Search engine loyalty: considering the commitment-loyalty link from a hedonic versus utilitarian perspective

Abstract

Although loyalty remains a popular subject in traditional contexts, the loyalty of internet users rarely gets studied, especially in noncommercial settings (e.g., search engines, portals, informative websites). This article provides an exploratory perspective on search engine loyalty through the use of a relational framework consisting of a two-dimensional commitment and hedonic versus utilitarian attitudes. The author tests a conceptual model that includes both the direct effect of commitment on action loyalty and the moderating effect of internet users' attitude towards the search engine. A search engine can offer affective and hedonic value to users, which enhances loyalty; switching costs have a negative impact, in the form of calculative commitment; and a 'depreciating effect' emerges from the interaction of commitment dimensions.