Expectations and product performance as determinants of satisfaction for a high‐involvement purchase

Abstract Customer satisfaction is a central issue for organizations wishing to create a sustainable competitive advantage in the 1990s. Empirical work to date, concentrating on low‐involvement, nondurable products, has concluded that both prior expectations and postpurchase experience interact to influence the level of customer satisfaction. Only a few studies have examined the purchase of high‐involvement, nondurable products. The current study employs a multiattribute approach using pre‐ and postpurchase questionnaires to assess determinants of customer satisfaction for a high‐involvement product. Causal path analysis shows perceived product performance to be the most powerful determinant. Prior expectations did interact with performance to affect disconfirmation, which translated into only a minor impact on satisfaction. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.