Customer satisfaction in the first and second moments of truth

Purpose – Almost everything consumers buy in a store has a package. At point of purchase, the first moment of truth, the package functions as a silent salesman. Once the purchase is made, the product is consumed in the second moment of truth. The purpose of this paper is to create a better understanding of how customers evaluate different aspects of the package in the first and second moments of truth. Design/methodology/approach – An empirical investigation is conducted on how customers experience three different packages for everyday commodities in the first and second moments of truth. Causal modeling is used to analyze the impact of different benefits of a package onto customer satisfaction and loyalty. Findings – It was found that both benefits and attributes can have different roles in affecting customer satisfaction and loyalty in different parts of the consumption cycle. Furthermore, the results show that there are significant differences for the impacts of customer satisfaction on loyalty in the first moment of truth compared to the second moment of truth. Practical implications – By applying a consumption system approach, it is possible for managers to design a package that can attract customers in the first moment of truth and at the same time create customer satisfaction in the second moment of truth. Originality/value – The research shows that the role of certain benefits and attributes can be different in the purchase and use situation. Previously, this has been modeled separately but by operationalizing the first and second moment of truth in the same model the true effects of various benefits and attributes can be identified.