A critique of Melnyk, V., van Osselaer, S.M.J., and Bijmolt, T.H.A., (2009) Are Women More Loyal Customers Than Men?
A critique of Melnyk, V., van Osselaer, S.M.J., and Bijmolt, T.H.A., (2009) Are Women More Loyal Customers Than Men? Gender Differences in Loyalty to Firms and Individual Service Providers, Journal of Marketing, Volume 73, Issue 4, pp.82-96. *
The following essay will discuss the 2009 study performed by Melnyk, V., van Osselaer, S.M.J., and Bijmolt, T.H.A., who questioned ‘Are Women More Loyal Customers Than Men?’. It will consist of a review concentrating on the principal points of each section, a criticism of the article, including limitations and recommendations, followed by an appropriate conclusion. Firstly however, it is important to understand why buyer behaviour is an important consideration. As an organization, it is vital to know your customers better than anyone else, and therefore the study of how, what, when and why people buy people buy is fundamental to developing successful marketing strategies. (Solomon, M. 2006).
The introduction of the article familiarizes readers with the authors’ purpose in performing their research, raising the initial point that customer loyalty has been an entity of focused curiosity in both business and academic realms (Melnyk, V. et al), followed by the core topic of the article, that there is a gap in knowledge in regards to the presence and nature of gender differences in customer loyalty (Melnyk, V. et al). A basic explanation of the methodology utilized is explained, basing their research on five self-performed studies, followed by the theoretical background which informs the reader of their definition of ‘Loyalty’. The authors chose to use an amalgamation of different measures and definitions found in literature due to the convoluted nature of a ‘Loyalty’ definition. In order to establish a basis for their studies, the authors have chosen to mention previous research that is relevant to their own , discussing ‘Interdependence Versus Independence’, ‘Relational Versus
The following essay will discuss the 2009 study performed by Melnyk, V., van Osselaer, S.M.J., and Bijmolt, T.H.A., who questioned ‘Are Women More Loyal Customers Than Men?’. It will consist of a review concentrating on the principal points of each section, a criticism of the article, including limitations and recommendations, followed by an appropriate conclusion. Firstly however, it is important to understand why buyer behaviour is an important consideration. As an organization, it is vital to know your customers better than anyone else, and therefore the study of how, what, when and why people buy people buy is fundamental to developing successful marketing strategies. (Solomon, M. 2006).
The introduction of the article familiarizes readers with the authors’ purpose in performing their research, raising the initial point that customer loyalty has been an entity of focused curiosity in both business and academic realms (Melnyk, V. et al), followed by the core topic of the article, that there is a gap in knowledge in regards to the presence and nature of gender differences in customer loyalty (Melnyk, V. et al). A basic explanation of the methodology utilized is explained, basing their research on five self-performed studies, followed by the theoretical background which informs the reader of their definition of ‘Loyalty’. The authors chose to use an amalgamation of different measures and definitions found in literature due to the convoluted nature of a ‘Loyalty’ definition. In order to establish a basis for their studies, the authors have chosen to mention previous research that is relevant to their own , discussing ‘Interdependence Versus Independence’, ‘Relational Versus