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Title: Do service bundlers and non-bundlers perceive switching barriers differently?

Authors: Goitom Tesfom

Addresses: Department of Finance and Marketing, School of Business, Eastern Washington University, 601 E. Riverside Avenue, Suite 100, Spokane, WA, 99202, USA

Abstract: The article examines whether telecommunications service bundlers and non-bundlers perceive positive and negative switching barriers differently. Online questionnaires were administered to 331 telecommunications service customers, both bundlers and non-bundlers, to measure their perceptions of positive and negative switching barriers. Results of Kruskal-Wallis tests on telecommunications service bundlers and non-bundlers indicate that bundlers and non-bundlers differ significantly in their perception of positive switching barriers. The finding underscores the need for telecommunications companies to develop distinct marketing strategies for bundlers and non-bundlers. The theoretical and managerial implications of how differences in perceptions of positive switching barriers affect telecommunications service providers' efforts to acquire and retain customers are discussed.

Keywords: service retailing; switching barriers; segmentation; service bundling; consumer behaviour; Netherlands.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEMR.2026.154589

International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing, 2026 Vol.17 No.7, pp.29 - 43

Received: 22 Mar 2026
Accepted: 01 Jun 2026
Published online: 06 Jul 2026 *