The moderating effect of resistance to change of leisure and fitness centres loyalty

OpenAlex English

Purpose This research aims to reveal the factors affecting the consumer loyalty of Leisure and Fitness centre customers.Design Data were collected from 600 members living in the three most developed cities of Türkiye. The hypotheses of the model were tested with structural equation modelling using Smart PLS software.Findings As a result, overall satisfaction, perceived value, position involvement, information complexity and sign antecedents positively affect resistance to change, and this effect leads to loyalty formation in customers.Practical implications Recreation and fitness centre managers can strengthen members’ sense of belonging through personalised rewards, status-based memberships, and community events. They should enhance the flow experience through programmes balancing challenge and skill, and strengthen loyalty by celebrating achievements and giving symbolic rewards.Research contribution This research has expanded the model by adding the recreational flow experience to the psychological attachment approach to loyalty. In addition, it broadens the traditional “satisfaction – loyalty” paradigm, offering a more comprehensive understanding of the formation of loyalty in recreation and fitness services.Originality This study integrates the concepts of resistance to change and recreational flow experience into a loyalty model, providing novel insights for understanding customer loyalty in leisure and fitness centres in a developing country context.