Navigating Brand Switching: The Moderating Role of Switching Costs on Brand Loyalty and Customer Dissatisfaction
Published:
2026-11-05Downloads
Abstract
In an increasingly competitive global marketplace, understanding the drivers of consumer migration from one brand to another known as brand switching has become critical for sustainable business survival. This study investigates the dual influences of brand loyalty and customer dissatisfaction on brand switching intention and behavior, drawing upon a sample of 200 consumers across Central Java, Indonesia, who have experienced brand transition in consumer goods and service sectors. Brand loyalty represents the psychological and behavioral commitment to maintain enduring preference for a specific brand, while customer dissatisfaction captures negative disconfirmation arising from unmet expectations, service failures, or perceived value deficits. Employing a quantitative research design and data analysis via IBM SPSS Statistics, the study applies multiple statistical procedures including validity and reliability testing, normality assessment, exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression. Results reveal that brand loyalty exerts a significant negative influence on brand switching (β = −0.382, p < 0.001), indicating that stronger commitment substantially reduces migration likelihood. Conversely, customer dissatisfaction demonstrates a significant positive influence (β = 0.476, p < 0.001), confirming that unaddressed negative experiences accelerate brand departure. Collectively, both predictors explain 52.4% of variance in brand switching behavior, suggesting additional contributing factors such as switching costs, competitor attractiveness, and social influence remain to be explored. These findings bridge an empirical gap in the Indonesian consumer behavior literature by simultaneously examining restraining and driving forces within a unified model. Practically, results emphasize that retention strategies must cultivate active loyalty while systematically identifying and resolving dissatisfaction triggers.
Keywords:
Brand Loyalty Customer Dissatisfaction Brand Switching Consumer Behavior Multiple RegressionReferences
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Copyright (c) 2026 Isna Ma'rifatul Hidayati, Bahtiar Efendi, Muhamad Asif Maulana Akbar
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