Satisfaction and Loyalty in Local Food Festival: Do Switching Barriers Matter?

Pouya Zargar,Panteha Farmanesh

doi:10.1177/21582440211050382

Abstract

In food tourism context, attracting customers and provision of satisfaction is of necessity. In accord with the call for empirical evidence within the extant literature, this study examines switching barriers and its role as moderator on the relationship between satisfaction and customer loyalty, at a food festival in Delhi, India. Switching barriers can be a vital factor for attracting more tourists into organized festivals, if implied adequately and maintained on a controlled manner. Creating switching barriers can be an effective approach for obtaining long-term visitors from marketing and tourism aspects. A questionnaire was designed specifically using related measures based on the literature. Various regression models were applied to estimate switching barriers’ effects and to further analyze our hypotheses. Interaction plot exhibited suppressing effect of switching barriers on the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. The results of this study found that the role of switching barriers is not merely statistically significant, but requires critical attention from organizers. JEL Classification: M3, M30, M31, M37, M39

Highlights

Food and related products were categorized as factors with low levels of engagement/participation (Beharrell & Denison, 1995)
Considering the fact that the extant literature lacks sufficient empirical evidence for understanding the effect of switching barriers on food-related behaviors, the current research aims to investigate this notion in the context of marketing and tourism sectors
The results are in consensus with previous findings for customer satisfaction is an important antecedent of customer loyalty (e.g., Han & Hyun, 2012; Han, Kim et al, 2011)

Summary

Introduction

Food and related products were categorized as factors with low levels of engagement/participation (Beharrell & Denison, 1995) This perspective has drastically changed in recent years with vast improvements in agriculture, welfare, animal care, and overall health, which has made food-related activities a matter of interest, especially in tourism and marketing contexts (Alkhurshan & Rjoub, 2020; Wu & Ai, 2016). Organizers of events as business owners are more likely to have their customers remain through increased satisfaction, loyalty, and switching barriers (Alkhurshan & Rjoub, 2020; Kheiry & Alirezapour, 2012). Customers’ satisfaction and subsequently loyalty are vital for all businesses and organizations This extends to the context of food tourism, food festivals, and events. Considering the fact that the extant literature lacks sufficient empirical evidence for understanding the effect of switching barriers on food-related behaviors, the current research aims to investigate this notion in the context of marketing and tourism sectors

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion