Perceived Service Quality and Loyalty of Fitness Centers' Customers Segmenting Members Through Their Exercise Motives

Services Marketing Quarterly
ISSN: 1533-2969 (Print) 1533-2977 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wsmq20
Perceived Service Quality and Loyalty of Fitness

Centers' Customers: Segmenting Members
Through Their Exercise Motives
E. Tsitskari, G. Tzetzis & D. Konsoulas
To cite this article: E. Tsitskari, G. Tzetzis & D. Konsoulas (2017): Perceived Service Quality and
Loyalty of Fitness Centers' Customers: Segmenting Members Through Their Exercise Motives,
Services Marketing Quarterly, DOI: 10.1080/15332969.2017.1366211
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15332969.2017.1366211
Published online: 25 Sep 2017.
Submit your article to this journal
View related articles
View Crossmark data
Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=wsmq20
Download by: [Democritus University of Thrace] Date: 25 September 2017, At: 23:48
SERVICES MARKETING QUARTERLY
, VOL. , NO. , –
https://doi.org/./..
Perceived Service Quality and Loyalty of Fitness Centers’

Customers: Segmenting Members Through Their Exercise
Motives
E. Tsitskaria , G. Tzetzisb , and D. Konsoulasa
a
School of Physical Education & Sport Science, Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini, Greece; b School
of Physical Education & Sport Science, Aristotle’s University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Downloaded by [Democritus University of Thrace] at 23:48 25 September 2017
ABSTRACT KEYWORDS
The present study aimed to segment fitness centers’ members motives; segmentation
through their exercise motives and further profile them accord- strategies; service quality;
ing to their perceptions of service quality and loyalty. Participants psychological commitment
(N = 378) filled in a questionnaire measuring: (a) exercise motives,
(through the translated-into-Greek EMI-2), (b) service quality, and
(c) psychological commitment. An exploratory factor analysis of
the motivation scale revealed nine factors. A cluster analysis cat-
egorized these factors into five segments that statistically differ-
ent evaluated service quality and psychological commitment. The
marketing implications of results are discussed.
Introduction
A significant increase in the number of health and fitness centers and their cus-
tomers is taking place according to an International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub
Association (2013) annual survey. In spite of the growing sector, there are indica-
tions that its service management, especially the management of customer under-
standing and relations, is deficient (Hurley, 2004; Lagrosen & Lagrosen, 2007;
Tsitskari, Quick, & Tsakiraki, 2014), leading to customer withdrawal (MacIntosh
& Law, 2015). Many researchers have mentioned that under strong internal com-
petition among themselves and nonprofit organizations, health and fitness centers
should develop sound operating and management processes in order to enhance
service quality (Chelladurai & Chang, 2000) and create possibilities for customer
loyalty (Kyle, Graefe, Manning, & Bacon, 2004).
For almost 20 years, researchers worldwide (Alexandris, Zahariadis, Tsorbat-
zoudis, & Grouios, 2004; Lee, Kim, & Sagas, 2011; Theodorakis, Howat, Ko, &
Avourdiadou, 2014; and others) have shown that service quality is a key driver
of fitness customers’ loyalty. Even for highly motivated fitness customers the pro-
longed membership is not guaranteed, as various factors related to the organization
CONTACT E. Tsitskari etsitska@phyed.duth.gr School of Physical Education & Sport Science, Democritus
University of Thrace, University Campus, Komotini, , Greece.
©  Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
2 E. TSITSKARI ET AL.
(e.g., service attributes) may influence their intentions to maintain membership

(MacIntosh & Law, 2015). Psychographic segmentation is an essential tool for
leisure marketers in order to create profiles of leisure participants with com-
mon needs, perceptions, attitudes, and motives and develop targeted marketing and
communication strategies (Alexandris & Tsiotsou, 2012; Bouchet, Bodet, Bernache-
Assollant, & Kada, 2011; Tapp, & Clowes, 2002). In terms of applied value, motives
have been successfully used as a psychographic segmentation variable, profiling
participants in groups (Bieger & Laesser, 2002; Dwyer, Shapiro, & Drayer, 2011; Lee,
Lee, & Wicks, 2004). Literature shows that customers differentiate their evaluation
of service quality and loyalty patterns according to their motives (Alexandris &
Kouthouris, 2005; Alexandris, Kouthouris, Funk, & Giovani, 2009; Goulimaris,
2016; Goulimaris, Filippou, & Koupani, 2016; etc.). The present study aimed to use
motives as a segmentation variable for fitness centers’ members and further profile
the groups as for their perceptions of the service quality offered and their loyalty
levels. More specifically, the researchers examined: (a) whether exercise motivation
may be used to segment fitness centers’ participants, (b) whether these segments
differentiate when they evaluate the service quality offered by fitness centers, and
(c) whether motivation segments differentiate in terms of loyalty to the firm. No
attempts have yet been recorded to empirically link service quality, loyalty, and
motivation in fitness environments. Furthermore, the service quality and loyalty
constructs have not been used so far to create psychographic profiles of individuals
with different motivational levels.
Theoretical background
Exercise motivation
The literature review on exercise motivation indicated that the conceptualiza-
tion and measurement of motivation are not yet clear issues. Different theoretical
approaches have been used and, as a result, a variety of measurement models have
been proposed to measure motivation. This might also be related to the heterogene-
ity of exercise participants and the different exercise environments worldwide. Self-
determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) has been prominent in conceptualizing
all types of sport motivation in terms of a qualitative continuum. The most basic
distinction that its researchers proposed was that of intrinsic motivation (absence
of external rewards), extrinsic motivation (external rewards), and amotivation (Deci
& Ryan, 1985).
Various instruments have been developed to measure exercise participation
motives. Frederick and Ryan (1993) suggested that interest/enjoyment, compe-
tence, and body-related motives urge participants to exercise. Ryan, Frederick,
Lepes, Rubio, and Sheldon (1997) further distinguished exercise motives between
enjoyment, competence, appearance, fitness, and social motives. Duda and Tappe
(1989) proposed that exercise participants are motivated by the dimensions:
mastery, competition, social affiliation, recognition, health benefits, and physical
fitness. Markland and Hardy (1993) added two more dimensions, enjoyment and
SERVICES MARKETING QUARTERLY 3
recreation, and formed the Exercise Motivations Inventory (EMI). Markland and
Ingledew (1997) further refined the EMI and developed a 14 motivational-factor
instrument (EMI-2), which was phrased in such a way that could be answered by
both exercise participants and nonparticipants. Its 14 factors could be, if neces-
sary, grouped into higher order motives. The EMI-2’s submodels and its related
factors were labeled: Psychological Motives (consisted of factors: Stress Manage-
ment, Revitalization, Enjoyment, and Challenge); Interpersonal Motives (consisted
of Social Recognition, Affiliation, and Competition); Health Motives (consisted of
Health Pressures, Ill Health Avoidance, and Positive Health); Body-Related Motives
(consisted of Weight Management and Appearance); and Fitness Motives (con-
sisted of Strength and Endurance and Nimbleness). The EMI-2 draws loosely on
self-determination theory, in the sense that some motives can be held to reflect
intrinsic or extrinsic motivation, but there are still others that do not fit into this
framework (Ingledew & Markland, 2008; Markland & Ingledew, 1997). Accord-
ing to Biddle (1995), knowledge of surface-level participation motives is impor-
tant mostly for practical reasons. This is because an understanding of individ-
uals’ participation motives may help in tailoring exercise interventions and ser-
vice provisions in order to meet specific personal needs (Ingledew & Markland,
2008).
Taking into account the importance of understanding the individuals’ reasons for
exercising, both for the fitness organization’s profitability and for the health and well-
ness of its members, the study first tested the applicability of EMI-2 in a Greek popu-
lation of fitness centers’ customers. Moreover, and as a result of the assumption that
different people have different kinds of motivation, meaning that they vary not only
in level (i.e., how much) but also in orientation of motivation (i.e., the underlying
attitudes or intentions; Ingledew & Markland, 2008), the study examined whether
motives can be used in order to segment fitness centers’ participants.
Service quality and motivation

Customer retention and loyalty is one of the most important issues facing leisure
managers, as it requires detailed knowledge of behavioral aspects of customers’
decision-making process (Alexandris et al., 2004). For this, the measurement of
consumers’ perceptions of service quality is of particular importance, in order to
determine users’ experiences and sentiments, which are essential when implement-
ing any type of system aiming to improve process efficiency and efficacy (Larson &
Steinmen, 2009; Tsitskari, Tsiotras, & Tsiotras, 2006).
The measurement of service quality in sport and leisure services was and still is a
rather controversial issue (Theodorakis, et al., 2014; Williams, 1998). Early service
quality scales included the SERVQUAL instrument of Parasuraman, Berry, and
Zeithaml (1988) with five dimensions, the three-dimension model of Brady and
Cronin (2001), and Gronroos’ (1984; 2005) two-dimensional model. In the field
of sport and fitness centers, researchers tend to utilize scales that include both
relational and physical quality dimensions, as well as outcomes (Alexandris et al.,
2004; Theodorakis et al., 2014; and others).
As fitness center’s members may differentiate their service quality evaluations

according to the importance they place on different aspects of the service quality
offered (i.e., environment, interaction, and outcome), and this may be the result of
their different sex, age, level, or time of participation (Afthinos, Theodorakis, & Nas-
sis, 2005; Avourdiadou & Theodorakis, 2014; and others), researchers believe that
motives that direct or sustain behavior also affect the service quality evaluations.
Exercise motives have been related to type, extent, and stage of exercise participa-
tion (Frederick & Ryan, 1993; Ingledew, Markland, & Medley, 1998; and others),
satisfaction, loyalty, and involvement (Alexandris & Kouthouris, 2005; Alexandris
et al., 2009). As the retention rates of fitness clubs’ members may be the result of
their service quality perceptions and their exercise motivation (MacIntosh & Law,
2015), the researchers’ second question was whether the exercise motivation seg-
ments differently evaluate fitness centers’ quality of service.
Loyalty and motivation
Customers’ loyalty is a fundamental goal for companies due to its positive

consequences in terms of repurchase, long-term relationships, and profitability
(Reichheld & Sasser, 1990). A majority of the studies have measured customer
loyalty by using either an attitudinal or behavioral method (Oliver, 1999). Many
are the researchers who hold the view that attitudinal measures provide more
insights in understanding the determinants of customer loyalty (e.g., Oliver, 1999;
Shukla, 2010). Consistent with previous suggestions appearing in the leisure liter-
ature (Alexandris et al., 2004; Kyle et al., 2004; Kyle, Theodorakis, Karageorgiou,
& Lafazani, 2010), we conceptualize psychological commitment as the attitudinal
component of loyalty. As Kyle and his co-authors (2010) have noticed, psychological
commitment examines the thoughts and feelings consumers express toward specific
service providers.
The study of behavioral and attitudinal loyalty to different recreation settings has
received considerable attention (Alexandris & Kouthouris, 2005; Alexandris et al.,
2004; Iwasaki & Havitz, 1998; Kyle et al., 2004; Tsevairidou & Matsouka, 2014),
though the research examining its formative processes has been scant. The study
of motivation as a factor of influencing specific behaviors was proposed by Funk,
Ridinger, and Moorman (2004), who suggested that different types of motivation
lead to different outcomes—a statement that has already been confirmed in leisure
research (Alexandris & Kouthouris, 2005; Alexandris et al., 2009; and others). The
third research question was whether exercise motivation segments have distinct psy-
chological commitment profiles.
Materials and methods
Sample and data collection
Due to an absence of an official registry of all public and private fitness centers in
Greece, the researchers opted for a rather opportunistic sample. All six authorized
Table . Demographic characteristics of the sample.

Variable %
Age
< .
– .
– .
– .
> .
Sex
Male .
Female .
Education
College student .
Primary/secondary education .
College graduate .
MSc/PhD .
Household status
Living with parents .
Living alone .
Living with a companion .
Frequency of exercising
– times per week .
Less than – times per week .
fitness centers’ managers, of a town in Northern Greece, were contacted and asked
to participate in the study. One of them kindly refused to do so. Members were
approached as they were leaving the fitness center, after working out. In order to
encourage participation, members were offered a cold beverage and were kindly
asked to fill in a questionnaire. All questionnaires were distributed from Monday
to Saturday, during mornings, afternoons, and evenings. Although the sample was
a convenient rather that a randomly selected one, all fitness centers in the town
present quite similar characteristics in terms of size, equipment, programs offered,
and membership terms. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed and 378 were
completed and were finally used, yielding a return rate of 75.6%. The samples’ demo-
graphic characteristics appear in Table 1.
Measurement tools
Exercise participation motives were measured using the EMI-2 (Markland &
Ingledew, 1997). The instrument includes 14 factors, each comprised of three or
four items: Affiliation, Appearance, Challenge, Competition, Enjoyment, Health
Pressures, Ill-Health Avoidance, Nimbleness, Positive Health, Revitalization, Social
Recognition, Strength and Endurance, Stress Management, and Weight Manage-
ment. All responses were given using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = not at all true for me
to 5 = very true for me). Procedures of back translation were followed. First, two of
the authors translated the original scale into Greek and compared the two versions.
Of the 51 items, 26 were translated in an identical way. For the rest of the items,
mutual agreement was sought as to the most appropriate translation. The emerged
Greek version was then given to two other bilingual scholars in the field of sport who
translated the items back into English. In order to examine the content validity of the
translated scale, all four individuals involved examined the original and the trans-
lated scales, checking whether each translated item and its corresponding original
one was the same in meaning. After the panel of experts considered the suggestions,
modifications to the questionnaire were made. A pilot study was conducted with
50 students of a physical education and sport department. None of the respondents
reported any difficulty in understanding and completing the questionnaire.
Service quality was measured using the Brady and Cronin’s (2001) scale,
adjusted by Alexandris and his colleagues (2004) in a Greek population of fit-
ness centers’ participants, in order to evaluate the dimensions and subdimen-
sions of: (a) physical environment quality with six items (e.g., facilities are
clean); (b) interaction quality with six items (e.g., the personnel is reliable);
and (c) outcome quality, with six items (e.g., exercising in the fitness cen-
ter helps me improve my health). A 5-point Likert-type scale was used for
the evaluation of the fitness center’s service quality (1 = strongly disagree to
5 = strongly agree).
Psychological commitment was measured using the three out of four items forming
the scale created by Scanlan, Simons, Carpenter, Schmidt, and Keeler (1993). This
scale was developed as part of a commitment model and was successfully tested for
construct validity and reliability both in Greek and other populations (Alexandris
et al., 2004; Scanlan, Simons, Carpenter, Schmidt, & Keeler, 1993). The items were
adjusted to be applicable to the health clubs’ context by Alexandris, Zahariadis, Tsor-
batzoudis, and Grouios (2002) as follows: “How determined are you to keep being a
member of [ …],” “How dedicated are you to being a member of [ …],” “How hard
would it be for you to quit being a member of [ …].” The answers were given using
a 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = not at all to 5 = very much).
Data analysis
To examine the factorial validity of the Greek EMI-2 version, exploratory factor
analyses were performed, while all scales’ and subscales’ internal consistency was
examined with Cronbach’s alpha and item-total correlations. Descriptive statistics
were performed, while a cluster analysis using motivation factors was employed to
classify participants into segments. MANOVA (multivariate analysis of variance)
and ANOVA (analysis of variance) were conducted in order to test differences
among motivation cluster groups’ perceptions of service quality and loyalty.
Results
Applicability of EMI-2 in a Greek population of fitness centers’ members
Factor structure
Exploratory factor analysis was performed to examine the hypothesized 14-factor
structure of the initial EMI-2 scale. The data set met the criteria for factor analysis,
with a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of .864, while the Bartlett’s test of sphericity

was equal to 904 with p < .001. The Oblimin rotation method was used to allow
for factor intercorrelations, and Cattell’s (1966) eigenvalue criteria larger than 1.00
was selected. Successive EFAs were run, deleting items that had cross loadings
or loadings less than 0.40. After the deletion of 13 items, a nine-factor solution
was extracted that accounted for the 66.97% of the total variance. All 38 items
that remained in the scale had quite strong factor loadings, as shown in Table 2,
and revealed a conceptually clear factor structure. According to Guadagnoli and
Velicer (1988), when the factorial loadings are from 0.60 and above and the sample
respondents total more than 150, as in our case, the results of EFA can be considered
reliable.
The results of the EFA showed that all items loaded to nine factors that were
defined as follows: (a) Positive Health, with six items that refer to the positive
health related results of exercising (e.g., “To feel more healthy”); (b) Social Recog-
nition, with five items that describe someone’s need to get recognized for their
accomplishments in exercise (e.g., “Because I enjoy competing”); (c) Weight Man-
agement/Appearance, with five items that refer to appearance motives (e.g., “To
stay slim”); (d) Strength and Endurance, with five items that push someone to
exercise for reasons of improving physical condition (e.g., “To get stronger”);
(e) Stress Management/Enjoyment, with five motives that lead someone to exer-
cise for psychological reasons (e.g., “To help manage stress”); (f) Affiliation, with
four items referring to socialization motives (e.g., “To make new friends”); (g)
Health Pressures, with two items dealing with motives caused by problems in
someone’s health (e.g., “Because my doctor advised me to exercise”); (h) Nim-
bleness, with three flexibility and agility motives (e.g., “To maintain flexibil-
ity”); and (i) Challenge, with three items that refer to someone getting moti-
vated in terms of achieving their personal goals (e.g., “To give me goals to work
towards”).
Internal consistency and descriptive statistics of the EMI-, the service quality and
psychological commitment scales
The values of alpha were calculated to assess the internal consistency reliabilities
of the EMI-2 scale and its emerged factors. Aplha reliabilities were also calculated
for the Service Quality and the Psychological Commitment scales and their factors.
Alpha coefficients and mean item-total correlations were satisfactory and appear in
Table 3, which also presents factors’ descriptive statistics.
RQ: May exercise motivation be used for segmenting fitness centers’ participants?
A cluster analysis using the motivation factors was employed to classify fitness cen-
ters’ participants into segments. By using K-means clustering, the analysis revealed
a five-group solution. The five groups were defined as: competitive, appearance,
health, low motivated, and highly motivated (Table 4). More specifically: (a) the
competitive fitness clubs’ members (N = 55) rated the Strength and Endurance
Table . Exploratory factor analysis of the EMI- items.

Factor : Factor : Factor : Weight Factor : Factor : Stress Factor :
Positive Social Management/ Strength and manage- Factor : Health Factor : Factor :
Itema Health Recognition Appearance Endurance ment/Enjoyment Affiliation Pressures Nimbleness Challenge Communalities
. Because I want to maintain good health . .

. To avoid ill health . .
. To prevent health problems . .
E. TSITSKARI ET AL.
. To feel more healthy . .

. To have a healthy body . .
. Because I find exercise invigorating . .
. To compare my abilities with other peoples’ . .
. To show my worth to others . .
.To accomplish things that others are . .
incapable of
. Because I enjoy competing . .
. Because I enjoy physical competition . .
. To lose weight . .
. To help control my weight . .
. Because exercise helps me to burn calories . .
. To stay slim . .
. To improve my appearance . .
. To build up my strength . .
. To develop my muscles . .
. To get stronger . .
. To look more attractive . .
. To have a good body . .
. To help manage stress . .
. Because it helps to reduce tension . .
. To release tension . .
. To recharge my batteries . .
. Because I find exercising satisfying in and of . .
itself
. To spend time with friends . .
. To have fun being active with other people . .
. To make new friends . .
. To enjoy the social aspects of exercising . .
. Because my doctor advised me to exercise . .
. To help recover from an illness/injury . .

. To stay/become flexible . .
. To maintain flexibility . .
. To stay/become more agile . .
. To measure myself against personal standards . .
. To give me personal challenges to face . .
. To give me goals to work towards . .
Eigenvalues . . . . . . . . .
Percentage of variance . . . . . . . . .
Total variance explained (%) .
a Each item begins with the phrase, “Personally, I exercise [ …].”
SERVICES MARKETING QUARTERLY
9
Table . Descriptive statistics and reliability analyses of the EMI-: Service quality and psychological
commitment factors.
Scales Factors Items M SD α M item-total correlation
EMI- Positive Health  . . . .

Social Recognition  . . . .
Weight Management/Appearance  . . . .
Strength and Endurance  . . . .
Stress Management/Enjoyment  . . . .
Affiliation  . . . .
Health Pressures  . . . .
Nimbleness  . . . .
Challenge  . . . .
α of the EMI- scale .
Facilities  . . . .
Service Quality Interaction  . . . .
Outcome  . . . .

α of the Service Quality Scale .
Psychological  . . . .
Commitment
and Challenge factors as most important, with average and low scores in the other
dimensions; (b) the members pushed by appearance motives (N = 90) highly eval-
uated only the Appearance factor, with average and low scores in the rest; (c)
the health-motivated participants (N = 43) highly evaluated the two dimensions
related to Health, Positive Health and Health Pressures, with moderate scores in
the rest; (d) low motivated fitness clubs’ members (N = 94) gave moderate and
low rates to all exercise participation motives; while (e) highly motivated fitness
clubs’ members (N = 54) moderately and highly evaluated all dimensions of Exercise
Motivation.
RQ: Do the exercise motivation segments differentiate in how they evaluate the
service quality dimensions?
A MANOVA was performed with exercise motivation groups as the independent
variable and the three service quality factors as the dependent variables. Significant
differences were revealed in all cases (Table 5). Scheffe’s post hoc test revealed that
for the facilities and interaction dimensions, the highly motivated group had signifi-
cantly different higher scores than all other segments. As for the outcome dimension,
Table . Exercise motivation cluster analysis.

Factors Competitivea Appearanceb Healthc Low motivatedd Highly motivatede
Positive Health . . . . .

Social Recognition . . . . .
Weight Management/Appearance . . . . .
Strength and Endurance . . . . .
Stress Management/Enjoyment . . . . .
Affiliation . . . . .
Health Pressures . . . . .
Nimbleness . . . . .
Challenge . . . . .
a n = ; M = .. b n = ; M = .. c n = ; M = .. d n = ; M = .. e n = ; M = ..
Table . Analysis of variance for the comparisons among the different cluster groups and their
evaluations of fitness centers’ service quality.
Service Cluster 
quality Cluster  Cluster  Cluster  Cluster  Low Highly
Factors Competitivea Appearanceb Healthc motivatedd motivatede Significance Level
Facilities . . . . . F=., -, -, -
p<.∗ ,
Interaction . . . . . F=., -, -, -, -
p<.∗ ,
Outcome . . . . . F=., -, -, -
p<.∗ , -, -, -
-, -, -
-, -, -
-, -, -, -
a n = . b n = . c n = . d n = . e n = .

∗ Significance level, p<.
almost all cluster groups appear to have statistically important differences between
them.
RQ: Do motivation segments differentiate in terms of psychological commitment

to the fitness center?
ANOVA revealed that differences exist on the psychological commitment of the dif-
ferent exercise motivation segments, F(4, 339) = 13.756, p < .001, while the Scheffe’s
post hoc tests showed statistically significant differences among most different clus-
ter groups (Table 6).
Discussion and managerial implications

The present study aimed to segment fitness centers’ participants through their exer-
cise motives and further examine how these segments evaluate dimensions of ser-
vice quality and psychological commitment. But first, the applicability of EMI-2 was
tested in a Greek population of fitness centers’ members. The principal component
analysis revealed a satisfactory structure with nine conceptually clear and reliable
motivational factors. The results support prior research, noting that the enjoyment,
challenge/competence, appearance, fitness, social, and health motives are important
when studying exercise motivation (Duda & Tappe, 1989; Markland & Hardy, 1993;
Table . One-way ANOVA for the comparison among the different cluster groups and their psycho-
logical commitment to the fitness center.
Cluster 
Cluster  Cluster  Cluster  Cluster  Low Highly
Factors Competitivea Appearanceb Healthc motivatedd motivatede Significance Level
Psychological . . . . . F=., -, -, -
commitment p<.∗ , -, -
-, -, -
-, -
-, -
a n = . b n = . c n = . d n = . e n = .
∗ Significance level, p<.
Markland & Ingledew, 1997; Ryan et al., 1997). In relation with the initial EMI-2, the
scale emerged was shorter and all nine factors were either similar to the initial ones
or were the result of a union between the conceptually related factors—an option
that Markland and Hardy (1997) also discussed. The deletion of items may be the
result of the different cultural respondents’ characteristics, so, surely, further testing
of the translated into Greek EMI-2’s factorial structure is recommended.
In spite of the need for its further testing, the proposed exercise motivation items
provide a good foundation for both future and present research on the participants’
typology of segments with common motives. Five group of members emerged. The
low-motivated group was the most populous, and presented low mean scores in all
factors. This group is not stimulated by any of the exercise participation motives.
They may participate because they have heard about the beneficial effects of exercise
or because they wish to improve their physical condition and appearance, but none
of the above really inspires them. Although these customers seem the most possi-
ble ones to withdraw, as their decision to participate is not driven by intrinsic or
extrinsic motivation, fitness clubs ought to meet their expectations (e.g., on service
quality) in order to reduce the risk of customer turnover. The low motivated group
lower than all others evaluated the service facilities, interaction and outcome qual-
ity offered and their psychological commitment with the fitness center. They may
be the least experienced participants, and so the effect of service quality on their
loyalty is stronger (Avourdiadou & Theodorakis, 2014). They have a greater need
for staff empathy (MacIntosh & Law, 2015); they need someone to guide them on
the objectives and the results they seek, a clear program and implementation frame-
work, supervision and encouragement, and equipment and exercise demonstration
in order to trust the fitness provider.
The appearance group is the next most populous segment, a result that agrees
with previous research that suggested that appearance/weight management is likely
to be predominant among exercise motives (Ingledew & Markland, 2008). Its mem-
bers are seeking to improve their appearance, or lose or control their weight. A
close look of the comparative analyses results shows that appearance-motivated
customers quite positively evaluated the dimensions of service quality offered and
are moderately committed to the fitness center. The fitness center’s management
should establish strategies that will, in early stages, satisfy their customers’ need
for results, by creating easy to follow programs that could ensure physical adjust-
ments and by improving the members’ interaction with the center’s employees and
management. Although it seems important to harness the participants’ desires to
improve their appearance and lose weight in order to engage them in exercise, these
particular motives appear to be important only at the beginning and are unlikely to
sustain participation in the long term (Ingledew & Markland, 2008). For this, fitness
centers should develop strategies in order to strengthen other customers’ exercise
motives such as the motives for positive health and enjoyment.
The competitive and highly motivated members’ are almost equal in number. The
competitive group of participants highly evaluates the strength and endurance and
challenge motivational factors, while the highly motivated one considers most of
motivational factors as important. Both groups have positive perceptions of the ser-
vice quality dimensions and are committed to the fitness center, though the com-
petitive group needs something more from the fitness center’s installations and
equipment—probably because they believe that this will help them increase their
strength and physical condition. Participation motives such as exercising for chal-
lenge, skill improvement, and enjoyment have been characterized as intrinsic (Duda
& Tappe, 1989; Frederick & Ryan, 1993; Markland & Ingledew, 1997). The fact that
both groups evaluated these motives as important may explain why they are com-
mitted to the fitness center even though they are not totally satisfied by the service
quality provided, especially in terms of installations. They just wish to remain phys-
ically active, and for this they get committed to the fitness provider. These groups
will probably continue to exercise, even if they decide to turn to a different fitness
center provider or type of exercise (e.g., at home, yoga studio, etc.). MacIntosh and
Law (2015) have already discussed that the fitness centers’ retention rates are not an
accurate reflection of their (ex)members’ activity levels. Both groups should be kept
satisfied by the fitness centers’ management, as they are their committed customer
base. Programs that enhance their physical condition and strength should be pro-
vided. Fitness evaluations should be applied and protocols should be kept in order to
keep track of the members’ development. Enjoyment from the participation should
also be enhanced by making the exercise experience more attractive and by offer-
ing new and alternative ways of practicing it. The creation of a “warm and friendly”
atmosphere in the facility and classes and the organization of social meetings, events,
and celebrations are also important.
Although the positive health was highly evaluated by all the research respondents,
the health-motivated segment was the smallest one. This may be due to the fact
that most of the respondents were quite young (less than 40 years old). As, accord-
ing to Ingledew and Markland (2008), the health motives have an indirect positive
effect to exercise participation, fitness centers’ management should increase their
health-focused messages, even to younger participants, in order to engage them in
lifelong exercise. The positive health group seems the most demanding one, as they
moderately evaluated all service quality dimensions and are less committed to the
fitness center than all other groups. As this segment decisively participates in order
to develop any musculoskeletal or pathological problem, or aim to their avoidance,
they are stricter in their assessment of the service provider. They may leave the fit-
ness center not because they are going to stop exercising (as the appearance or low-
motivated segment may do), but because they are not satisfied with the service pro-
vision. The fitness management should train their personnel in order to carefully
listen to their customers, record their physical and psychological needs, and offer
personalized programs of exercising and motivation. Interaction with the partici-
pants’ doctor(s) is also important.
The results of the present study are location specific and should not be generalized
to all fitness companies. This seems to be quite the rule for most studies dealing with
the understanding of sport consumer, especially in the fitness sector (e.g., Alexan-
dris et al., 2004; Lagrosen & Lagrosen, 2007; Tsitskari et al., 2014). Each company
should thoroughly examine the culture and methods which uses to obtain and keep
members, develop customer service programs, train its staff, identify members who
may be dissatisfied (Hurley, 2004), initiate programs for lapsed and existing mem-
bers, and so on in order to cater for customer retention. The planning and provision
of individualized services through regular and systematic recording of members’
needs and desires will help with this direction.
References
Afthinos, Y., Theodorakis, N. D., & Nassis, P. (2005). Customers’ expectations of service in Greek
fitness centers. Gender, age, type of sport center and motivation differences. Managing Service
Quality, 15(3), 245–258.
Alexandris, K., & Kouthouris, C. (2005). Personal incentives for participation in summer chil-
dren’s camps: Investigating their relationships with satisfaction and loyalty. Managing Leisure,
10, 39–53.
Alexandris, K., Kouthouris, C., Funk, D., & Giovani, C. (2009). Segmenting winter sport tourists
by motivation: The case of recreational skiers. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Manage-
ment, 18, 480–499.
Alexandris, K., & Tsiotsou, R. H. (2012). Segmenting soccer spectators by attachment levels: A
psychographic profile based on team self-expression and involvement. European Sport Man-
agement Quarterly, 12(1), 65–81.
Alexandris, K., Zahariadis, P., Tsorbatzoudis, Ch., & Grouios, G. (2004). An empirical investi-
gation of the relationships among service quality, customer satisfaction and psychological
commitment in a health club context. European Sport Management Quarterly, 4(1), 36–52.
Alexandris, K., Zahariadis, P., Tsorbatzoudis, Ch., & Grouios, G. (2002). Testing the sport com-
mitment model in the context of exercise fitness participation. Journal of Sport Behaviour,
25(3), 217–230.
Avourdiadou, S., & Theodorakis, N. D. (2014). The development of loyalty among novice and
experienced customers of sport and fitness centres. Sport Management Review, 17, 419–431.
Biddle, S. J. H. (1995). Exercise motivation across the lifespan. In S. J. H. Biddle (Ed.), European
perspectives on exercise and sport psychology (pp. 5–25). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Bieger, T., & Laesser, C. (2002). Market segmentation by motivation: The case of Switzerland.
Journal of Travel Research, 41(1), 68–76.
Bouchet, P., Bodet, G., Bernache-Assollant, I., & Kada, F. (2011). Segmenting sport spectators:
Construction and preliminary validation of the Sporting Event Experience Search (SEES)
scale. Sport Management Review, 14(1), 42–53.
Brady, M. K., & Cronin, J. J. (2001). Some new thoughts on conceptualizing perceived service
quality: A hierarchical model. Journal of Marketing, 65, 34–49.
Cattell, R. B. (1966). The screen test for the number of factors. Multivariate Behavioral Research,
1, 245–276.
Chelladurai, P., & Chang, K. (2000). Targets and standards of quality in sport services. Sport Man-
agement Review, 3, 1–22
Cronin, J. J., Brady, M. K., & Hult, G. T. M. (2000). Assessing the effects of quality, value and
customer satisfaction on consumer behavioral intentions in service environments. Journal of
Retailing, 76(2), 193–218.
Deci, E. L. (1975). Intrinsic motivation. New York, NY: Plenum.
Deci, L., & Ryan, M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation & self-determination in human behavior. New
York, NY: Plenum.
Duda, J. L., & Tappe, M. K. (1989). The personal incentives for exercise questionnaire: Preliminary
development. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 68, 1–122.
Dwyer, B., Shapiro, S. L., & Drayer, J. (2011). Segmenting motivation: An analysis of fan-
tasy baseball motives and mediated sport consumption. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 20(3),
129–137.
Frederick, C. M., & Ryan, R. M. (1993). Differences in motivation for sport and exercise
and their relations with participation and mental health. Journal of Sport Behavior, 16,
124–146.
Funk, D., Ridinger, L., & Moorman, A. (2004). Exploring origins of involvement: Understanding
the relationship between consumer motives and involvement with professional sport teams.
Leisure Sciences, 26, 35–61.
Goulimaris, D. (2016). Examination of the relation between the planned behavior theory and
the attitudinal loyalty to recreational dance activities. Journal of Physical Education & Sport,
16(1), 656–663.
Goulimaris, D., Fillippou, D. A., & Koupani, A. (2016). How does the motivational climate differ
among adult dancers within and educational context? Journal of Physical Education & Sport,
16(1), 252–257.
Gronroos, C. (1984). A service quality model and its marketing implications. European Journal
of Marketing, 18(4), 36–45.
Gronroos, C. (2005). Service management & marketing: A customer relationship management
approach. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons.
Guagnoli, E., & Veliver, W. F. (1988). Relation of sample size to the stability of component patterns.
Psychological Bulletin, 103, 265–275.
Hurley, T. (2004). Managing customer retention in the health and fitness industry: A case of
neglect. Irish Marketing Review, 17(1&2), 23–29.
Ingledew, D. K., & Markland, D. (2008). The role of motives in exercise participation. Psychology
& Health, 23(7), 807–828. doi: 10.1080/08870440701405704
Ingledew, D. K., Markland, D., & Medley, A. R. (1998). Exercise motives and stages of change.
Journal of Health Psychology, 3, 477–489.
International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association. (2013). The IHRSA European Health
Club Report. Retrieved from http://www.ihrsa.org.
Iwasaki, Y., & Havitz, M. E. (1998). A path analytic model of the relationships between involve-
ment, psychological commitment, and loyalty. Journal of Leisure Research, 30, 256–280.
Kyle, G. T., Graefe, A. R., Manning, R. E., & Bacon, J. (2004). Predictors of behavioral
loyalty among hikers along the Appalachian Trail. Leisure Sciences, 26(1), 99–118. doi:
10.1080/01490400490272675
Kyle, G. T., Theodorakis, B. D., Karageorgiou, A., & Lafazani, M. (2010). The effect of service
quality on customer loyalty within the context of ski resorts. Journal of Park and Recreation
Administration, 28(1), 1–12.
Lagrosen, S., & Lagrosen, Y. (2007). Exploring service quality of the health and fitness industry.
Managing Service Quality, 17(1), 41–53.
Larson, B. V., & Steinman, R. B. (2009). Driving NFL fan satisfaction and return intentions with
concession service quality. Services Marketing Quarterly, 30(4), 418–428.
Lee, J. H., Kim, H. D., Ko, Y. J., & Sagas, M. (2011). The influence of service quality on satisfaction
and intention: A gender segmentation strategy. Sport Management Review, 14, 54–63.
Lee, C.-K., Lee, Y.-K., & Wicks, B. E. (2004). Segmentation of festival motivation by nationality
and satisfaction. Tourism Management, 25(1), 61–70.
MacIntosh, E., & Law, B. (2015). Should I stay or should I go? Exploring the decision to join,
maintain, or cancel a fitness membership. Managing Sport & Leisure, 20(3), 191–210.
Markland, D., & Hardy, L. (1993). The Exercise Motivations Inventory: Preliminary development
and validity of a measure for individuals’ reasons for participation in regular physical exercise.
Personality & Individual Differences, 15(3), 289–296.
Markland, D., & Ingledew, D. K. (1997). The measurement of exercise motives: Factorial validity
and invariance across gender of a revised exercise motivations inventory. British Journal of
Health Psychology, 2, 361–376.
Oliver, R. L. (1999). Whence customer loyalty. Journal of Marketing, 63(4), 33–44.
Parasuraman, A., Berry, L. L., & Zeithaml, V. A. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for
measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(1), 12–40.
Reichheld, F. F., & Sasser, W. E., Jr. (1990). Zero defections: Quality comes to services. Harvard
Business Review, 68(5), 105–111.
Ryan, R. M., Frederick, C. M., Lepes, D., Rubio, N., & Sheldon, K. M. (1997). Intrinsic motivation
and exercise adherence. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 28, 335–354.
Scanlan, T., Simons, J., Carpenter, P., Schmidt, G., & Keeler, B. (1993). The sport commitment
model: Measurement development for the youth-sport domain. Journal of Sport & Exercise
Psychology, 15(1), 16–38.
Shukla, P. (2010). Effects of perceived sacrifice, quality, value, and satisfaction on behavioral inten-
tions in the service environment. Services Marketing Quarterly, 31(4), 466–484.
Tapp, A., & Clowes, J. (2002). From “carefree casuals” to “professional wanderers”: Segmentation
possibilities for football supporters. European Journal of Marketing, 36(11/12), 1248–1269.
Theodorakis, N. D., Howat, G., Ko, Y. J., & Avourdiadou, S. (2014). A comparison of service
evaluation models in the context of sport and fitness centres in Greece. Managing Leisure,
19(1), 18–35.
Tsevairidou, L., & Matsouka, O. (2014). The participants’ venture degree in the swimming pools
in Thessaloniki and the differences between the age groups and their frequency of attendance.
Journal of Physical Education & Sport, 14(1), 87–92.
Tsitskari, E., Quick, S., & Tsakiraki, A. (2014). Measuring exercise involvement among fitness
centers’ Members: Is it related with their satisfaction? Services Marketing Quarterly, 35(4),
372–389.
Tsitskari, E., Tsiotras, D., & Tsiotras, G. (2006). Measuring service quality in sport services. Total
Quality Management, 17(5), 623–631.
Williams, C. (1998). Is the SERVQUAL model an appropriate management tool for measuring
service delivery quality in the UK leisure industry? Managing Leisure, 3, 98–110.

Perceived Service Quality and Loyalty of Fitness Centers&#39; Customers Segmenting Members Through Their Exercise Motives

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

Perceived Service Quality and Loyalty of Fitness Centers&#39; Customers Segmenting Members Through Their Exercise Motives

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Perceived Service Quality and Loyalty of Fitness Centers&#39; Customers Segmenting Members Through Their Exercise Motives

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Services Marketing Quarterly

ISSN: 1533-2969 (Print) 1533-2977 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wsmq20