Applying the Theory of Migration to Examine the Switching Intentions of Consumers of a Massage Service Center Staffed by Visually Impaired Massagists

• Main Authors: HUANG,YU-YEN, 黃玉燕
• Other Authors: HSU,HUI-MEI
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2016
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/r5pwba

碩士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 事業經營學系 === 104 === By applying the push pull mooring model developed on the basis of the theory of migration, this study examined the switching intentions of massage consumers in Taiwan. Questionnaires were distributed to the customers of a massage service center in Kaohsiung, which was staffed by visually impaired massage workers. This study collected 367 questionnaires. Next, this study conducted descriptive statistics to analyze the subjects’ demographic information by using the SPSS and verified the hypotheses by applying the partial least squares structural equation modeling approach. When analyzing the push factors of the service quality dimension, this study found that customer loyalty was mainly attributed to favorable service quality and that service quality must be assessed for both massage service centers and massagists. A massage service company must focus on enhancing service quality to increase customer loyalty. Thus, the findings supported the hypothesis that improvements in service quality reduce consumer switching intentions. When analyzing the pull factors of the attractiveness of competitors dimension, this study evidenced that greater attractiveness of competitors increased the willingness of the subjects to choose other service centers, suggesting a positive effect of the attractiveness of competitors on consumer switching intentions. Additionally, the study results for the dimension of perceived critical mass suggested that most of the respondents would immediately choose another massage service center or simply leave without waiting when their favorite centers were fully booked and could only provide limited services. Therefore, the hypothesis that perceived critical mass does not have significant positive effects on switching intentions was rejected. When analyzing the mooring factors of the switching cost dimension, this study showed that the subjects could switch to another service center without entailing substantial effort or costs because of the high prevalence of massage centers in Taiwan and the tendency of these centers to attract customers with coupons or reward cards. Therefore, because the subjects easily developed switching intentions whenever the massage services did not meet their needs, the hypothesis that switching costs do not have significant effects on switching intentions was not supported. In addition to continuously enhancing service quality and providing customized massage services, this study suggested that massage service companies can also retain previous customers and attract new ones by resorting to marketing strategies, such as word of mouth, and by creating new massage or health applications and topics for their advertising campaigns. Furthermore, loyal customers can introduce new ones to the companies.