#5295. Customer captivity, negative word of mouth and well-being: a mixed-methods study

August 2026publication date
Proposal available till 12-05-2025
4 total number of authors per manuscript0 $

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Journal’s subject area:
Marketing;
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Abstract:
Purpose: When customers feel that they have no choice but to stay with their current provider to obtain a service that they need, they feel captive. This study aims to investigate customer captivity as a type of vulnerability and evaluate its effects on customers’ service evaluation and word-of-mouth (WOM) behavior, as well as to identify solutions that reduce customers’ feelings of captivity and improve their well-being. Design/methodology/approach: This sequential, quantitative–qualitative, mixed-methods study draws from a survey of 1,017 customers and a qualitative analysis of 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews. Moderated mediation analysis is used to test the quantitative hypotheses; a thematic analysis explores the qualitative data.
Keywords:
Customer captivity; Customer vulnerability; emotion-focused coping; Mixed methods; Negative word of mouth; Service evaluations

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