The impact of repeat purchase behaviour on expectation to purchase and willingness to recommend

Abstract

In this paper, customer retention is investigated by examining actual past behaviour and its impact on future behavioural intent: in terms of expectation to purchase the same/another brand from the same/another retailer, as well as willingness to recommend the purchased brand and retailer from which it was purchased. Findings indicate that while not without its flaws, purchase expectations/intentions data remains a valid research metric. Furthermore, it would appear as if the brand/consumer interface offers greater predictive ability than the retail/consumer interface. Lastly, willingness to recommend does not seem to be influenced by past behaviour, but the higher the respondent's expectation to purchase a brand, the higher will be their willingness to recommend that brand. The same applies to retail recommendation. Limitations are discussed, and directions for future research suggested.