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Purpose Despite the abundance of B2B loyalty programs (LPs), the research on their interplay with relationship marketing is scarce. The purpose of this paper is to investigate a LP (a relational practice) on a transactional business market to test if and how a B2B LP affects relationship outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on dyadic research in a multi-theory framework. Data were collected from 200 small and medium enterprises that purchase office supplies from a company and merged with the company’s internal records.The formative-reflective measurement model is estimated using structural equation modeling – partial least squares (SEM-PLS). Findings Relationship quality (RQ) directly affects sales and customer share of wallet. The effect is strengthened by customer activity in a LP. RQ results directly in a longer tenure and willingness to recommend only for members of a LP. Research limitations/implications RQ is driven mainly by customer’s evaluation of prior experience with a supplier, while a LP is based on a forward-looking promise of a reward. The results of the study point to the level of customers’ activity in a LP as a boundary condition of the program’s efficacy. Practical implications RQ affects both attitudinal and behavioral outcomes but through distinct mechanisms. Once a supplier is a preferred one, LP membership strengthens the attitudinal outcome of a relationship. The effect of RQ on company performance is magnified by the level of customer activity in a LP but not by the membership status. Originality/value The theoretical framework integrates transaction costs, relational contract and relational exchange theories to investigate a LP on a transactional market. The study adds to the scant literature on LPs in business-to-business and provides evidence for similarities and differences in comparison to consumer research.

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Termin nadzieja, chocia¿ nale¿y do pojêae wieloznacznych i trudnych do zdefiniowania, wpisuje siê bardzo konkretnie w wymiar ludzkiego dowiadczenia. Jako fundamentalny stabilizator jakoci ¿ycia, nie tylko w odniesieniu do dalekiej i mglistej przysz³oci, ale równie¿ aktualnie wp³ywa na to, co dzieje siê tu i teraz. To od niej zale¿y jakoae prze¿yae wewnêtrznych, relacji, osi¹gniêae zawodowych, szkolnych; percepcja siebie oraz otaczaj¹cego wiata 1 . Nadzieja jawi siê jako administrator teraniejszoci nie tylko w kontekcie tzw. wydarzeñ granicznych, takich jak utrata mienia, dowiadczenie choroby czy mierci osoby bliskiej, ale odgrywa równie¿ kluczow¹ rolê w zwyk³ych wydarzeniach. Na swój sposób dowiadczaj¹ jej wszyscy, bez wzglêdu na wiek, kulturê, miejsce pochodzenia czy przynale¿noae etniczn¹. Mimo ¿e nadzieja jest fundamentalnym i uniwersalnym wymiarem natury cz³owieka, to jednak dopiero od niedawna sta³a siê tematem rozpraw naukowych. Francesco Canova t³umaczy ten fakt tym, ¿e termin nadzieja w psychologii by³ ³¹czony mimo zasadniczych ró¿nic z takimi pojêciami, jak potrzeba lub pragnienie 2 .W naszym stuleciu podjêto wiele prób opisania i wyjanienia z³o¿onego fenomenu nadziei 3 . Obecnie istnieje oko³o 20 teorii nadziei oraz blisko 50 ró¿nych 1 Por.

Purpose -Loyalty programs (LPs) in a business-to-business (B2B) context have been under-researched when compared to consumer markets. The purpose of this paper is to investigate if and to what extent the loyalty program activity (LPA) based on recency, frequency and monetary framework reflects the effectiveness of a specific LP. Design/methodology/approach -Using the data obtained from 818 business customers enrolled in a LP, logistic regression models are run to find the impact of LPA on the company's sales. Findings -The results suggest that in a linear LP, the frequency of rewards impacts sales the most, compared to recency and amount of points redeemed. The intensity of a LPA is influencing the expected sales in a company.Research limitations/implications -The current study is not focused on the redemption patterns and the value of the rewards offered in the program. Limitation of the study only to one country and in a single company does not allow to generalize presented findings. Practical implications -Companies should focus their efforts on defining the best level of frequency rewards in their LPs. Reward timing should be considered as a factor that influences the change in customer purchasing behavior more than the amount of points accumulated. Originality/value -The research provides empirical evidence to support the highest influence of frequency of rewards on sales, compared to recency and amount of points redeemed. This is one of the few LP studies conducted in the context of the B2B market.