Global Journal of Management and Business Research, E: Marketing, Volume 23 Issue 1

a study on the automobile industry in India, and the research result shows that FMC, as a part of relationship marketing, helps to build CL. Recently, Fadila et al. (2022) also found that communication affects CL. In today’s competitive world, organizations should deliver and maintain timely and trustworthy information in a person-to-person format to satisfy customers and build long-term relationships with them (Halimi et al., 2011; Naveed et al., 2017). However, customers will quickly move to competitor brands if they do not get the quality of service they want. Therefore, delivering quality service has become an essential strategy for survival and success in the market. Recently, Gakii and Murigi (2019) conducted a study on the mobile phone industry in Kenya, revealing that integrated marketing communication (IMC) significantly affects service quality. In addition, marketing literature suggests that employees and managers must understand better and respond to better customer expectations to improve their value delivery to the organization and, ultimately, the customers (Varey, 1995). Yeboah (2013)suggested that marketers take communication seriously to meet and exceed customer expectations in the ever-changing competitive landscape. Consequently, we can form the following hypotheses: H4: FMC Positively Affects EXP. H5: FMC Positively Affects PSQ. H6: FMC Positively Affects CS. H7: FMC Positively Affects CL. d) The Linkage of Customer Satisfaction (CS) and Customer Loyalty (CL) Many leisure and sports researchers have studied CL in the domain of health and gym activities (Bodet, 2008; Lee et al., 2010; Oliver, 2007). Some of these works contain theories from other academic fields, including buyer behavior, business behavior, sociology, is appropriate to argue that studying consumer satisfaction provides insight into consumer loyalty and buying behavior (Butcher et al., 2001). CS is widely accepted as a psychological state resulting from fulfilling pre-purchase customer expectations with the quality of service provider (Chiou & Droge, 2006). According to Hallowell et al. (1996), CS is defined as the customer’s reaction to fulfilling expectations, i.e., the customer's evaluation of the service quality of the delivered items. When the level of service quality exceeds expectations, satisfaction is the result(Bolton & Lemon, 1999). Satisfied consumers are more likely to repurchase and recommend the service to their peers (Kim et al., 2009; Wang et al., 2023). Increasing the level of CS also increases consumer tolerance for higher prices, creating brands’ images, and reduces the cost of acquiring new customers(Park & Kim, 2000). CL must encompass a positive attitude and a sense of commitment to the organization (Bowen & Shoemaker, 2003; Zeithaml et al., 1996). Prior empirical studies have assumed that CS significantly predicts repeat sales and loyalty (Bolton et al., 2000; Jones & Suh, 2000a; Kim et al., 2009; McDougall & Levesque, 2000). According to Oliver (1999), global satisfaction performs better than transactional satisfaction in predicting the effect on loyalty. Recognizing a positive relationship between satisfaction and repurchase intentions emphasizes the necessity of identifying and describing the variables that contribute to satisfaction (Jones & Suh, 2000b). accordingly, Macintosh (2007) claims that CS depends on the character of interpersonal relationships and customer-oriented employees. The study additionally established a link between satisfied customers and their company loyalty. Based on the above discussion, the following assumptions regarding the connection between satisfaction and loyalty in the fitness service market are proposed. H10: CS Positively Affects CL. IV. R esearch M ethodology a) Research Sample The current study has sampled comprised fitness club members who had a membership in a fitness club. The study was conducted in China using a convenience sampling technique. For that, an online questionnaire was developed using a prominent website, namely www.wjx.cn . The targeted sample was approached through emails, We Chat, and We Chat groups collected from three fitness clubs of three well- known fitness cub chains. These institutes have around six thousand members in Dalian, China, and more than five hundred fifty branches nationwide. The original English items of the questionnaire were translated into Chinese through the translation and back-translation process with the assistance of two lab fallows and a marketing professor to ensure consistency in meaning (Leung et al., 2022). Before making the survey public, the questionnaires were distributed in English and Chinese (Latif et al., 2020) and comprised two sections. Initially, a pilot study was conducted through a questionnaire link, randomly selecting 50 fitness club members from a club database. After the necessary modification and changes of the questionnaire items, the survey was open from December-mid 2022 to January-mid 2023. All participants were anonymous and voluntary. A total of three hundred forty-five respondents participated in the study. We reviewed all responses and eliminated 30 of them with the same score. Due to missing data, 15 questionnaires were disregarded. Finally, 300 questionnaires were suitable for further investigation, with a 65% response rate (Dabholkar et al., 1996). Customer Loyalty in the Fitness Club Industry: The Role of Club Communication, Customer Expectation and Perceived Service Quality 48 Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XXIII Issue I Version I Year 2023 ( )E © 2023 Global Journals and mental health (Lee et al., 2018; Yu & Dean, 2001). It