more reluctant to abandon his regular supplier. It also explores the difficulty faced by the higher churn rate on the Internet and the minimization of search costs, by integrating more functionality to achieve the ultimate goal of behavioral and cognitive loyalty. The authors provide an analysis in a "digital" view of the economic theory of switching costs and the resulting lock-in mechanisms which, in a classical economy, are often a barrier to disloyalty. It is a useful and effective tool for online businesses, their main managerial and strategic implications, and the adaptability to existing contexts. Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Introduction....Pages 1-11 Definition and Evolution of the Variables in the Model in Marketing Studies and Research....Pages 13-60 A Model of Customer Retention in Business-Intensive Markets....Pages 61-98 Shopping Scripts and Resistance to Change: An Empirical Verification in Business-to-Business Digital Markets....Pages 99-120 Managerial Implications of the Model and Final Insights....Pages 121-130 Back Matter....Pages 131-138