FROM SATISFACTION TO SATURATION: RE-THEORIZING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION  IN MATURE RESEARCH FIELDS

Taisith Kruasom; Rattanaporn Saelee; Pornpirat Kantatasiri

ผู้แต่ง

Taisith Kruasom Faculty of Management Science, Ubon Ratchathani University
Rattanaporn Saelee Faculty of Business Administration and Management, Ubon Ratchathani Rajabhat University
Pornpirat Kantatasiri Mahidol University, Nakhonsawan Campus

คำสำคัญ:

Customer satisfaction, Theoretical saturation, Re-theorization, Dynamic adjustment, Socio-emotional contract, Legitimacy and risk signaling

บทคัดย่อ

Customer satisfaction has long occupied a central position in marketing and service research. While methodological sophistication has advanced substantially, theoretical development has not progressed at a comparable pace. This article addresses this imbalance by conceptualizing customer satisfaction as a theoretically saturated construct and treating saturation not as exhaustion, but as a signal for re-theorization. Using conceptual synthesis informed by field-level diagnostic mapping of prior studies, the article develops a new theoretical architecture that reconceptualizes satisfaction through three lenses: dynamic adjustment, socio-emotional contract, and legitimacy and risk signaling. These reframing shifts satisfaction from a static evaluative outcome toward a dynamic, relational, and context-embedded construct. The framework is translated into a measurement agenda emphasizing multidimensional, longitudinal, nonlinear, and internal–external integrated designs.

The article also proposes a research agenda focused on (i) distinguishing satisfaction, dissatisfaction, and delight, (ii) extending trust and security beyond financial services, and (iii) modeling satisfaction trajectories across relationship life cycles. It concludes that customer satisfaction cannot be revitalized through more precise measurement alone, but requires meaningful conceptual redefinition aligned with contemporary service realities.

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