Emotional stability and switching barriers in the retail banking context

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships between switching barriers and bank customers’ loyalty in the UAE, and their variation according to customers’ emotional stability. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 413 bank customers through a self-administered questionnaire. The conceptual model and hypotheses were tested using a structural equation modeling method. Findings – Social benefits, confidence benefits, and switching cost affected the banks’ customers’ loyalty directly and in a positive manner. This study's findings confirm that switching barriers are more important in triggering the loyalty of less emotionally stable customers in comparison with highly emotionally stable customers. Practical implications – Banks could use these results to manage switching barriers and customer relations. Originality/value – This paper demonstrates how the emotional stability of customers interferes with customers’ switching behavior.