From Service Confirmation to Continuance Intention: An Expectation Confirmation Perspective on Customer-Perceived Relationship Management and Perceived Value in the Beauty Industry

Abstract

Grounded in Expectation Confirmation Theory (ECT), this study develops and empirically tests an integrated model explaining customers’ continuance intention in the beauty service industry. Extending the traditional confirmation–satisfaction–continuance  framework, the model incorporates customer-perceived relationship management (CPRM) and perceived value as relational and  evaluative mechanisms linking service confirmation to sustained behavioral intention. Using survey data from 202 beauty service customers and structural equation modeling, the results indicate that service confirmation significantly enhances CPRM, perceived value, and service satisfaction. CPRM and perceived value further influence continuance intention both directly and indirectly through satisfaction. Service satisfaction emerges as a key mediator in translating confirmed service experiences into long-term patronage. By integrating relational and value-based perspectives into ECT, this study provides a comprehensive explanation of customer retention in high-contact service contexts. The findings offer theoretical contributions to service management research and managerial insights for strengthening customer retention strategies in experiential service industries.