Structural determinants of customer loyalty among long-term insurance consumers in Namibia

Tjizumaue, Bianca; Atiku, Sulaiman Olusegun Article Structural determinants of customer loyalty among longterm insurance consumers in Namibia Cogent Business & Management Provided in Cooperation with: Taylor & Francis Group Suggested Citation: Tjizumaue, Bianca; Atiku, Sulaiman Olusegun (2024) : Structural determinants of customer loyalty among long-term insurance consumers in Namibia, Cogent Business & Management, ISSN 2331-1975, Taylor & Francis, Abingdon, Vol. 11, Iss. 1, pp. 1-23, https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2419494 This Version is available at: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/326641 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. 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If the documents have been made available under an Open Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you may exercise further usage rights as specified in the indicated licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Cogent Business & Management ISSN: 2331-1975 (Online) Journal homepage: www.tandfonline.com/journals/oabm20 Structural determinants of customer loyalty among long-term insurance consumers in Namibia Bianca Tjizumaue & Sulaiman Olusegun Atiku To cite this article: Bianca Tjizumaue & Sulaiman Olusegun Atiku (2024) Structural determinants of customer loyalty among long-term insurance consumers in Namibia, Cogent Business & Management, 11:1, 2419494, DOI: 10.1080/23311975.2024.2419494 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2419494 © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group Published online: 29 Oct 2024. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 1409 View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=oabm20 Marketing | research article Cogent Business & ManageMent 2024, VoL. 11, no. 1, 2419494 Structural determinants of customer loyalty among long-term insurance consumers in Namibia Bianca tjizumauea and sulaiman Olusegun atikub,c aDepartment of Marketing, Logistics and sport Management, namibia university of science and technology, Windhoek, namibia; bHarold Pupkewitz graduate school of Business, namibia university of science and technology, Windhoek, namibia; cDepartment of economic and Business sciences, Walter sisulu university, Mthatha, south africa ABSTRACT customer satisfaction, retention, and loyalty are essential for a positive return on sales in the insurance industry. this study examines the key determinants of customer loyalty among long‑term insurance consumers in namibia. the mediating role of customer satisfaction was also examined in the relationship between the specified exogenous variables and customer loyalty. a quantitative approach was adopted using a cross‑sectional survey to establish the structural determinants of loyalty among long‑term insurance consumers in namibia. an explanatory research design was incorporated to explain the mediating role of customer satisfaction in the relationship between customer awareness and customer loyalty, customer protection and customer loyalty, as well as service quality and customer loyalty in namibia. the target population (18,205) of this study comprised consumers of long‑term insurance products in Windhoek, namibia. a structured questionnaire was administered to 406 respondents using a convenience sampling technique. the formulated hypotheses were assessed using variance‑based structural equation modeling. the results show that customer satisfaction exerts a direct effect on customer loyalty, while customer protection and service quality exert an indirect influence on customer loyalty in the insurance industry. therefore, efforts should be geared towards customer awareness of long‑term insurance products to enhance the uptake of such products for customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in the insurance industry. 1. Introduction Markets worldwide are more service oriented these days since the service industry plays a significant role in many economies. competition has however also been intense in the global service industry thus making successful companies more reliant on a sound understanding of their customers’ needs (hosseini & saravi‑Moghadam, 2017). service providers do not consistently succeed in ensuring customer satisfac‑ tion; however, when customers are satisfied, service providers are more likely to achieve customer loyalty (Barshan etal., 2017). the service providers therefore aim to ensure that the customers remain loyal since customer retention is more cost effective than acquiring new customers. service providers who provide quality service are therefore guaranteed to have satisfied customers who will remain loyal to them (Demir et al., 2015). according to kamati (2017), despite the longstanding presence of long‑term insurance companies in namibia, consumers remain inadequately protected and lack sufficient awareness of their rights and options. the markets therefore tend to exploit the ignorance of consumers since fewer consumers are aware of the products and benefits of these products and they are also not aware of their rights, sometimes unable to make informed decisions. the intangible characteristics of services pose © 2024 the author(s). Published by informa uK Limited, trading as taylor & Francis group CONTACT sulaiman olusegun atiku [email protected] Harold Pupkewitz graduate school of Business, namibia university of science and technology, Windhoek 13388, namibia https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2419494 this is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. the terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent. ARTICLE HISTORY received 4 august 2024 revised 18 september 2024 accepted 16 October 2024 KEYWORDS customer awareness; customer loyalty; customer protection; customer satisfaction; service quality SUBJECTS Business, Management and accounting; strategic Management; Marketing 2 B. tJiZUMaUe anD s. OlUsegUn atikU significant challenges for consumers, as they can only realize the benefits of these products after an event takes place. consequently, individuals seeking long‑term insurance policies require enhanced protection, as well as greater access to information and understanding regarding the products they intend to acquire, given the inherent nature of these intangible insurance offerings (ardic etal., 2011). Malady (2016) claims that consumer protection regulation is critical in ensuring financial inclusion because it ensures that companies are more honest and open about the products, they are offering which then assists the consumers in making the right purchasing decisions. consumers with limited skills, knowledge, and awareness could suffer consequences such as financial mistakes, which could result in a loss of income (Malady, 2016). therefore, it is imperative for organizations to convey infor‑ mation about their products as a component of their promotional strategies (kotler & armstrong, 2017). establishing consumer awareness is crucial for any organization, as it ensures that potential customers are informed about the available products and that the benefits of these products are clearly communicated. this clarity enables consumers to make informed and intelligent purchasing decisions. Unfair trade practices are common in the namibian economy and most consumers have limited knowledge about valuable information such as to which offices they are to consult when they have been wronged, thus resulting in them being exploited by service providers (amunkete, 2013). Moreso, there is a lack of a well‑structured consumer protection framework in namibia which results in various institu‑ tions providing mechanisms to avert prejudice to consumer rights (schlettwein, 2013). the namibia Financial institutions supervisory authority (naMFisa) is one of the institutions that explicitly undertakes consumer awareness programs about long‑term insurance companies. Despite such interventions, there are still service providers in the long‑term insurance sector who are exploiting their consumers (gibson et al., 2011). some of the insurance companies even offer poor and unsatisfactory services to their con‑ sumers in namibia (adeline, 2022). the interest of the long‑term insurance providers is selling their prod‑ ucts instead of keeping their customers satisfied (Wanjiru, 2013), thus the organizations are viewed as not being customer service oriented. therefore, this led to endless complaints being submitted to naMFisa (kamati, 2017). this will have an adverse effect on the satisfaction of long‑term insurance con‑ sumers in namibia. customer satisfaction is regarded as a performance measure and it is an outcome of the supremacy of the customer experience, which covers the various aspects around the breach between customer expectations and the actual customer experience (Milner & Furnham, 2017). customer satisfaction has a significant influence on customer loyalty, which increases profits (Madikwe, 2015). consumer satisfac‑ tion is the ultimate key for service providers to ensure a firm’s performance since it is the total assess‑ ment of the consumer experience and often leads to consumer loyalty (gizaw & Pagidimarri, 2014; nazari et al., 2012). companies in the insurance industry are more sales oriented and do not engage in the marketing concept thus resulting in failure to ensure their customers are satisfied and remain loyal to the organization. Moreover, the intangible nature of insurance products adds a layer of com‑ plexity because these products cannot be seen, felt, touched, or tasted making it challenging for cus‑ tomers to make informed purchasing decisions (alinvi & Babri, 2007). the current study is essential in assisting long‑term insurance companies in improving consumer awareness, consumer protection, and service quality to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty in namibia. given the above, the study therefore aims to examine the structural determinants of cus‑ tomer loyalty among long‑term insurance consumers in namibia. the service providers within the long‑term insurance industry will have a better understanding of how their consumers perceive their services, with the hope that strategies will be developed to guarantee customer satisfaction and loyalty. the remaining sections of this scholarly work focus on background theory and a literature review on customer awareness, customer protection, service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty. the subsequent section covers the methods, research procedure, participants, measurement scale adopted in the study, and data analysis procedures. in the results section, there is a discussion of the findings, pointing out the theoretical contribution and practical implications of the study. in the last section, we point out the limitations of the study and propose future research directions, as well as the conclusion. cOgent BUsiness & ManageMent 3 2. Literature review and hypotheses development 2.1 Background theory the theory adopted to understand and examine the structural determinants of customer loyalty in insur‑ ance companies is the expectancy Disconfirmation theory (eDt). the eDt posits that consumers’ level of satisfaction is determined by the discrepancy between their expectations and their perceptions of the product’s performance, with expectations serving as forecasts of future performance (aigbavboa & thwala, 2013). the theory holds that if the customer had high expectations about a product and the product performance as expected the customer is likely to have a higher satisfaction as compared to when the customer’s expectation was low (aigbavboa & thwala, 2013). Organizations has been employ‑ ing the eDt to have a better understanding of consumers repurchase intentions, their satisfaction and their reason for complaints (Bhattacherjee & Premkumar, 2004; hsu et al., 2006; Patterson et al., 1997; Picazo‑Vela, 2009). Furthermore, the eDt stems from the field of consumer behavior, which posits that consumers hold varying expectations regarding the quality of service offered by providers. these expectations are shaped by several factors, including personal experiences with the service provider, advertisements related to the offered product, and word‑of‑mouth information about the provider’s services. as a result, consumers assess the quality of services based on multiple standards, ultimately determining whether they are sat‑ isfied or dissatisfied with the service provided (Van ryzin, 2013). Moreover, the outcome of the difference in expectations can be negative or positive which means that when the outcome is positive the perfor‑ mance has exceeded the customer’s expectations and with a negative outcome the performance was less than the customer’s expectations. Based on the eDt there is usually a multi‑stage process that the customers experience before they decide to repurchase the particular service (schwarz, 2011). a certain expectation is formed by the con‑ sumer regarding the services before they are to utilize it but consumers who previously used the service are however likely to have a more realistic expectation of the performance of the product, unlike first‑time users who are likely to have expectations based on the various communication platforms or on the word of mouth or even based on the various marketing initiatives of the service providers. in the final stage, consumers will use the service themselves which will then allow them to make the judgment whether their experience matches their initial expectations of the service they have received (schwarz, 2011). Before purchasing a product or a service the expectation or desire of the customers comes from the pre‑purchase stage where the customer feels a need to experience a specific performance of the prod‑ uct, they are planning on purchasing and this can relate to the quality of the product or service. the perceived performance is however related to the after‑purchase period that the customer experiences after perceiving a real performance of the particular service or product’s quality. this sometimes result in disconfirmation of the expectation which could be positive or negative. thus, when the customer’s expectation is higher than the perceived expectation there will be a positive confirmation but when the customer perceived the performance to be worse than the customer’s expectation the result will be a negative confirmation (naeimeh & Bakri, 2012). Furthermore, customer satisfaction is connected to the history of expectations, perceived quality, and perceived value by the customer, as well as the complaints from customers and customer loy‑ alty in general (churchill & surprenant, 1982; Oliver, 1981). according to garbarino and Johnson (1999), an increase in consumer confidence in service providers often increases customer satisfac‑ tion. customers, however, become frustrated and aggrieved when they do not receive the experi‑ ence they were promised, which thus results in dissatisfaction (Oliver, 1997). Zamazalová (2008) postulates that the key factors that have an impact on customer satisfaction and can be used in measuring customer satisfaction are factors such as the product itself, specifically the quality and availability of the product; price based on how convenient it is to make the payments; distribution and the image of the product. according to tarigan and hatane (2019), customer satisfaction is a crucial component of financial performance. however, having dissatisfied customers can negatively impact this performance, as 4 B. tJiZUMaUe anD s. OlUsegUn atikU dissatisfaction may lead to a decrease in sales and an increase in complaints from consumers. government interference and competitors’ responses may contribute to efforts aimed at closing the market gap by developing new substitute products. kim (2007), however, emphasizes that if companies are active and take customer satisfaction seriously, there will be an increase in company growth. to ensure customer satisfaction, there are four methods used in measuring the level of customer satisfaction; the complaints system, lost customer analysis, customer satisfaction surveys, and ghost shopping (kotler & keller, 2009). in this study, service quality and customer satisfaction are the two constructs that are linked to eDt. it is important to note that customer perceptions of overall satisfaction typically arise from a comparison between their prior expectations of service performance and the actual performance delivered. consequently, organizations should align service delivery with customer expectations to enhance satisfac‑ tion (Van ryzin, 2013). 2.2 Customer awareness consumer awareness has to do with the level of information provided to people about what they are buying, which relates to the prices of the products as well as the benefits of the products (sharma, 2013). consumers must do proper research on the products they want to purchase so that they know what to expect when they purchase them. consumers need to understand the significance of knowing the purchasing conditions, the use of the products, and all the key details that relate to the specific products so that they can make informed decisions (kumar, 2016). creating consumer awareness is important to protect the interests of consumers by educating them about their responsibilities and their rights (syal & goswami, 2012). Phukon (2016) claims that consumers who lack awareness of key factors such as fair pricing, prod‑ uct quality, performance, warranty details, durability, after‑sales services, discounts, and concessions are less likely to understand their rights and responsibilities as consumers. Makanyeza (2015) empha‑ sizes that informed consumers who recognize their rights and responsibilities are better equipped to make informed purchasing decisions and confidently demand quality services, thereby reducing the risk of exploitation. 2.3 Customer protection the regulations that are in place to help consumers exercise their rights concerning the purchase of products and services is termed as consumer protection (ateke & Ogbuji, 2017; süle, 2012). accordingly, the primary aim of consumer protection is to ensure that consumers receive accurate and pertinent information, enabling them to make informed purchasing decisions. in all sectors, consumer protec‑ tion is an important phenomenon. consumers in insurance sectors are primarily protected against unfair practices, unwarranted risk in insurance contracts, misrepresentation of information or benefits related to the services offered, the contractual language used, advertisements, pricing of the services offered, the selling methods used by the service providers and against payments of claims (tennyson, 2016). clients must be protected when they are dealing with insurance advisors because, when they lack knowledge of insurance products, they are more likely to be vulnerable to exploitation (Mochesane, 2014). consumers who are well informed tend to be more confident in raising inquiries and complaints regarding the services they have received. When the information provided to them is unclear, they are more likely to seek clarification. these consumers are proactive in exercising their rights. it is essential for consumers to become acquainted with the company’s profile and familiarize themselves with relevant government policies to understand the protective measures or legislation in place to challenge service providers when the promised services are not delivered (Mugobo & Malunga, 2015). in this case, the namibia Financial institutions supervisory authority (naMFisa) is the only regulator of insurance companies in namibia (Barnard & scott, 2015). consumer rights are often restricted because service providers fail to include negative clauses in their agreement or do not adequately explain these clauses to consumers prior to their commitment to purchasing a product or service (Dawids, 2010). cOgent BUsiness & ManageMent 5 2.4 Service quality service quality is a crucial determinant of customer satisfaction and loyalty. the service providers should commit themselves to improving their service quality so that they can remain competitive in the market and are able to have a competitive advantage over their competitors (Ujakpa et al., 2017). it is essential for service providers to enhance customer satisfaction by delivering high‑quality services. this improve‑ ment will lead to increased customer retention, loyalty, and profitability (singh et al., 2014). the percep‑ tion of service quality can be enhanced by building customer trust or fulfilling promises made to customers and being responsive to their queries and needs (Major, 2017). 2.5 Customer satisfaction the key performance indicator in organizations which measures whether the products or services offered meet or exceed customer expectation is customer satisfaction (selvarani & Parveen, 2017). hence, service providers must develop principles and strategies to ensure customer satisfaction. Borah (2012) asserts that customer satisfaction is the primary differentiating factor among competitors in today’s economy. to promote and strengthen customer loyalty, organizations must prioritize customer satisfaction. service providers should consistently work to establish enduring relationships with their customers, supported by high‑quality service. this approach will lead to meeting and surpassing customer expectations and satisfaction. (ganiyu, 2017). companies should manage and constantly monitor or measure customer satisfaction (ilieska, 2013). in practice, maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction is a challenging endeavor, as it involves considering various factors, such as providing high‑quality products and cultivat‑ ing strong relationships with customers. (khadka & Maharjan, 2017). Furthermore, when companies implement and maintain efficient two‑way communication channels, organizations are more likely to improve customer product knowledge and, in the process, reduce any future regrets among customers and increase customer satisfaction (ruefenacht, 2018). companies mak‑ ing efforts to satisfy their customers are the ones that are succeeding in business, as satisfied customers also assist in gaining a high market position (khadka & Maharjan, 2017). satisfied customers tend to suggest a specific service provider to new customers (khadka & Maharjan, 2017). it is therefore important for companies to conduct customer satisfaction surveys at regular intervals to prioritize factors influenc‑ ing customer satisfaction and loyalty (Vazifehdust & Farokhian, 2013). a fundamental component of cus‑ tomer satisfaction is quality excellence, which is typically assessed by comparing the overall quality of the service delivered with the quality that was anticipated (chadya et al., 2014). 2.5.1 Customer awareness and customer satisfaction customer satisfaction originates from assessing the anticipated performance against the real perceived performance and the price the consumer pays to obtain the product (abedi & Jahed, 2020). customers who are satisfied are less likely to switch service providers or brands (harzaviona & syah, 2020; nikou & Malekalketab, 2020). When customers are satisfied with the service they receive, they are more inclined to share their positive experiences with friends, colleagues, and relatives. in most instances, customers who are satisfied with the services they receive tend to recommend the products or services to prospec‑ tive customers (Dominici & guzzo, 2010; natuhwera, 2011). conversely, if they encounter disappointing service, they are likely to express their dissatisfaction to a broader audience, which can lead to a loss of business for the organization (Felix, 2017). alternatively, customers who are dissatisfied with the services they receive often choose not to voice their complaints; instead, they tend to seek services from com‑ petitors (hasfar etal., 2020). consumers with sufficient awareness of their rights are more likely to make informed purchasing decisions, which often results in customer satisfaction and subsequent loyalty (Makanyeza, 2015). the evaluation of consumer satisfaction and dissatisfaction is influenced not only by individual experiences but also by the customer’s awareness of the company’s overall standing (Pérez & rodríguez del‑Bosque, 2015). When consumers share information about their experiences with products or brands through statements, this is referred to as word‑of‑mouth, which is typically an effective 6 B. tJiZUMaUe anD s. OlUsegUn atikU promotional method where the company is assessed by the consumer (tucker, 2011). consequently, ser‑ vice providers should consistently strive to satisfy their customers. Based on the literature, this study hypothesizes that: h1: there is a significant relationship between customer awareness and customer satisfaction. 2.5.2 Customer protection and customer satisfaction Unethical business practices about consumers are mostly associated with misleading information or deceptive advertising, contracts that have difficult clauses, and one‑sided contracts, limiting the liability of the service provider (reddy & rampersad, 2012). insufficient consumer education and lack of aware‑ ness regarding their rights render consumers vulnerable to exploitation by companies (Mugobo & Malunga, 2015). consumer protection efforts should begin with educating consumers from an early age. this education should not only be a critical component of school curricula but should also be dissemi‑ nated through television and radio programs to maximize its impact (Babaogul et al., 2010). the provi‑ sion of high‑quality services is essential for service providers. hence, organizations should employ skilled employees who can efficiently manage claims, offer fair prices to customers, establish clear communica‑ tion channels, implement effective advertising strategies, and utilize advanced technology to enhance service delivery. these practices will lead to increased customer satisfaction (Myola, 2014). Based on the existing literature, this study hypothesizes that: h2: there is a significant relationship between customer protection and customer satisfaction. 2.5.3 Service quality and customer satisfaction service quality can be established when consumers judge a product’s overall performance as excellent or superior to other competing products (Zeithaml, 1988). customer perception of service quality can be measured by the quality of services offered (irulappan & Bincy, 2012). For instance, variables such as reliability, empathy, tangibility, assurance, and responsiveness are utilized by organizations to assess ser‑ vice quality, and these factors have a positive impact on customer loyalty (Zheve et al., 2015). rahayu (2018) argues that competition within industries has intensified, leading customers to demand higher service quality, which in turn compels companies to continuously improve and enhance their services. consequently, service quality emerges as a key strategy in a competitive landscape (Berry et al., 1988), since there is a significant positive relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction (Zafar et al., 2012). therefore, this study hypothesizes the following: h3: there is a significant relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction. 2.6 Customer loyalty customer loyalty is demonstrated when customers consistently choose to purchase from the same ser‑ vice provider, even in the presence of alternative options (ranabhat, 2018). loyal customers serve as the primary source of new customers for service providers through positive word‑of‑mouth, and these loyal customers are also associated with increased profitability. afsar et al. (2010) assert that most companies center their marketing strategies on promoting customer loyalty due to the intense competition they face. Moreover, companies commit to offering a diverse range of services and enhancing their customer service by leveraging their service standards and technology (Wilson et al., 2020). the outcomes of customer loyalty extend beyond repeat purchases and positive publicity; they also significantly influence priority‑based preferences and cross‑buying intentions for the service provider (rai & Medha, 2013). the primary goal of service providers is to cultivate and sustain loyal customers. to achieve this critical objective, they must offer customers special benefits and ensure timely communica‑ tion of essential information (Du Plessis & roberts‑lombard, 2013). according to ranabhat (2018), while cOgent BUsiness & ManageMent 7 customer satisfaction and loyalty are interconnected, not all customers remain loyal to the same service provider or brand. heryanto (2011) contends that customers are more likely to remain loyal to a service provider when they are satisfied, which is influenced by their expectations and the performance of the product. consequently, customers tend to feel satisfied when product performance exceeds their expec‑ tations, while dissatisfaction arises when performance falls short of those expectations. 2.6.1 Customer awareness and customer loyalty companies usually provide promotional strategies, which often assist in educating customers about products or services, and customers are expected to contact the service provider should they experience any unfair treatment by sales representatives or any negative issues once they have purchased the prod‑ uct or service (Mwakatumbula et al., 2015; Piratheepan & Pushpanathan, 2013). customers who are well informed usually demand high‑quality services (rosmayani & Mardatillah, 2016). When the service is of superior quality to consumers, they are more likely to make another purchase decision when they had a pleasant experience with the specific service provider. consumers tend to be more loyal to a service provider when they are aware of the brand through advertising and constant publicity (Valavi, 2014). the study therefore hypothesizes that: h4: customer awareness has a significant direct influence on customer loyalty. 2.6.2 Customer protection and customer loyalty customer loyalty is a profound psychological inclination that drives customers to consistently patronize a specific service provider, particularly those who are satisfied with the services received, and are likely to return repeatedly to the same provider (ateke & isaac, 2020). as competition intensifies, companies should ensure their sustainability by retaining customers, with brand awareness serving as a crucial tool for enhancing loyalty (setiawan et al., 2023). the term ‘consumer protection’ refers to the array of regu‑ latory and non‑regulatory measures implemented to address various market failures that expose con‑ sumers to losses related to unfair business practices (Mugobo & Malunga, 2015). it is essential for consumers to receive accurate information about the products they are purchasing and to understand the terms and conditions of the transactions they engage in with sellers (ateke & isaac, 2020). loyal customers typically purchase more, are willing to pay higher prices, and are likely to recommend the service provider’s products to others. thus, customer loyalty is vital for the marketing success of the service provider. customers expect fair contracts, timely information about products, and favorable terms and conditions; these services will ultimately contribute to their loyalty (Wokoma & toruyouyei, 2019). the study hypothesizes that: h5: customer protection has a significant influence on customer loyalty. 2.6.3 Service quality and customer loyalty customer loyalty is influenced by factors, such as service quality, corporate image, and customer satis‑ faction (Orozco & cavazos, 2017). For example, loyal customers are beneficial to an organization since they add economic value when they continuously purchase services from the service provider. iordanova, 2017) stated that customer loyalty governs business success because when customers are loyal to service providers, they are likely to increase their profits. Budianto (2019) further expounds that the significance of customer loyalty in any business is that it increases the service provider’s sales. tarus and rabach (2013) affirm that it is expensive to acquire new customers compared to maintaining the existing ones because once customers are loyal to a certain service provider and satisfied, they are less likely to switch service providers. Obtaining new customers can be an expensive exercise as well, but maintaining exist‑ ing customers may lead to amortization of acquisition costs (nguyen et al., 2016). service providers who have loyal customers are always able to enjoy a competitive advantage over other service providers (Makanyeza, 2015). reliability, tangibility, and empathy are the three dimensions of service quality that 14 B. tJiZUMaUe anD s. OlUsegUn atikU (β = 0.420, p < .001, n = 406) have significant indirect effects on customer loyalty in namibia. this means that customer awareness (β = 0.046, p > .05, n = 406) has no significant indirect effect on customer loyalty based on empirical evidence from the long‑term consumers of insurance products in namibia. Judging the results, one can deduce that customer awareness exerts no significant direct or indirect effects on customer loyalty. While customer protection and perceived service quality did not exert a significant direct influence on customer loyalty, these variables (customer protection and perceived service quality) exerted a significant indirect influence on customer loyalty through customer satisfaction. having considered the standardized beta loadings to establish the significant contributions of the three independent variables and the mediating variable on customer loyalty, the results show that cus‑ tomer protection and perceived service quality explained 74.8% of the variance in customer satisfaction (r = 0.748, F = 2.748, p < .001). More so, customer protection, perceived service quality, and customer sat‑ isfaction are the major determinants of customer loyalty (r = 0.633, F = 1.437, p < .001) in insurance com‑ panies. this implies that customer protection, perceived service quality, and customer satisfaction explained 63.3% of the variance in customer loyalty. Judging from the beta loadings reported in Figure 1, customer satisfaction (β = 0.616, p < .001, n = 406) made the most significant contribution in the regres‑ sion model, compared to other significant determinants of customer loyalty. the decisions reached based on the research hypotheses formulated in this study are reported in table 3. the results reported in table 3 show that five out of the ten hypotheses formulated in this study were supported. this implies that customer protection exerts a direct influence on customer satisfaction (h2) in namibia. service quality has a significant influence on customer satisfaction (h3), based on empirical evidence in namibia. the results show that there is a strong positive relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty among long‑term insurance customers (h7) in namibia. in terms of the mediating role of customer satisfaction, the results show that customer satisfaction mediates the relationship between customer protection and customer loyalty (h9) in namibia. similarly, customer satisfaction mediates the relationship between service quality and customer loyalty (h10) in namibia. the evaluation of the predictive power of the research model is presented in table 4. the research model demonstrates strong predictive accuracy and power for the final endogenous variable (customer loyalty) with an R2 of 0.633 and a Q2 of 0.375. this indicates that the model possesses high predictive accuracy and explanatory power. Furthermore, a predictive evaluation process (shmueli et al., 2016) was conducted to assess the model’s predictive capability by examining each indicator of the final endogenous variable. given that all indicators of the final endogenous variable exhibited a symmetrical distribution, the root Mean square error of approximation (rMsea) was utilized instead of Table 2. assessment of discriminant validity. Discriminant validity of Fornell–Larcker’s criterion Latent variable Ca CL CP Cs sQ Customer awareness (Ca) 0.708a Customer loyalty (CL) 0.292 0.722 Customer protection (CP) 0.241 0.540 0.723 Customer satisfaction (Cs) 0.344 0.589 0.629 0.751 service quality (sQ) 0.310 0.706 0.541 0.736 0.796 anote: Diagonals in bold are the square roots of aVe. Discriminant validity evaluation by HtMt ratio Latent variable CL Ca CP Cs sQ Customer awareness (Ca) 0.297 Customer protection (CP) 0.596 0.239 Customer satisfaction (Cs) 0.747 0.343 0.633 service quality (sQ) 0.709 0.311 0.542 0.740 CL: Customer loyalty Collinearity evaluation between the predictor constructs by inner ViF values Latent variable CL Cs Customer awareness (Ca) 1.626 1.589 Customer protection (CP) 2.377 2.124 Customer satisfaction (Cs) 2.573 – service quality (sQ) 1.665 1.709 CL: Customer loyalty. cOgent BUsiness & ManageMent 15 the Mean absolute error (Mae). the results indicate that the prediction error (rMse) was lower for the custom model compared to the linear model (lM) benchmark reported in table 4. Judging from the positive Q2 values for all indicators, combined with the lower prediction errors, one can conclude that the custom model exhibits high predictive power. therefore, the research model demonstrates strong predictive accuracy and power, as evidenced by the high R2 and Q2 values for the final endogenous variable. there are lower prediction errors and positive Q2 values for each indicator compared to the lM benchmark when using the Pls predict procedure. 5. Discussion studies that have examined the determinants of customer loyalty in the insurance industry have been conducted in developed countries. hence, there is a paucity of research on specific factors influencing customer loyalty in namibia, especially in the long‑term insurance industry. therefore, this study was conducted to fill this research gap by examining the key determinants (customer awareness, customer protection, service quality, and customer satisfaction) of customer loyalty in the insurance industry. this research is essential in addressing the issues of consumer awareness, consumer protection, service qual‑ ity, customer satisfaction, and loyalty in the long‑term insurance industry. the results of this cross‑sectional survey of 406 long‑term insurance customers in namibia have implications for theory, practice, and future customer loyalty research in developing countries. the study found that consumer protection and service quality have a significant positive influence on customer satisfaction in namibia’s insurance industry. the results suggest that perceived customer pro‑ tection and service quality are essential in enhancing levels of customer satisfaction in the insurance industry. these findings establish the role of customer satisfaction in enhancing customer loyalty in the insurance industry. customer protection and service quality, on the other hand, exert significant indirect effects on customer loyalty in the insurance industry. though previous studies show that a significant relationship exists between customer awareness and customer satisfaction (Makanyeza, 2015; Pérez & rodríguez del‑Bosque, 2015), the findings from this study differ. the empirical findings from the insur‑ ance industry in namibia revealed that there is no significant positive relationship between customer awareness and customer satisfaction. this could be attributed to the fact that customer awareness of a specific insurance product without an actual purchase may not result in customer satisfaction (nebo & Okolo, 2016). Table 3. Direct and indirect effects of key latent variables. Hyp Direct effect M sD Coeff t stat p Values Decision H1 Ca -> Cs 0.075 0.047 0.075 1.604 .109 not supported H2 CP -> Cs 0.242 0.052 0.243 4.625 .000 supported H3 sQ -> Cs 0.684 0.047 0.681 14.622 .000 supported H4 Ca -> CL 0.018 0.057 0.017 0.307 .759 not supported H5 CP -> CL 0.068 0.070 0.068 0.973 .330 not supported H6 sQ -> CL 0.144 0.109 0.149 1.368 .171 not supported H7 Cs -> CL 0.621 0.117 0.616 5.275 .000 supported specific indirect effects M sD Coeff t stat p Values Decision H8 Ca -> Cs -> CL 0.046 0.030 0.046 1.525 .127 not supported H9 CP -> Cs -> CL 0.150 0.043 0.149 3.475 .001 supported H10 sQ -> Cs -> CL 0.426 0.089 0.420 4.699 .000 supported M: Mean; sD: standard deviation Table 4. Predictive power evaluation using the PLs predict algorithm. PLs LM RMse PLs < indicators RMse Q²predict RMse RMseLM Predictive power CL1 0.832 0.356 0.845 Yes CL2 0.861 0.275 0.868 Yes High CL3 0.739 0.349 0.75 Yes CL4 0.775 0.34 0.788 Yes LM: prediction using a linear model; PLs: prediction using PLs-seM; RMse: root mean square error. 16 B. tJiZUMaUe anD s. OlUsegUn atikU 5.1. Theoretical contribution service quality and customer satisfaction are the two constructs in this study that relate to the eDt. this theory posits that customers overall satisfaction is typically derived from a comparison between their prior expectations of service performance and their perceived experience of that performance. When a service does not meet expectations, the customer experiences dissatisfaction; conversely, if it does meet or exceed expectations, the customer feels satisfied. therefore, service providers must ensure that their offerings align with customer expectations (elkhani & Bakri, 2012). customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction are influenced by an individual’s ability to learn from past experiences, leading them to assess their satisfac‑ tion based on those experiences. the benefits customers derive from using a service are evaluated in terms of their satisfaction with the purchase, which can subsequently shape their beliefs and attitudes toward the service provider (isac & rusu, 2014). Moreso, when customers receive satisfactory information prior to making a purchase, it can positively affect their overall satisfaction. if their expectations align with perceived performance, customers will be satisfied; if not, they will be dissatisfied (spreng et al., 1996). this study contributes to eDt by establishing the relationship between service quality and satisfaction (aigbavboa & thwala, 2013) among long‑term insurance consumers in namibia. this study expanded the eDt with empirical evidence showcasing the moderating role of customer satisfaction in the interplay between service quality and customer loyalty. this means that customer satisfaction fully mediates the relationship between perceived service quality and customer loyalty in the insurance industry. the reason is that service quality exerts no direct significant influence on customer loyalty in the insurance industry, based on the empirical evidence reported in this study. rather than using customer satisfaction as an endogenous variable in the eDt model, this study proposes that the model can be expanded by incor‑ porating customer loyalty as the overall endogenous variable. 5.2. Practical implications the findings, which originated from the study of structural determinants of customer loyalty among long‑term insurance consumers in namibia, can be considered valuable since they provide credible rec‑ ommendations to the management of insurance companies as well as the consumers of long‑term insur‑ ance in namibia. the results of this research suggest that customer awareness does not have a significant relationship with either customer satisfaction or customer loyalty. similarly, customer protection has no significant influence on customer loyalty, while service quality on the other hand has no significant effect on customer loyalty among long‑term insurance consumers in namibia. given the limited knowledge among consumers, it is crucial for insurance company management to provide comprehensive training to sales personnel on product knowledge, professionalism, and ethical behavior. this training is essential for effectively educating customers about their rights. such training could be conducted at least twice annually as a refresher course. Furthermore, online discussion forums could be created on platforms such as Whatsapp and other social media to facilitate discussions among sales personnel regarding new prod‑ ucts and any updated consumer guidelines or regulations that have been implemented. consumers are at times not aware of their rights as consumers nor are they aware of some of the disadvantages attached to the products or stipulations in the contract, therefore efforts to educate the consumers about the product offerings and their consumer rights could be reinforced. insurance compa‑ nies should explore the use of various social media platforms to educate their consumers. continuous educational strategies should be implemented to raise awareness and/or remind consumers of the prod‑ ucts they have purchased, inform them about new offerings in the market, and reinforce their rights as consumers. it is essential to utilize appropriate communication channels to ensure that customers receive the necessary information to make informed decisions. insurance companies should enforce compliance of established guidelines and policies aimed at ensuring consumer protection among sales personnel. consequently, it is essential to conduct regular training sessions for sales staff. to enhance their services, insurance companies should provide comprehensive induction train‑ ing that covers both product knowledge and essential soft skills, such as professionalism and effective com‑ munication. the sale representatives in the insurance companies should be motivated through financial and non‑financial incentives, such as recognition trips for top performers and salary increases for outstanding cOgent BUsiness & ManageMent 17 achievements. Furthermore, employees are likely to promote trust with consumers through transparent inter‑ actions, relationship building, and fulfilling commitments, such as providing timely feedback. therefore, com‑ panies should develop strategies that support employees in cultivating trust with their customers. 5.3. Limitations and future research consumer protection is a significant concept within the namibian context, particularly with the enactment of the consumer Protection act. Future research should examine the impact of this act on customer protection, service quality, customer satisfaction, and loyalty in other sector of the economy. since service quality and cus‑ tomer satisfaction were identified as key determinants in the current study, future research could incorporate other factors that influence customer loyalty, such as value, trust, corporate image, and commitment to establish their predictive influence on customer loyalty. Future research could also explore potential suppressors, including moderators and contingent factors, which may obscure or affect the relationships among these variables. 6. Conclusion the main aim of this study was to examine the critical factors determining customer loyalty among long‑term insurance consumers in namibia. this study examined four key determinants of customer loy‑ alty in the insurance industry. these determinants are customer awareness of insurance products, cus‑ tomer protection, perceived service quality, and customer satisfaction. this study found that customer satisfaction exerts a direct effect on customer loyalty, while customer protection and service quality exert an indirect and significant influence on customer loyalty in the insurance industry. conversely, customer awareness of insurance products exerts no significant direct effect on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in the insurance industry. in practice, concerted effort should be geared towards customer awareness of long‑term insurance products to enhance uptake of such products, cul‑ minating in customer satisfaction and loyalty in the insurance industry. Acknowledgment this research received no external funding. Ethical approval informed written consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study. Author contributions B.t. conceptualized and designed the research; participated in the acquisition; designed the questionnaire, partici‑ pated in the data collection. s.O.a. analysis and interpretation of results; guided the conceptualization of the research, supervised. all authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. Disclosure statement no potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors. Funding the authors received no funding for this study. About the authors Dr. Bianca Tjizumaue is a senior lecturer and the head of the Marketing, logistics, and sport Management Department at the namibian University of science and technology (nUst). she earned her PhD in Marketing from 18 B. tJiZUMaUe anD s. OlUsegUn atikU the University of kwaZulu‑natal in south africa. in addition to her academic role, Dr. tjizumaue has enriched her expertise through international experience as a Fulbright Visiting scholar at the University of new Mexico. During her tenure there, she engaged with diverse academic communities, further enhancing her research and teaching methodologies. her professional background spans various positions in marketing across multiple industries, with a particular focus on sales and customer care. Prior to joining nUst, she served as a Marketing Officer at naMsOV Fishing enterprises, where she honed her skills in strategic marketing and client relationship management. Dr. tjizumaue is recognized for her dynamic approach and motivation in providing high‑quality services. she is commit‑ ted to fostering lasting relationships with clients and stakeholders, emphasizing effective communication and team‑ work. her dedication to excellence has earned her accolades, including recognition as the nUst Brand ambassador of the Month. through her academic and professional endeavors, Dr. Bianca tjizumaue continues to make significant contributions to the field of marketing while inspiring future generations of students. Sulaiman Olusegun Atiku is a Professor of human resources and Director of research at harold Pupkewitz graduate school of Business, namibia University of science and technology, namibia. he is a pragmatic researcher specializing in strategic human resource Management. his current research area of interest includes human capital Formation for industry 5.0 and People Management Practices for Promoting sustainability. he has over 16 years’ experience in higher education. Prof. atiku obtained a PhD degree in human resource Management from the University of kwaZulu‑natal, south africa. he has lectured several courses in his field in four african countries (nigeria, south africa, ghana, and namibia). Professor atiku has over one hundred (100) publications, which include edited books, book chapters, and scholarly articles published in international journals. Prof. atiku is a member of the international labour and employment relations association, the nigerian institute of Management, and the institute of People Management, south africa. ORCID Bianca tjizumaue http://orcid.org/0009‑0001‑0650‑2736 sulaiman Olusegun atiku http://orcid.org/0000‑0001‑9364‑3774 Data availability statement the datasets utilized and analysed in this study can be obtained from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. References abdolvand, M. a., Farzin, M., asl, a. M., & sadeghian, M. (2016). the effect of consumer awareness on consumer ethnocentrism and loyalty regards to the functions of international brands. International Journal of Life Science and Pharma Research, 2, 102–114. abedi, e., & Jahed, a. (2020). investigating the effect of customer experience affinity and brand on brand equity with the mediating role of customer satisfaction in iran insurance company (case study: tehran province branches customers). 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