Influence of relational quality on loyalty intention in commercial VSE’s: Mediating effect of interpersonal affinity

Abstract

The aim of this article is to study the mediating role of interpersonal affinity in the relationship between relational quality and loyalty intention in commercial VSEs. This study proposes a model positioning relational quality and interpersonal affinity as central variables in the formation of loyalty intention in Togolese MSEs. The model data were analyzed using structural equations based on the PLS approach. A quantitative survey of 250 individuals (customers of VSEs) was carried out to compare the theoretical and empirical models. The results reveal that relational quality favors the formation of customer loyalty intention in MSEs, and the process explaining this association is the development of interpersonal affinity among customers. The results of this article lead to managerial implications that may be of interest to managers, contact personnel and tenants of commercial VSEs wishing to improve knowledge of loyalty intention and the determining factors in customers and influencing its loyalty intention. However, the main limitation of this article is that the use of a convenience sample limits the generalizability of the results.

Keywords: relational quality, interpersonal affinity and loyalty

JEL Classification: M31

Paper type: Empirical research