Repurchase intention: the effect of similarity and client knowledge

Abstract

PurposeThe objective of this study was to investigate the effect of appearance, lifestyle and status similarity on interaction intensity, satisfaction with a banker and repurchase intention. Also examined was the moderating effect of client knowledge in the enhancement of customer satisfaction with a banker.Design/methodology/approachA total of 800 questionnaires using the snowball sampling technique were performed to distribute the questionnaires to bank customers at different ethnic community centers in New Zealand. A total of 377 useable questionnaires were collected for further analysis.FindingsThe findings indicated that the three types of similarity affect interaction intensity differently. Lifestyle similarity was found to positively influence interaction intensity. The similarity constructs of appearance and status were found to have an insignificant relationship with interaction intensity. The findings show that appearance similarity and interaction intensity are able to enhance customer satisfaction with a banker. Customer satisfaction with a banker has a significant relationship with repurchase intention. Client knowledge influences the degree of interaction intensity and satisfaction with a banker.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study help bankers to understand the importance of their similarities with a customer and to design recruitment strategies and training sections to improve customer satisfaction.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the body of knowledge by incorporating interaction intensity, similarity and satisfaction with a bank into the repurchase intention model.