The decision to purchase a bundled cultural pass: The role of pre-existing attitudinal and behavioural relationships with one network member

Abstract

This study focuses on passes offered as a bundle of complementary (museum/theatre) and/or substitutable cultural services (several museums). As many cultural institutions are developing defensive loyalty-building policies to retain their clients, this type of initiative introduces new strategies for encouraging multi-loyalty. The study looks at the relationship between loyalty to one network member and intention to purchase a bundled package combining different institutions. It investigates the role of the relationship established with that member as an antecedent of purchasing intention. This relationship is assessed using an attitudinal (satisfaction, trust, commitment) and behavioural (depth, breadth, duration, amount) approach. The main antecedent of clients’ intention to purchase a bundled pass is found to be satisfaction with their current museum. There are significant variations, depending on the type of museum frequented within the network. In high-end museums, intention to purchase a pass is essentially a function of satisfaction, while trust and commitment play a role in low-end museums. In both types the behavioural relationship plays a modest role: neither the amount spent nor the duration or depth of the relationship has an impact on intention to purchase; only breadth plays a positive role, and then only a modest one