The loyalty of industrial clients of gas and electricity: the value rol and switching barriers

This paper deals with perceived value and loyalty in a B2 B environment taking account switching barriers. The Spanish energy market has been newly liberalized and many companies offer supply services of natural gas and electricity. The research examines the casual relations between perceived value and two dimensions of loyalty: repurchase intentions and price tolerance. Although our results indicate that suppliers achieve better repurchase intentions by providing value to their customers, they also show that this is insufficient when the aim is to increase customer price tolerance. In this case another moderating variable must be included: the switching barriers. (Author)