Customer identification and retention: The determinants of intention to re-patronize in the film industry.

The film industry is characterized by strong competitive pressures, and cinema-owners have to face an increased level of competition, owing also to the spread of multiplex theaters. One of the main worries is devising more effective strategies to increase customer retention. The main aim of this study is to show the role that a customer’s identification with a cinema and its usual attendees could play in his/her intention to re-patronize the movie theater. In so doing, it draws on the Theory of Planned Behavior, considering also the influence of customer perceived value and satisfaction in predicting re-patronizing intention. We sampled moviegoers of Anteo Saziocinema, a well-reputed multi-screen cinema in Milan (Italy). We collected 201 questionnaires and analyzed data using a structural equation model. Results confirm the importance of customer identification in explaining intentions to re-patronize a movie theatre.