به وجود آوردن وفاداری توسط برنامه های پاداشی: تاثیر عدالت درک شده و ضمیمه ی برند Building loyalty through reward programs: The influence of perceptions of fairness and brand attachment

1. Introduction To construct a positive relationship with customers, it is crucial for businesses to manage marketing strategies effectively as a means to satisfy customer needs and build customer loyalty. While customer retention is a fundamental element to enhance the firms’ profitability, loyalty is highlighted with the aim of establishing a lifetime relationship between the firms and their customers. One of the foremost methods for cultivating loyalty is the reward program. Reward programs are especially important for casinos, where members are rewarded based on their gaming activity, which translates directly into casino profitability. Previous research investigated members’ loyalty in the context of casinos. The relevant literature explored various ways to measure loyalty, the characteristics of reward programs, and related factors that can enhance the predictive power of the loyalty process (Baloglu et al., 2017; Sui and Baloglu, 2003; Tanford, 2013). Many studies use behavioral intentions as loyalty indicators; however, intentions may not equate to behaviors (Tanford, 2016). Accordingly, casino studies have incorporated behavioral measures, including share of visit, frequency of visitation, and time spent on premises as outcomes of the loyalty process (Baloglu et al., 2017; Sui and Baloglu, 2003). However, such measures do not link directly to casino profitability. For instance, a significant behavioral outcome measure for companies is share of wallet, which has been neglected in previous research. Similarly, the performance of reward programs was examined in casino loyalty models (Baloglu et al., 2017), but the perceived fairness of those programs was not assessed in the competitive environment. Casino marketers may expect that providing rewards and benefits to their members will result in high retention of existing members as well as improvements in profitability. However, it is common for businesses that operate in a highly competitive setting to provide equivalent or higher promotional values than their competitors (Klebanow, 2002). Therefore, perceptions of fairness are vital, because there may be equally attractive competitive offerings. Fairness encompasses more than the mere distribution of rewards and benefits; it includes interactions with employees and program procedures (Lacey and Sneath, 2006). Emotional commitment is a strong loyalty antecedent for reward program members (Baloglu et al., 2017; Mattila, 2006a; Sui and Baloglu, 2003, Tanford et al., 2011). Emotional commitment is especially relevant for casinos, as emotional experiences (fun and excitement) are among the top reasons for gambling (Francis et al., 2016). A related concept, brand attachment, has not been investigated for reward programs. Brand attachment represents the bond between an individual and the brand (Park et al., 2010). Just as perceptions of fairness encompass more than the value of benefits, brand attachment extends beyond emotions or relationship quality (Park et al., 2010). Since the goal of reward programs is to develop long term customer relationships, brand attachment is critical. This research proposes that brand attachment links perceptions of fairness to loyalty outcomes.