Abstract

This research studies the role of the personality traits of consumers' loneliness in the store's relationship management after the store's relationship investment from the perspective of consumers' loneliness. This study focuses on loneliness can release or raise the customers' perceived relationship investment. The result indicates loneliness has moderating effect between perceived relationship investment and relationship satisfaction through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Besides, both interpersonal communication and preferential treatment significantly affect perceived relationship investment and relationship satisfaction. In addition, loneliness and perceived relationship investment have significantly difference between elder and younger customers. Multi-level perspective of exploring the binary relationship in stores and consumers are important. The relationship of consumers and stores is based on customers' perception of the store's relationship efforts. Therefore, this study adopts multi-level perspective (consumers' level & stores' level) to validate the moderating effects of different levels. The result indicates the store should apply social contact to increase customers' patronage intention and relationship satisfaction.