Relationship Quality: The Role of Commitment on Customer Behavioural Intentions in Kenya's Banking Sector

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of relational commitment on customer behavioural intentions in Kenya's banking sector. The basic research question examined was whether or not customer commitment in service relationships always leads to favourable customer behavioural intentions, as the study was the first to examine the nature of both relationship commitment and customers behavioural intentions and the inter-relationships between them within the financial services sector of a developing country such as Kenya. Thus, utilizing a descriptive survey research design and adapted measures of relational commitment and behavioural intentions on a sample of 334 bank account holders from 43 commercial bank branches in Mombasa, Kenya, the study provides empirical evidence of multi-dimensional nature of relational commitment and its positive and significant predictive impact on favourable customer behavioural intentions with respect to customer loyalty to the bank, re-purchase intention, willingness to pay a higher price for the bank's services over others and a tendency to recommend it to surrounding people. A clarion call to marketing relationship practitioners and marketing scholars is to focus their attention on enhancing customer commitment that drives crucial customer behaviours.

Keywords: Relational Affective Commitment; Relational Normative Commitment, Behavioural Intentions.