Effect of program type and reward timing on customer loyalty: The role of the sunk cost effect
- Authors
- Lee, Seung Min; Kim, Sang Yong; Kim, Dong Young
- Issue Date
- 11월-2019
- Publisher
- SOC PERSONALITY RES INC
- Keywords
- sunk cost effect; loyalty programs; paid loyalty programs; free loyalty programs; customer loyalty; reward timing; zero-price effect
- Citation
- SOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND PERSONALITY, v.47, no.11
- Indexed
- SSCI
SCOPUS
- Journal Title
- SOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND PERSONALITY
- Volume
- 47
- Number
- 11
- URI
- https://scholar.korea.ac.kr/handle/2021.sw.korea/62027
- DOI
- 10.2224/sbp.8407
- ISSN
- 0301-2212
- Abstract
- We examined the effect on customer loyalty of the type of loyalty program (paid vs. free) and timing of rewards (immediate vs. delayed). To test the research objectives we recruited 142 Korean college students and used a 2 x 2 full-factorial, randomized experimental design. Results suggested that the membership fee in paid loyalty programs acted as a sunk cost, which, compared to free loyalty programs, led to greater loyalty to the provider. An immediate (vs. delayed) reward was generally preferred; however, owing to the sunk cost effect, this depended to some extent on the type of loyalty program. In a paid loyalty program, immediate rewards were effective in increasing customer loyalty, whereas customers in free loyalty programs focused more on receiving the reward regardless of its timing. Our findings contribute to the literature by providing useful information for the design of an effective loyalty program scheme.
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Collections - Korea University Business School > Department of Business Administration > 1. Journal Articles
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