Loyalty: The Influences of Satisfaction and Brand Community Integration

This paper empirically explores the relative impacts of satisfaction, brand community integration, and consumer experience on customer loyalty as expressed by future purchase intentions and behavior. Data drawn from qualitative research and a survey of 1000 patrons of a Native American casino who indicate a willingness to engage in formal marketing relationships indicate that satisfaction yields to brand community integration as a key driver of loyalty. We discuss important implications of the findings for marketing theory and practice.