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This study aims to explore the impact of store atmospherics on urban bottom-of-the-pyramid consumers’ behavioural intentions to purchase apparel in an emerging African market context. This study also considers purchase antecedents to attitude, perceived behavioural control and social norms as determinants of urban bottom-of-the-pyramid consumers’ apparel behavioural intentions.

Using non-probability sampling, specifically purposive and interlocking sampling, data collection was secured from 881 economically active Namibian urban bottom-of-the-pyramid respondents through interviewer-administered questionnaires. Covariance-based structural equation modelling assessed the significant relationships among all constructs in the conceptual model.

This study found that for favourable apparel behavioural intentions of urban bottom-of-the-pyramid consumers to occur, apparel retailers should emphasise trust, perceived awareness and self-identity through apparel assortment and groupings, easy-to-read visible signage, together with competent, friendly and respectful sales personnel in their store atmospherics.

The findings of this study may guide apparel retailers in other emerging African markets to develop regional integration, market-based solutions and inclusive economic growth focusing on “non-essential” products, such as apparel, among urban bottom-of-the-pyramid consumers.

This study expands the intellectual boundaries of urban bottom-of-the-pyramid consumers’ behavioural intentions towards “non-essential” products. The theoretical framework supports the integration of both the stimulus-organism-response model and the theory of planned behaviour into one single model for empirical investigation. Additionally, adopting a novel theoretical framework helped identify the impact of store atmospherics from a bottom-of-the-pyramid perspective in an emerging African market context, such as Namibia.

This study explores a seller’s perspective in business relationships to validate whether the findings reported in previous studies based on buyer business relationships apply to seller business relationships. The purpose of this study is to test whether satisfaction functions as a connector between positive antecedents (trust and commitment) and negative postcedents (opportunism and conflict) in a business-to-business (B2B) relationship, based on a seller perspective.

A descriptive research design was applied and data was collected from Norwegian companies from the database of LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator. Respondents (Sales or Marketing Managers/Directors or Key Account Managers) were asked to identify one main business customer with whom they had interacted in the past year. A total of 213 responses could be used for data analysis. In addition, the measurement and structural models were assessed.

Trust was established as a positive alter ego of opportunism and opportunism as a negative alter ego of trust. The commitment was also determined to be a positive alter ego of conflict, with conflict being a negative alter ego of commitment. Furthermore, it was proven that alter egos are not opposites, but facets of antecedents and postcedents in relation to a connector, satisfaction.

The tested model endorses the hypothesised relationships between trust, commitment, satisfaction, opportunism and conflict in Norwegian B2B relationships. Satisfaction is linked to its two antecedents and its outcomes and the hypothesised relationship between opportunism and conflict is also endorsed from a seller’s perspective in B2B relationships.

The findings can assist the B2B industry to understand how trust and commitment foster satisfaction, how satisfaction influences opportunism and conflict, and how opportunism relates to conflict in a seller-business relationship.

No previous study has focussed on relationship marketing in B2B relationships from a seller’s perspective to establish whether satisfaction functions as a connector between trust and commitment and opportunism and conflict.

This study aims to investigate how the commitment of Islamic banking customers is influenced by trust, relationship expectations and conflict management. In turn, the influence of their commitment on future satisfaction is determined.

A descriptive research design was applied and responses were obtained from Islamic banking customers through the application of self-administered questionnaires. A total of 350 completed questionnaires were used in analysing the data. An exploratory factor analysis established the interrelationships of the scales used to measure the study’s constructs. In addition, both the measurement and structural models were evaluated.

Trust and relationship expectations significantly and positively influence customer commitment, while conflict management has no significant influence on the commitment of Islamic banking customers to their bank. In addition, commitment significantly and positively influences the satisfaction experiences of Islamic banking customers.

The tested model validates the hypothesised relationships between the trust, relationship expectations, commitment and satisfaction of Islamic banking customers. However, the relationship between conflict management, commitment and satisfaction was not established. Commitment is linked to trust and relationship expectations, as well as its outcome, satisfaction. However, commitment could not be linked to antecedent conflict management.

The findings could assist retail banks servicing Islamic banking customers in offering in-depth knowledge of how trust and relationship expectations can foster customer commitment, eventually securing the positive satisfaction of customers.

The study focussed on Islamic banking customers and determined the interrelationships between commitment and related constructs. Few studies, however, have examined how commitment relates to its precursors and outcome from an Islamic banking perspective in an emergent African economy.

This study aims to explore the influence of surprise and delight on the loyalty intentions of retail banking customers in an emerging market context. This study also considers the moderating effect of trust on these relationships.

Using convenience and purposive sampling methods, data collection was secured from 350 customers in the retail banking industry who are delighted with their banks.

This study found that for delightful experiences to occur, customers need to be surprised and see value in the product/service offered by the retail bank, coupled with the expertise of employees in delivering the service.

The sample’s demographic profile was mostly skewed towards the younger generation (individuals 20–39 years of ages), meaning the results could be biased towards this group.

Retail banks need to create delightful experiences, as they are more memorable and leave a permanent mark in customers’ minds.

Limited studies have explored the relationship between delight, its antecedents and outcomes in a developing African market context, such as Botswana, hence the contribution of this study to literature.

This study uses relationship marketing theory to explore affective and calculative commitment as mediators in the delight–loyalty link. Furthermore, it investigates the role of perceived employee service delivery skills, perceived value and trust in the relationships between delight, affective commitment, calculative commitment and loyalty.

A descriptive research approach was applied, and the data were collected from 332 retail banking customers in an emergent market who are overall satisfied with their bank. A self-administered questionnaire collected data from 332 respondents who adhered to the stipulated requirements to participate in the study. These respondents were selected through purposive and convenience sampling. The constructs’ interrelationships were analysed via structural equation modelling. The measurement and structural models were also assessed.

Affective and calculative commitment and delight impact loyalty. Both affective commitment and calculative commitment were found to mediate the relationship between delight and customer loyalty.

The study enhances an understanding of the role of affective and calculative commitment in strengthening the delight–loyalty link from a relationship marketing theory perspective.

The study provides guidance to the retail banking industry in emerging markets on the importance of affective and calculative commitment in strengthening the delight–loyalty link. It further informs retail banks of the need to provide banking customers with products and service value that exceed their expectations to strengthen their future commitment and loyalty to their bank.

Guided by relationship marketing theory, the role of affective and calculative commitment in mediating the delight–loyalty link in an emerging market context is uncovered.

The purpose of this research is to develop an enhanced understanding of the drivers of trust and loyalty in a conventional and Islamic banking setting.

The study’s sample included South African retail bank customers who had Islamic or conventional products and who were 18 years or older. A field services company collected data from respondents through the distribution of self-administered questionnaires and a total of 949 questionnaires were deemed suitable for data analysis. SmartPLS 3.2.7 and Hayes Process Macro for SPSS tested the study’s hypotheses.

Comparing conventional banking customers with Islamic banking customers, the path from trust to customer loyalty was statistically significantly different across customer type, while the paths between trust and customer orientation, information sharing, and service fairness were not statistically significantly different across customer type. A closer examination of the path coefficients reveals that the relationship between trust and loyalty is stronger for conventional banking customers than for Islamic banking customers.

The findings of the study guide both conventional and Islamic banks in South Africa on how banks should redesign their purpose as the providers of financial resources to their customer segments. It highlights the need for these banks to secure a more focused approach on how to deliver financial resources and consulting services to customers in a trusting, engaging and reliable manner.

The study provides insight into Islamic and retail bank customers’ perceptions of the drivers of trust and loyalty and how these constructs’ interrelationships differ between Islamic and conventional banking customers.

The purpose of this study is to examine the importance of relationship marketing and particularly customer trust in energy-efficiency labels in social marketing interventions geared towards energy-efficient consumption.

A conceptual model was empirically tested on a sample of 517 users of electronic appliances living in South Africa. The study involved a cross-sectional design, and data were collected via a self-administered survey. Structural equation modelling and mediation analysis were used to test the hypothesised relationships.

The results indicated that customer trust is influenced by customers’ perception of the price and quality of energy-efficiency products, their attitude towards such products and their level of satisfaction with the environmental performance of the products. Customer trust, in turn, showed a positive influence on the customers’ intention to purchase energy-efficiency products and their loyalty to such products. As a central variable, customer trust was found to be an important mediator in the conceptual model.

The findings provide social marketers with important insights on the critical role that customer trust plays in achieving a long-term behavioural shift towards energy-efficient consumption.

Focusing on customer trust in energy-efficiency labels, this study provides empirical evidence of the mediating role of trust in influencing the intention to purchase and the decision to remain loyal to eco-friendly products. Moreover, this paper provides greater clarity on various levers to be activated to enhance the trust that customers have in energy-efficiency labels.

This study aims to explore the loyalty intent of prepaid (contract-free) customers in a market where disloyalty is prevalent and the market has low switching costs.

A quota, non-probability sampling technique was applied, resulting in the completion of 220 self-administered questionnaires that were used for data analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis and a structural equation model were applied to determine model fit and test the formulated hypotheses for this study.

The strength of the satisfaction–loyalty relationship is found to be influenced by three specific satisfaction antecedents, strengthened by the mediating role of customer delight and impacted by switching costs.

The findings of this study may guide mobile service providers in their initiatives to secure satisfaction and loyalty in a market context where switching costs are low and the market is described as disloyal.

This study investigates the well-researched relationship between satisfaction and loyalty and the antecedents of customer satisfaction to determine which of these variables should be the focus in a challenging market where consumers are disloyal and switching costs are low.

This study aims to investigate the extent to which the satisfaction/delight experienced by customers of cell phone network service providers is influenced by their perceptions of the networks’ employee service delivery skills and the value that the customers derive from the networks’ offerings. In turn, the influence of the extent of their satisfaction/delight on future behavioural intention (BI) is determined.

A descripto-explanatory research design is followed and data are collected from satisfied/delighted cell phone network service provider customers using self-administered questionnaires. A total of 593 responses were suitable for analysis. An exploratory factor analysis is used to uncover the interrelationships between the items measuring the study’s constructs. Furthermore, the measurement and structural models are assessed.

Perceived employee service delivery skills (PESDS) and value significantly and positively influence customer satisfaction/delight experiences, whereas customer satisfaction/delight experiences significantly and positively influence their BIs.

The model tested confirms the hypothesised relationships between PESDS, perceived value, customer satisfaction/delight experiences and BIs of cell phone network customers. Customer satisfaction/delight experiences are linked to their two antecedents (PESDS and value) and their outcome, BI.

The findings assist cell phone network service providers in understanding how PESDS and value can foster customer delight, ultimately leading to positive BIs from customers.

This study focuses only on satisfied customers and determines the interrelationships of the extent to which they encounter customer satisfaction/delight experiences and related constructs. Few research studies, however, have examined how customer satisfaction/delight experiences relate to its antecedents and outcome.

This study aims to explore the direct and indirect effects of sales opportunism and sales conflict as well as of non-economic and economic satisfaction in business-to-business (B2B) sales relationships. This understanding offers B2B buyers enhanced knowledge of sales business expectations towards sustainable business relationships in the future.

Through self-administered questionnaires, data were obtained from 237 sales or marketing managers/directors of small- and medium-sized companies across industries in Spain, who were randomly contacted via LinkedIn. The multivariate analysis of measurement and structural models was based on IBM SPSS Amos 27.

The study confirms that sales opportunism positively affects sales conflict. Moreover, sales opportunism is negatively associated with non-economic sales satisfaction, whereas non-economic sales satisfaction is positively associated with economic sales satisfaction. Consequently, if all associates are pleased with the relationship and the gains it can provide, a long-standing orientation can be achieved.

The study expands existing theory on seller–buyer relationships in a B2B context. It contextualises direct and indirect relationships between two antecedents (sales opportunism and sales conflict) and two postcedents (economic sales satisfaction and non-economic sales satisfaction) in sales business–buyer settings.

The study guides buyers in B2B relationships towards an improved understanding of how sales businesses perceive opportunism and conflict (as negative precursors) to impact non-economic satisfaction and how it can influence economic satisfaction.

Most studies explore B2B relationship building from the perspective of the buyer, thereby creating a shortfall in developing an understanding of all partner expectations in B2B relational intent. Moreover, the measurement of satisfaction as a multidimensional construct secured the integration of non-economic satisfaction and economic satisfaction within a single model allowing the constructs measured in this study to be holistically assessed.