A LITERATURE REVIEW FOR DEVELOPING A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK TO STUDY FACTORS INFLUENCING SUSTAINABLE CUSTOMER LOYALTY IN PET BOARDING BUSINESSES

Abstract

This study aims to synthesize academic literature to develop a conceptual framework for examining the structural factors influencing sustainable customer loyalty of pet boarding businesses. The review focuses on the strategic roles of digital marketing, pet humanization behaviors and attitudes that treat pets as family members), service quality, and Five Domains Model based on the Five Domains Model. Drawing from recent empirical and theoretical studies published between 2020 and 2025, the study identifies that digital marketing exerts a direct influence on service quality, Five Domains Model, and sustainable customer loyalty. Pet humanization enhances service quality and Five Domains Model, while also driving sustainable customer loyalty by increasing customers' emotional commitment and willingness to invest in premium services for their pets. Service quality and Five Domains Model are found to play a critical role in transforming customer experiences into long term loyalty. Based on the literature, eight research hypotheses were formulated to capture the causal relationships among the core variables. These insights contribute to the development of a structural conceptual model, which may be used as a foundation for future empirical studies using structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings are expected to support strategic planning and performance improvement within Thailand's pet boarding industry and can be extended to similar service sectors operating in pet humanization driven markets.