The study examines issues related to service quality and customer loyalty in the commercial airline industry. The results of an empirical study, using data collected on two air carriers, indicate that current levels of perceived service quality are below potential and that customer loyalty to airlines is low. A significant relationship was found to exist between service quality (carrier image) and retained preference, a measure of customer loyalty.

Observes that traditional retail, catalog, and online‐only businesses face a critical decision – to accept a new, yet unrefined business model that includes multiple channels or to retain their single channel model and risk becoming obsolete and left behind by new, multi‐channel competitors. The decision process and implementation of a multi‐channel strategy could be simplified if businesses understood what drives consumers to a single channel, multiple channels, and which channels are preferred. Outlines the key issues facing multi‐channel marketers, and encourages multi‐channel businesses to take a customer‐centric view rather than a channel focused view to work through the challenges unique to the multi‐channel marketer. A model of multi‐channel buyer behavior is proposed to help the multi‐channel marketer develop a customer‐centric view. Presents a series of propositions which serve to encourage and direct future research in this area.

Posits a stagewise learning process involved in the building of brand equity: brand birth; the creation of brand awareness and associations; the building of quality and value perceptions; the emergence of brand loyalty; and the launching of brand extensions. Also reports on an empirical study which explored the evolution, existence and extensibility of brand equity in a particular business‐to‐business market. Concludes with practical implications for managers in business‐to‐business product or service firms.

As organizations continue to embrace the concept of building customer relationships as a way of creating a competitive advantage, they seek to understand what makes a customer relationship successful. This article reports the results of a survey of consumers that explores one construct—trust in the organization—and its role in customers’ perception of their relationship with an organization. In addition, trust in the organization and its influence on customers’ willingness to provide the information necessary to help build a strong relationship is examined. The findings provide some support for the role of trust in building relationships, as well as identifying which factors are important in building that trust.

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