The Mediating Role of Customer Satisfaction in the Relationship between Relationship Marketing and Customer

The main objective of the present study was to explore the mediating role of customer satisfaction in the relation between relationship marketing and customer loyalty. To this end, a descriptive-correlation research method of the survey type was used. The research population included customers of 3, 4, and 5 star hotels of Shiraz, of whom 384 customers were selected as the respondents in the research sample using Morgan table. The instruments used to collected data were standardized questionnaires including Relationship Marking Questionnaire, Caruana’s (2002) Customer Loyalty Questionnaire, and Gilbert’s (2000) Customer Satisfaction Inventory. The data collected through administering the questionnaires were analyzed using factorial analysis by LISREL and Pearson correlation and regression coefficients were estimated using SPSS. The results of the study suggested that relationship marketing and its components affected customer loyalty in selected hotels in Shiraz.

relationship marketing; customer loyalty; customer satisfaction; conflict management.