A Systematic Review of Mediating and Moderating Variables in the Service Quality–Customer Loyalty Relationship
Keywords:
Service Quality; Customer Loyalty; Customer Satisfaction; Trust; Perceived Value; Mediator; Moderator; Systematic Review.Abstract
Customer loyalty is an important aspect of service marketing. Therefore, understanding this correlation is useful. Recently, it has become more complex. Outside of service quality, there are many psychological, situational, and relational aspects. This paper presents a systematic literature review of empirical research articles from 2024 to 2026 regarding these aspects in relation to service quality and customer loyalty. Following a systematic method to search, screen and synthesize, this review identifies customer satisfaction, customer trust, customer perceived value, the corporate and brand image, customer experience, and customer engagement, as the main intermediaries. This review identifies the switching costs, the psychological brand loyalty, and the individual’s age, gender, and culture, as the most relevant moderators. This review explains that most of the time, customer satisfaction is the main intermediary, but in a multi-channel and digital world, customer trust and customer experience take precedence. This review also identifies a research preference for banking and hospitality, and the existence of research fragmentation. This review explains the implications of research and management activities and identifies gaps for future research.
