This study addressed the ill-understood issue of how loyalty develops in service patrons. Although many theorists hold commitment to be an essential part of this process, the link between commitment and loyalty has received little empirical attention. To address this void, the study first portrayed commitment’s root tendency to resist changing preference as a function of three antecedent processes. Second, this portrayal formed the basis for developing a psychometrically sound scale to measure the construct of commitment. Third, the scale was then used in a mediating effects model (M-E-M) to test the commitment-loyalty link. Path analyses found this parsimonious structure to be a significant improvement over rival direct effects models (D-E-Ms). Results found the tendency to resist changing preference to be a key precursor to loyalty, largely explained by a patron’s willingness to identify with a brand. Implications of these findings for loyalty’s development and research are explored.

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The first goal of this study was to determine whether Day's (1969) measure of loyalty could be extended to better understand travel service patronage. Findings provide clear support that this composite measure, of repeat purchase and loyal attitude, is an effective approach to distinguishing the loyal traveler. A cluster analysis that combined scores on the composite measure from 428 travelers supported a two-dimensional matrix that identified four types of loyalty: true, spurious, latent, and low. This accomplished the study's second purpose by confirming that the four distinct levels of loyalty exist in a variety of service settings. Discriminant analysis was used to achieve the third objective — To identify those characteristics that differentiate the truly loyal patron. The resulting profile found this traveler to be a highly satisfied, symbolically involved consumer drawn to those services that exhibit an empathetic, caring concern for their patrons. These findings generate a much clearer understanding of how service providers can measure and manage their returning patrons.

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