"Understanding the Antecedents of Partnership Buying Behavior"

In this paper, we examine the effects of customer satisfaction, customer relationship duration, and usage of the core-service on additional service purchases (i.e., cross-buying) in a loyalty reward program context. Research hypotheses are developed and tested using longitudinal data from the loyalty program of a major European airline. The findings reveal that core service usage and relationship duration have a strong effect on cross-buying (of partner products and services), while the effects of customer satisfaction differ based upon the nature of the partner service. Further analyses suggest that for many customers, the primary motivation for engaging in cross-buying is the possibility of rewards offered in the loyalty program rather than a traditional attitudinal measure such as customer satisfaction.