Satisfaction emotions and consumer behavioral intentions

The purpose of this study is to develop and refine the theoretical framework underpinning consumer satisfaction emotions and re‐examine the emotions/behavioral intentions link.

A quantitative research design was adopted for this study. An extensive and critical review of literature related to consumer satisfaction emotions and consumer behavioral intentions led to the identification of two research questions. A self‐completion questionnaire was developed and administered to hospitality management graduates in Switzerland.

The PCA suggested that satisfaction emotions were best conceptualized as a three‐dimensional construct that included positive, negative and what the present authors have labeled “bi‐directional” emotions. Moreover, a positive statistically significant relationship between “bi‐directional” emotions and consumer complaining behavior was established through correlation analysis.

The respondents were studying at a private institution in Switzerland, and as such, the socio‐economic background of the respondents may not be representative of education consumers generally, and of consumers of services in industries other than education.

The findings reported in this paper indicate that the emotions framework that was developed could provide a valuable resource for managers as segmentation tool, and as an instrument for measuring and monitoring consumer behavioral intentions.

This paper has identified a relationship between specific satisfaction emotions and consumer complaining behavior. As a consequence, a more comprehensive satisfaction emotions scale has been developed that captures a broader range of consumer behavioral intentions. This information should benefit practitioners and researchers alike.