From fairness to loyalty: How service fairness shapes customer commitment in the presence of trust

Orientation: Fairness, commitment and trust are not just ideals; they are hidden forces driving customer loyalty in South Africa’s high-stakes retail banking market. Research purpose: The study investigates the service fairness-loyalty link and the moderating influence of trust. Motivation for the study: Although many scholars have examined fairness as a driver of loyalty, limited consensus exists within an emerging market service setting. Therefore, further research is required in an African market context to clarify how fairness, commitment and trust interact to strengthen customer loyalty in this sector. Research approach/design and method: A descriptive approach was applied to the study, and 550 responses were collected from retail banking customers in South Africa. Purposive sampling was applied, and interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect data. The direct effects of the proposed model in the study (H1–H6) were analysed using SmartPLS 3.2.7, while the indirect effects (H7a and H7b) were examined using Hayes’ PROCESS Macro for SPSS (Model 4). Main findings: The study found that service fairness significantly enhances affective and calculative commitment, which drives loyalty. Trust does not strengthen these relationships, thus not confirming its moderating role, while both commitment forms partially mediate fairness’s effect, highlighting emotional and rational pathways to loyalty. Practical/managerial implications: Banks should embed fairness, foster trust and strengthen emotional bonds and value-based benefits to secure sustainable loyalty in the South African competitive retail banking market. Contribution/value-add: This study advances marketing knowledge by clarifying how service fairness – mediated by affective and calculative commitment and moderated by trust – drives customer loyalty.