| Abstract [eng] |
57 pages, 27 tables, 5 figures, 135 references. This master’s thesis examines the process of consumer loyalty formation in the context of online stores, with particular emphasis on loyalty as a sequentially developing phenomenon. The aim of the thesis is to investigate the consumer loyalty formation process and to identify the factors that have a direct and indirect impact on consumers repurchase intention, taking into account the differences between loyal and non-loyal customers. To achieve this aim, the following objectives were set: to analyse the dimensions, types and theoretical concepts of consumer loyalty, to identify the main factors determining loyalty, to empirically evaluate the relationships between these factors, and to determine differences in the loyalty formation process across consumer groups with different levels of loyalty. The theoretical part of the thesis analyses the concepts of consumer loyalty, the stages of loyalty formation, and the key factors influencing it, including trust, satisfaction, commitment, switching costs, reputation, perceived value, website quality and product quality. Based on the literature analysis, a conceptual research model was developed, grounded in the assumption that the factors determining loyalty influence repurchase intention through cognitive and affective loyalty. The empirical part of the thesis presents a quantitative study analysing the intentions of consumers shopping in online stores. The data were processed using statistical analysis methods, including regression analysis, mediation analysis and moderation analysis. The results of the study revealed that consumer loyalty develops sequentially, progressing from cognitive loyalty through affective loyalty to repurchase intention. The findings indicate that commitment and switching costs have a significant direct and indirect effect on repurchase intention, while the effects of trust and satisfaction are expressed indirectly through cognitive and affective loyalty. In addition, the results show that the impact of trust and commitment on cognitive loyalty is significantly stronger among non-loyal customers compared to loyal customers. The final part of the thesis presents the main conclusions and practical recommendations for online store operations, focusing on strengthening consumer loyalty at different stages of loyalty formation and across different consumer groups. The results of the thesis can be applied in practice and may contribute to further research on consumer behaviour and relationship marketing in the context of electronic commerce. |
