Establishing Cross-National Equivalence of the Customer Satisfaction/ Dissatisfaction Construct

Abstract

Customer satisfaction/dissatisfaction (CS/D) is considered to be a determinant of repeat purchase behavior and brand loyalty (e.g., Oliver & Linda 1981). As such, it has been widely used in the design and management of defensive marketing strategies which seek to retain existing customers (Bloemer & Lemmick, 1992). There are many difficulties which are associated with the understanding and use of CS/D when it is considered as an input variable in the design of international marketing strategies. These difficulties arise from problems concerning whether or not CS/D is an equivalent phenomenon cross-nationally.