Justice (is not the same) for all: The role of relationship activity for post-recovery outcomes

Abstract

Despite the widespread adoption of the justice framework in service recovery literature, research findings vary as to what dimension - distributive, interactional, procedural - is most important. This paper contributes to this debate by considering how an easily accessible variable like relationship activity (i.e., the frequency of visiting and purchasing from a company) moderates the impact of the justice dimensions on post-recovery customer outcomes. Findings show that distributive justice is the only dimension impacting word-of-mouth (WOM) and repurchase behavior for low- and medium-relationship-activity customer segments. For a high-relationship-activity segment, all justice dimensions have a positive and balanced impact on WOM and/or repurchase behavior. This research demonstrates the potential of a segmented approach for recovery, while also providing managers with valuable insights into how they can use readily available information to adapt their service recovery efforts.