The Effect of Logistics Service Quality on Customer Loyalty through Relationship Quality in the Container Shipping Context

The objective of this research is to explore the role of logistics service quality in generating shipper loyalty, considering relationship quality in the unique context of container shipping. This is to fill the gaps revealed in the current understanding of ocean carrier-shipper relationships, particularly the lack of studies attempting to investigate shippers' future intentions to use the same carrier as opposed to the previous studies that focused on carrier selection criteria or on shippers' satisfaction with the service attributes. Soft concepts such as customer loyalty and logistics service quality have been increasingly explored in a variety of industries to offer further insight into the relationship issues. However, it was discovered that relatively few studies on this topic have been conducted in the context of maritime transport. The theoretical model is tested on data collected through a postal questionnaire survey of 227 freight forwarders in South Korea. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is employed to rigorously examine relationships among the extensive set of key variables simultaneously in a holistic manner. The findings demonstrate that container shipping lines should develop a high level of logistics service quality as well as relationship quality in order to attain higher (beyond mere satisfaction) levels of shippers' loyalty.