Quality, value, satisfaction, trust, a

validity. This raised a question about the respective contributions of concepts which share more than 50% of
their variance, whether in characterizing the customer-brand relationship at a given moment or in predicting
its impact on consumer behavior, particularly on loyalty (repurchase, price tolerance, resistance to change,
positive word of mouth). An analysis of the relationships between these concepts showed that, if we admit
that causal structure, the sequence "quality → value → satisfaction → trust → commitment" is the one that
fits our data the best. Nonetheless, this causal structure merits further development at the theoretical level. In
particular, we suggest that the causal structure of the chain may vary according to whether it is viewed from
a transactional or cumulative perspective.
This study suffers from several limitations and brings up a number of methodological questions for future
research in relationship marketing. 1) We studied the brand-consumer relationship at a single moment, even
though it is more of an incremental process, as Weitz and Jap (1995) already emphasized in their critique of
the studies by Morgan and Hunt (1994) or Fournier (1998). 2) At the time of our surveys, it is difficult to
guarantee that the object evaluated (even though it was clearly stated in the questionnaire) was the same for
all respondents: Was it the institution, the brand, a particular product, a customer service manager? 3) The
use of a single method could have artificially inflated the correlations, thus undervaluing the discriminant
validity. Using the same method (Likert scales) to measure the same object (the relationship to the brand) at
the same moment (one questionnaire) can create halo effects. 4) Since the response rate to the questionnaire
was only 7.7%, our sample certainly suffered from representativity problems, even though it maintained the
division of the population according to the major socio-demographic criteria. 5) Since banks mainly provide
a "utilitarian" service, it would be interesting to see how the results evolve for more experiential products or
services in fields like consumer food products, sports, leisure activities, or artistic pursuits.
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