Examining the complex relationship of customer satisfaction and loyalty within the Australian retail banking market: A multigroup analysis between high and low-involvement product types

Whilst customer loyalty and satisfaction are important and essential constructs for banks, customer attitudes about whether specific product types affect that loyalty and satisfaction have had insufficient empirical investigation. Furthermore, many studies are from non-Western countries and fail to specifically investigate retail banking in Western societies and, particular to this study, Australia. The fundamental question this thesis poses is whether customers are truly loyal to their bank or whether the products they use moderate their loyalty. How do different product types affect loyalty outcomes? This work analyses the historical and preliminary investigations into loyalty a concept which has evolved from being simplistically viewed as behavioural into a newer, more all-inclusive construct with many attitudinal elements adding to a more comprehensive conceptualisation.