Winning your customers’ minds and hearts: Disentangling the effects of lock-in and affective customer experience on retention

Abstract Building barriers to lock in customers and improving the affective customer experience are two key strategies employed by firms enhance retention. Although pursuing same goal, these work differently: former relies more on a calculative, cost–benefit approach exchange, while latter promotes aspects of relationship. Integrating experiential learning theory with social exchange theory, we provide conceptual framework understand impact lock-in retention, moderating role relationship depth. Using comprehensive data set for sample 13,761 covering all one telecom market different services, empirically test via multinomial logit modeling. The results offer novel insights into interplay between strategies. For poor (i.e., score below five 0–10 scale), helps reduce churn (between 49.03% 47.86%). However, decreases when improves turns be insignificant once reaches “acceptable level” above seven scale). Importantly, separate joint effects stronger there is low depth, weaker heavy relationships established. findings useful practical advice manage an efficient optimal way.