Loyalty in relationships between selling companies and key accounts are fundamental for successful business-to-business relationships. Prior research exposed communication to be an important antecedent of loyalty. However, while digital communication channels like video conferences gain importance in B2B sales, research has widely ignored this transformation.
This study contributes to this gap by examining the impact of communicating with key accounts through video conferences and on-site visits on attitudinal loyalty. By applying the key mediating variable theory, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of key accounts’ attitudinal loyalty formation through the mediating variables commitment, interorganizational trust, and interpersonal satisfaction. Based on data of a cross-industry survey of 280 key account managers and salespeople interacting with key accounts in the DACH region, this study first tested the conceptual model with a structural equation modeling approach and second the moderation effects with a multiple regression analysis.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Literature Review on Relationship Marketing
- Customer Loyalty
- Drivers of Customer Loyalty
- Fundamental Communication Process
- Communication Channel Theories
- Different Effects of Communication Channels
- The Key Account Context
- Conceptual Model and Hypotheses
- Selection and Definition of Key Mediating Variables
- Effect of Commitment on Attitudinal Loyalty
- Effects of Interorganizational Trust on Commitment and Attitudinal Loyalty
- Effects of Interpersonal Satisfaction on Interorganizational Trust and Attitudinal Loyalty
- Effects from Extent of Communication Channel Use on Key Mediating Variables
- Moderating Effects of Video Conference Adoption
- Moderating Effects of Interaction Frequency
- Methodology
- Data Collection and Sample
- Measure Development and Assessment
- Data Analysis Procedure
- Results
- Key Mediating Variable Model
- Moderating Effects
- Additional Analysis: Different Sales Situations
- Discussion
- Research Issues
- Management Implications
- Limitations, Future Research and Conclusion
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2022, Impact of Hybrid Selling on Key Accounts Loyalty. Can Video Conferences be an Equivalent to On-Site Visits?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1271827
