The extant retail research has placed much emphasis on understanding customer switching and the concept of switching costs (SCs). However, the empirical evidence is inconclusive with respect to the moderating role of SCs in general and relational switching costs (RSCs) in particular. Therefore, this research focuses on the moderating role played by SCs on the satisfaction-loyalty link. Specifically, our study attempts to clarify the nonlinear moderating effect of RSCs. Furthermore, we investigate RSCs in greater depth, considering their two dimensions, brand relationship loss costs (BRLCs), and personal relationship loss costs (PRLCs). We find that there is an optimal level of BRLC whereas increasing PRLCs decreases the impact of satisfaction on loyalty in a linear manner, calling for a more nuanced assessment of this type of SC in future studies. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the effectiveness of SCs as a retention strategy.

现有的零售研究非常重视理解客户转换和转换成本 (SC) 的概念。然而，关于 SCs 的调节作用，尤其是关系转换成本 (RSCs)，经验证据尚无定论。因此，本研究侧重于 SCs 在满意度 - 忠诚度链接上的调节作用。具体来说，我们的研究试图阐明 RSC 的非线性调节作用。此外，我们更深入地研究 RSC，考虑到它们的两个维度，品牌关系损失成本 (BRLC) 和个人关系损失成本 (PRLC)。我们发现 BRLC 存在最佳水平，而增加 PRLC 会以线性方式降低满意度对忠诚度的影响，要求在未来的研究中对这种类型的 SC 进行更细致的评估。