Have a personal or library account? Click to login
Analyzing the Value of Social Interaction for Fitness Center Management: The Influence of Service Encounter in Consumer Trust and Loyalty Cover

Analyzing the Value of Social Interaction for Fitness Center Management: The Influence of Service Encounter in Consumer Trust and Loyalty

Open Access
|May 2025

References

  1. Alguacil-Jiménez, M., Núñez-Pomar, J., Pérez-Campos, C., & Prado-Gascó, V. (2019). Perceived value, satisfaction and future intentions in sport services: Putting congruence and brand trust in the equation–linear models vs QCA. Academia Revista Latinoamericana de Administración, 32(4), 566–579.
  2. Alguacil-Jiménez, M., Sánchez-García, J., & Valantine, I. (2020). Be congruent and I will be loyal: The case of sport services. Sport in Society, 23(2), 234–248. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2019.1607305
  3. Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological bulletin, 103(3), 411.
  4. Andreasson, J., & Johansson, T. (2014). The Fitness Revolution: Historical Transformations in the Global Gym and Fitness Culture. Sport Science Review, 23(3–4), 91–112.
  5. Assael, H. (1992). Consumer behavior and marketing action. Kent. Azza, T. B., & Norchene, B. D. M. (2017). Social and physical aspects of the service encounter: Effects on trust and customer loyalty to the service provider. Advances in Economics and Business, 5(1), 1–10.
  6. Behnam, M., Pyun, D. Y., Doyle, J. P., & Delshab, V. (2021). The impact of consumer knowledge on profitable consumer loyalty through perceived service quality and psychological involvement in non-profit sport clubs. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, 22(2), 407–427.
  7. Berry, L. L., & Parasuraman, A. (1993). Building a new academic field—The case of services marketing. Journal of Retailing, 69(1), 13–60.
  8. Bodet, G. (2008). Customer satisfaction and loyalty in service: Two concepts, four constructs, several relationships. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 15(3), 156–162.
  9. Brislin, R. W. (1970). Back-Translation for Cross-Cultural Research. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 1(3), 185–216. https://doi.org/10.1177/135910457000100301
  10. Brown, J. R., Crosno, J. L., & Tong, P. Y. (2019). Is the theory of trust and commitment in marketing relationships incomplete? Industrial Marketing Management, 77, 155–169.
  11. Buser, M., Woratschek, H., & Schönberner, J. (2022). ‘Going the extra mile’ in resource integration: Evolving a concept of sport sponsorship as an engagement platform. European Sport Management Quarterly, 22(4), 548–568. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2020.1820061
  12. Campos, F., ML Martins, F., Simões, V., & Franco, S. (2017). Fitness participants perceived quality by age and practiced activity. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 17(3), 698–704.
  13. Çevik, H., & Sevilmiş, A. (2024). The effects of sense of community on perceived value, consumer satisfaction and future intention in the low-cost fitness clubs. Managing Sport and Leisure, 29(5), 830–850. https://doi.org/10.1080/23750472.2022.2115393
  14. Chelladurai, P., & Chang, K. (2000). Targets and standards of quality in sport services. Sport Management Review, 3(1), 1–22.
  15. Chiu, W., Cho, N.-H., & Won, D. (2014). The effects of internal marketing on job satisfaction and organizational commitment in Taipei sports centers. Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science, 24(2), 206–222. https://doi.org/10.1080/21639159.2014.881609
  16. Chiu, W., Won, D., & Bae, J. (2019). Customer value co-creation behaviour in fitness centres: How does it influence customers’ value, satisfaction, and repatronage intention? Managing Sport and Leisure, 24(1–3), 32–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/23750472.2019.1579666
  17. Chiu, W., Won, D., & Bae, J. (2020). Internal marketing, organizational commitment, and job performance in sport and leisure services. Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal, 10(2), 105–123.
  18. Daigo, E., & Filo, K. (2022). Exploring the value sponsors co-create at a charity sport event: A multiple stakeholder perspective of sport value. Sport Management Review, 25(4), 656–678. https://doi.org/10.1080/14413523.2021.1975401
  19. Delia, E. B., Melton, E. N., Sveinson, K., Cunningham, G. B., & Lock, D. (2022). Understanding the lack of diversity in sport consumer behavior research. Journal of Sport Management, 36(3), 265–276.
  20. Dick, A. S., & Basu, K. (1994). Customer loyalty: Toward an integrated conceptual framework. Journal of the academy of marketing science, 22, 99–113.
  21. Doyle, J., Filo, K., Thomson, A., & Kunkel, T. (2021). Large-scale sport events and resident well-being: Examining PERMA and the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. Journal of Sport Management, 35(6), 537–550.
  22. EuropeActive & Deloitte (2024). European Health & Fitness Market Report 2024. Available at https://europeactive.blackbox-publishers.com/en/publications/ehfmr-deloitte-europeactive/european-health-fitness-market-report-2024
  23. Ferreira-Barbosa, H., Garcia-Fernandez, J., & Cepeda-Carrion, G. (2020). The Influence of Technologies on Members’ Retention by Gyms: A Systematic Review. Movimento, 26, Article e26070. https://doi.org/10.22456/1982-8918.100316
  24. Ferreira-Barbosa, H., Sabino, B., Loureiro, V., & Cepeda-Carrion, G. (2024). Perceived value, service quality and service convenience on behavioral intentions in fitness centers: A comparison between customers with and without personal training. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSMS-09-2024-0226
  25. Font, X., English, R., Gkritzali, A., & Tian, W. S. (2021). Value co-creation in sustainable tourism: A service-dominant logic approach. Tourism Management, 82, Article 104200.
  26. Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
  27. Franco, S., da Costa-Simões, V. A., Santos-Rocha, R., Vieira, I., Ramalho, F., & Ramos, L. R. (2024). Tendências do Fitnessem Portugal para 2024. Retos: Nuevas Tendencias en Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación, 57, 88–100.
  28. García-Fernández, J., & Gálvez-Ruiz, P. (2021). The Global Private Health & Fitness Business: A Marketing Perspective. Emerald Publishing Limited. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/978-1-80043-850-720211004/full/html
  29. García-Fernández, J., Gálvez-Ruíz, P., Fernández-Gavira, J., Vélez-Colón, L., Pitts, B., & Bernal-García, A. (2018). The effects of service convenience and perceived quality on perceived value, satisfaction and loyalty in low-cost fitness centers. Sport Management Review, 21(3), 250–262.
  30. García-Pascual, F., Parra-Camacho, D., & Aguado-Berenguer, S. (2023). Effect of service experience, engagement and satisfaction on the future intentions of customers of a sports services. Heliyon, 9(7), Article e17850. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17850
  31. Gerke, A., Woratschek, H., & Dickson, G. (2020). The sport cluster concept as middle-range theory for the sport value framework. Sport Management Review, 23(2), 200–214.
  32. Gjestvang, C., Abrahamsen, F., Stensrud, T., & Haakstad, L. A. H. (2020). Motives and barriers to initiation and sustained exercise adherence in a fitness club setting—A one-year follow-up study. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 30(9), 1796–1805. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13736
  33. Glaveli, N. (2021). Two Countries, Two Stories of CSR, Customer Trust and Advocacy Attitudes and Behaviors? A Study in the Greek and Bulgarian Telecommunication Sectors. European Management Review, 18(1), 151–166. https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12417
  34. Glaveli, N., Papadimitriou, D., Karagiorgos, T., & Alexandris, K. (2023). Exploring the role of fitness instructors’ interaction quality skills in building customer trust in the service provider and customer satisfaction. European Sport Management Quarterly, 23(3), 767–788. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2021.1928256
  35. Gruner, K. E., & Homburg, C. (2000). Does customer interaction enhance new product success? Journal of business research, 49(1), 1–14.
  36. Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
  37. Homburg, C., & Giering, A. (2001). Personal characteristics as moderators of the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty? An empirical analysis. Psychology and Marketing, 18(1), 43–66. https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6793(200101)18:1<43::AIDMAR3>3.0.CO;2-I
  38. Hooper, D., Coughlan, J., & Mullen, M. R. (2008). Structural equation modelling: Guidelines for determining model fit. Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods, 6(1), 53–60.
  39. Hsieh, Y.-H., & Chuang, I.-C. (2020). Evaluation of key factors for service experience: A comparison of tourism factories and international tourism hotels. Tourism Economics, 26(3), 404–436. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354816619840099
  40. Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1998). Fit indices in covariance structure modeling: Sensitivity to underparameterized model misspecification. Psychological Methods, 3(4), 424.
  41. Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
  42. Hulland, J., Baumgartner, H., & Smith, K. M. (2018). Marketing survey research best practices: Evidence and recommendations from a review of JAMS articles. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 46(1), 92–108. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-017-0532-y
  43. Ioannou, M., & Melanthiou, Y. (2015). The effect of interaction quality on trust, loyalty and cross-selling. International Economics Letters, 4(1), 1–14.
  44. Jones, C. W., & Byon, K. K. (2020). Central actors in the live sport event context: A sport spectator value perception model. Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal, 10(1), 58–81.
  45. Kaltsonoudi, K., Tsigilis, N., & Karteroliotis, K. (2022). Critical Review of the Literature and Current Tendencies of the Common Method Variance in Sport Management Research. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 26(2), 103–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/1091367X.2021.1949322
  46. Kim, M. (2022). How can I Be as attractive as a Fitness YouTuber in the era of COVID-19? The impact of digital attributes on flow experience, satisfaction, and behavioral intention. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 64, Article 102778.
  47. Kline, R. B. (2023). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. Guilford Publications.
  48. Kuo, Y.-F., Wu, C.-M., & Deng, W.-J. (2009). The relationships among service quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction, and post-purchase intention in mobile value-added services. Computers in Human Behavior, 25(4), 887–896.
  49. Larivière, B., Bowen, D., Andreassen, T. W., Kunz, W., Sirianni, N. J., Voss, C., Wünderlich, N. V., & De Keyser, A. (2017). “Service Encounter 2.0”: An investigation into the roles of technology, employees and customers. Journal of Business Research, 79, 238–246.
  50. León-Quismondo, J., García-Unanue, J., & Burillo, P. (2020). Best practices for fitness center business sustainability: A qualitative vision. Sustainability, 12(12), Article 5067.
  51. Lin, C. (2019). How does perceived retail service innovativeness affect retail patronage intentions? Creativity and Innovation Management, 28(4), 519–532. https://doi.org/10.1111/caim.12333
  52. Loranca-Valle, C., Cuesta-Valiño, P., Núnez-Barriopedro, E., & Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, P. (2021). Management of loyalty and its main antecedents in sport organizations: A systematic analysis review. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 783781.
  53. MacIntosh, E., & Law, B. (2015). Should I stay or should I go? Exploring the decision to join, maintain, or cancel a fitness membership. Managing Sport and Leisure, 20(3), 191–210. https://doi.org/10.1080/23750472.2015.1025093
  54. Mahony, D. F., Madrigal, R., & Howard, D. (2000). Using the psychological commitment to team (PCT) scale to segment sport consumers based on loyalty. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 9(1), 15–25.
  55. Morgan, R. & Hunt, S. (1994). The commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing. Journal of Marketing, 58, 20–38.
  56. Nguyen, H. S. (2024). The impact of value co-creation behavior on customer loyalty in the service domain. Heliyon, 10(9), Article e30278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30278
  57. Nuviala-Nuviala, A. N., García-Fernández, J., Bernal-García, A., Grao-Cruces, A., Teva-Villén, M. R., & Pérez-Ordás, R. (2014). Adaptación y validación de la escala de intenciones futuras de comportamiento en usuarios de servicios deportivos. Universitas Psychologica, 13(3), 1071–1082. https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.UPSY13-3.avei
  58. Parra-Camacho, D., González-Serrano, M. H., Jiménez, M. A., & Jiménez-Jiménez, P. (2023). Analysis of the contribution of sport events to sustainable development: Impacts, support and resident’s perception. Heliyon, 9(11), Article e22033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22033
  59. Paschalidou, K., Tsitskari, E., Alexandris, K., Karagiorgos, T., & Filippou, D. (2023). Segmenting Fitness Center Customers: Leveraging Perceived Ethicality for Enhanced Loyalty, Trust, and Word-of-Mouth Communication. Sustainability, 15(22), Article 22. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152216131
  60. Pedragosa, V., & Ferreira, A. (2025). Barómetro do fitness em Portugal 2024. Edições: AGAP.
  61. Pedragosa, V., & Ferreira, A. (2024). Barómetro do fitness em Portugal 2023. Edições: AGAP.
  62. Pedragosa, V., Cardadeiro, E., & Santos, A. (2023). Barómetro do fitness em Portugal 2022. Edições: AGAP.
  63. Ramaswamy, V., & Ozcan, K. (2018). What is co-creation? An interactional creation framework and its implications for value creation. Journal of Business Research, 84, 196–205.
  64. Sandell, M., & Lagrosen, S. (2015). Health and Fitness Marketing— The Role of Relationships and Trust. In C. L. Campbell (Ed.), Marketing in Transition: Scarcity, Globalism, & Sustainability (pp. 62–66). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18687-0_29
  65. Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Hair, J. F. (2022). Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. In C. Homburg, M. Klarmann, & A. Vomberg (Eds), Handbook of Market Research (pp. 587–632). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57413-4_15
  66. Sato, M., Jordan, J. S., & Funk, D. C. (2016). A distance-running event and life satisfaction: The mediating roles of involvement. Sport Management Review, 19(5), 536–549.
  67. Sevilmiş, A., Özdemir, İ., García-Fernández, J., & Zhang, J. J. (2024). Development of a Multidimensional Scale for Measuring the Perceived Value of a Fitness Service. Journal of Global Sport Management, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/24704067.2024.2317122
  68. Sharma, S., Mukherjee, S., Kumar, A., & Dillon, W. R. (2005). A simulation study to investigate the use of cutoff values for assessing model fit in covariance structure models. Journal of business research, 58(7), 935–943.
  69. Sirdeshmukh, D., Singh, J., & Sabol, B. (2002). Consumer Trust, Value, and Loyalty in Relational Exchanges. Journal of Marketing, 66(1), 15–37. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.66.1.15.18449
  70. Sperandei, S., Vieira, M. C., & Reis, A. C. (2016). Adherence to physical activity in an unsupervised setting: Explanatory variables for high attrition rates among fitness center members. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 19(11), 916–920. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2015.12.522
  71. Surprenant, C. F., & Solomon, M. R. (1987). Predictability and Personalization in the Service Encounter. Journal of Marketing, 51(2), 86–96. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224298705100207
  72. Thompson, W. R. (2022). Worldwide survey of fitness trends for 2022. ACSMs Health & Fitness Journal, 26(1), 11–20.
  73. Trombert, A. R. (2015). La Declaración de Helsinki de Fortaleza (Brasil) 2013: Avances, retrocesos y retos pendientes. (A declaração de helsinki de fortaleza (brasil) 2013: avanços, recuos e futuros desafios.). Revista Binacional Brasil-Argentina: Diálogo entre as ciências, 4(1), 207–229.
  74. Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2004). Evolving to a New Dominant Logic for Marketing. Journal of Marketing, 68(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.68.1.1.24036
  75. Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2008). Service-dominant logic: Continuing the evolution. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 36(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-007-0069-6
  76. Vila-López, N., Küster-Boluda, I., & Aldás-Manzano, J. (2000). Desarrollo y validación de escalas de medida en marketing. Servei de Publicacions, Facultat de Ciències Econòmiques i Empresarials, Universitat de València.
  77. Wang, F. J., & Chiu, W. (2023). Service encounter and repurchase intention in fitness centers: Perceived value as a mediator and service innovativeness as a moderator. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, 24(1), 145–167.
  78. Wilkie, W. L. (1994). Consumer learning. Consumer Behavior (3rd ed., pp. 259–262). John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
  79. Woratschek, H., Horbel, C., & Popp, B. (2014). The sport value framework – a new fundamental logic for analyses in sport management. European Sport Management Quarterly, 14(1), 6–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2013.865776
  80. Xu, J. B., Yan, L., & Mak, C. K. (2021). Service encounter failure, negative destination emotion and behavioral intention: An experimental study of taxi service. Tourism Management Perspectives, 40, Article 100886.
  81. Yi, S., Lee, Y. W., Connerton, T., & Park, C.-Y. (2021). Should I stay or should I go? Visit frequency as fitness centre retention strategy. Managing Sport and Leisure, 26(4), 268–286. https://doi.org/10.1080/23750472.2020.1763829
  82. Yoshida, M., & James, J. D. (2010). Customer satisfaction with game and service experiences: Antecedents and consequences. Journal of sport management, 24(3), 338–361.
  83. Zeithaml, V. A., Berry, L. L., & Parasuraman, A. (1996). The Behavioral Consequences of Service Quality. Journal of Marketing, 60(2), 31–46. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299606000203
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/pcssr-2025-0022 | Journal eISSN: 1899-4849 | Journal ISSN: 2081-2221
Language: English
Page range: 33 - 47
Submitted on: Jan 24, 2025
|
Accepted on: Apr 27, 2025
|
Published on: May 17, 2025
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 4 issues per year

© 2025 Pablo Jiménez-Jiménez, Vera Pedragosa, Mario Alguacil-Jiménez, Ferran Calabuig-Moreno, published by Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.