Relationship Building in Online Retail: Exploring the Role of Supplementary Services in Fostering Customer Emotional Attachment, Satisfaction, and Loyalty

In the evolving landscape of online retail, building and sustaining strong customer relationships has become a strategic imperative beyond transactional efficiency. Relationship marketing in the digital era demands more than seamless transactions—it requires fostering emotional bonds that translate into long-term customer loyalty. While core services drive purchase decisions, it is often the supplementary services that shape customer experiences and forge deeper emotional and relational ties. In response to this trend, this study examines the impact of supplementary services—specifically brand trust, brand authenticity, and return policies on emotional attachment. In turn, emotional attachment influences customer satisfaction and loyalty toward online retailers. We collected and analyzed valid data from 296 respondents using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that supplementary services, such as brand trust and authenticity, positively predict emotional attachment, which significantly enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty. However, return policy flexibility showed no significant effect. Additionally, emotional attachment was found to positively mediate the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty. This study contributes to the understanding of how supplementary services provided by online retailers influences emotional attachment and its subsequent impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty.