Effects of customer equity drivers on customer loyalty in B2B context

Purpose - This paper aims to investigate the effects of customer equity drivers on customer loyalty via customer trust in a B2B context. Design/methodology/approach - A self-administered online survey was conducted to collect data from the organizational customers of an on-hold service company in Australia. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. Findings - The study reveals that in a B2B context, value equity and relationship equity have significant influence on customer loyalty through the mediating effect of customer trust. On the other hand, brand equity is found to have no effect on customer trust and loyalty. Practical implications - In order to obtain business customers' loyalty, managers should focus more on value and relationship equity than brand equity. Originality/value - While most of the previous studies on "customer equity" focused on the B2C context, this study focuses on a B2B context. It demonstrates the impact of customer equity drivers on business customers' loyalty.