Other

Kondratenko Tetiana

Founder and CEO of Tanchik Transportation LLC

(Wheeling, IL, USA)

https://www.doi.org/10.25313/2524-2695-2025-6-03-34

CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY IN AUTOMOTIVE TRANSPORTATION: HOW TO ENSURE A HIGH LEVEL OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Summary. The article focuses on examining consumer psychology in the automotive transportation sector to identify the key factors influencing customer satisfaction and to develop integrative strategies for enhancing the quality of service provided by transportation companies. The work considers theoretical approaches in consumer psychology, the assessment of client needs and preferences, and practical methods for optimizing operational processes. By using an analysis of other research findings as the methodology, the study investigates the interrelationships among client characteristics, their emotional perception of service, and indicators of organizational efficiency. The results confirm that service personalization, professional development of personnel, the adoption of digital technologies, and efficient feedback management represent the main avenues for improving customer satisfaction. The study fills an existing research gap by integrating psychological and operational aspects of delivering transportation services. The information presented in the article will be of interest to other researchers specializing in consumer psychology and modeling consumer behavior in the context of transportation services, as well as to marketing professionals seeking to incorporate empirical data into developing strategies that enhance customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the material will be valuable for top managers and service quality experts involved in optimizing operational processes and building customer loyalty in the highly competitive automotive transportation industry.

Key words: Consumer psychology, automotive transportation, customer satisfaction, service personalization, digital technologies, competitiveness.

Introduction. The impetus for this investigation arises from the rapid evolution of automotive transportation services, a field in which service quality and customer satisfaction now sit at the heart of competitive advantage [1]. Contemporary clients weigh not only speed and reliability, but also how well a provider recognises their psychological preferences—an appraisal that feeds directly into carrier choice and, by extension, the financial stability of the firm [2].

Scholarly work on consumer psychology in transport-related services branches into several complementary lines of inquiry. One prominent strand assesses how novel service offerings reshape customer behaviour. Liu S. et al. [1] show that service innovation can markedly increase intentions to reuse a provider, while Suchánek and Činčalová [2] link consumers’ psychological profiles and lived experiences to overall satisfaction and, ultimately, organisational performance. The subtle yet powerful role of perceived respect features in Ashworth and Bourassa’s work [4], underscoring respect as a distinct and potent dimension of satisfaction.

A second body of research foregrounds sustainability along with cultural and digital drivers of the customer journey. Dini, Curina, and Hegner [3] argue that participation in sustainable or culturally themed activities lifts a destination’s reputation and, indirectly, satisfaction levels. Choi, Chung, and Young [6] extend this logic to e-commerce logistics, finding that greener practices heighten repeat-purchase intent. Additional evidence comes from Faerber et al. [7], who observe that longer visit duration can amplify satisfaction, and from Glebova and Desbordes [8], who show that emerging digital media are re-shaping fan expectations in the sports sector—insights readily transferable to transport services.

Methodological refinement forms a third stream. Bogicevic and Bujisic [5] compare operationalisation strategies in hospitality research to sharpen the measurement of satisfaction antecedents, while Kerr and Marcos-Cuevas [9] employ meta-analysis to expose how determinants of sales performance vary, offering guidance for optimal service design. Across these studies, methodological divergence persists: qualitative work often delves deeper into psychological nuance, whereas quantitative approaches secure statistical generalisability. Moreover, the literature only sporadically fuses insights on digital technologies and sustainability with the specific realities of automotive logistics.

This article therefore sets out to explore the psychological traits of customers who use vehicle-transport services, aiming to reconcile those disparate strands. Its chief contribution is an integrated framework that blends personality profiling, emotional and cognitive appraisal, and digital-operational innovation to raise satisfaction levels. In practical terms, the framework can inform targeted personalisation, structured feedback loops, and tailored personnel training—each a lever for sustained performance and competitive edge.

The guiding hypothesis proposes that clients’ psychological characteristics—particularly stable personality dimensions and immediate emotional reactions—coupled with their accumulated service experience, act as direct predictors of satisfaction. Elevated satisfaction, in turn, should translate into superior financial returns and smoother operations for transport firms.

The study proceeds through a systematic analysis of existing scholarship, synthesising qualitative insights with quantitative evidence to craft a holistic view of consumer psychology within automotive transportation.

1. Assessing Customer Needs and Preferences in Automotive Transportation

Work in consumer psychology, customer-experience research, and satisfaction modelling jointly illuminates the motives that steer customers toward one vehicle-shipping provider over another—an issue that grows more pressing as automotive logistics becomes both more fragmented and more competitive [2]. In broad terms, needs arise from a blend of personal values, past experiences, and social norms; preferences crystallise when individuals compare available options and attach an emotional reading to each firm’s brand image [1, 8]. Across studies, three benchmarks recur as the bedrock of satisfaction: first-rate service quality, demonstrable safety, and punctual delivery. More recent investigations add an important refinement: customer trust deepens when those tangible metrics are presented in tandem with cues that speak to psychological comfort—transparency, empathy, and a sense of personal control—thereby sharpening a company’s competitive edge [2, 5].

Figure 1 distils the factors most frequently cited when motorists decide which carrier to entrust with their vehicle.

Fig. 1. Factors influencing the choice of a transport company in the field of car transportation [2; 3]

To capture the full spectrum of customer priorities, our assessment follows a two-stage, mixed-methods protocol. The exploratory stage relies on semi-structured interviews and focus-group sessions that probe expectations, latent anxieties, and subjective service judgements. Such qualitative work uncovers the mental heuristics and emotional triggers that rarely surface in structured surveys. The confirmatory stage then surveys a larger sample to quantify the weight of concrete attributes—reliability, price, transit time, communication quality—against overall satisfaction. Structural-equation modelling (SEM) links these indicators back to stable psychological traits, testing how dimensions such as risk tolerance or locus of control modulate provider choice.

By marrying qualitative insight with statistical rigour, this approach not only pinpoints the levers that most influence purchase decisions but also yields clear, actionable guidance. Transport firms can translate the findings into targeted service enhancements—tightening delivery windows for time-sensitive clients, amplifying safety messaging for risk-averse segments, or refining digital touchpoints for tech-savvy customers. Implemented thoughtfully, such measures should boost perceived reliability, nurture long-term loyalty, and, ultimately, strengthen the competitive standing of companies in the automotive-transportation arena.

2. Developing Strategies to Improve Customer Satisfaction

Elevating customer satisfaction in automotive transportation calls for an all-encompassing programme that links the psychology of service perception with clear-sighted managerial choices and rigorous performance monitoring. Satisfaction is never accidental; it grows out of a systemic interaction between the traveller’s personal traits, the operational efficiency of the provider, and the consistently high quality of every service episode.

A cornerstone of any improvement effort is the introduction of psychologically informed service management. Personalisation anchored in a careful reading of individual needs and emotional expectations nurtures trust and long-term loyalty. The goal is to create a friction-free journey in which each point of contact—website, booking call, vehicle hand-off—reinforces a positive emotional climate. Segmenting the customer base and aligning service styles with the profile of each segment is widely endorsed in consumer-psychology research and remains central to delivering that seamless experience [4, 7].

Building on the factors already identified as decisive in carrier selection, transport firms can translate theory into practice through several complementary initiatives. First, sustained investment in employee development is essential, with an emphasis on empathetic communication, the management of customer emotions, and swift issue resolution. At the same time, core processes should be streamlined via contemporary information technologies that give both staff and clients clearer visibility over delivery milestones. Finally, digital channels for capturing and analysing feedback must be kept active; they allow problems to be flagged early and strategy to be adjusted with agility [2, 6].

Table 1 below summarizes the key strategic directions and specific actions aimed at improving customer satisfaction in the context of vehicle transportation.

Table 1

Strategies for increasing customer satisfaction [1; 2; 6]

Effective oversight of any satisfaction-building programme begins with measurement. Accordingly, a dashboard that blends qualitative insight and quantitative rigour is indispensable. Numerical indicators—response-time averages, on-time-delivery ratios, Net Promoter Scores (NPS), repeat-booking frequencies, and unit revenues—map the objective side of performance, while narrative data from open-ended interviews or verbatim comment fields reveal the emotional nuances behind those numbers. To weave these strands together, many researchers now advocate Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), an analytic framework that traces how latent psychological constructs (e.g., perceived safety or trust) influence observed satisfaction scores and, ultimately, financial outputs. SEM’s ability to test direct, indirect, and moderating effects in one coherent model makes it the ideal tool for judging whether a given initiative—say, a new mobile-tracking app—actually strengthens the satisfaction-to-profit chain or merely shifts perceptions without economic benefit. Tracking the resulting path coefficients quarter by quarter ensures that strategy can pivot the moment market signals change.

The next phase of this study therefore puts forward a series of original, data-backed recommendations for enriching the customer journey in vehicle transportation. At the heart of these prescriptions lies an interdisciplinary research designthat fuses marketing analytics with psychological diagnosis to surface needs customers seldom voice explicitly. Depth interviews, focus groups, and sentiment-aware online surveys generate a thick qualitative map of irritants and delights, while conjoint experiments and large-sample questionnaires—developed in partnership with psychologists and sociologists—quantify the relative weight of speed, reliability, transparency, and emotional reassurance.

Such data deliver the raw material for behavioural segmentation. Clients can be clustered by risk tolerance, stress sensitivity, service expectations, and brand affect. Each cluster becomes the target of bespoke communication cadences, campaign narratives, and service bundles. For instance, time-pressured corporate clients may receive guaranteed delivery windows and proactive status pings, whereas cost-conscious private shippers might opt into flexible pickup slots paired with loyalty credits. Custom-built packages, adaptive pricing tiers, and multi-layered loyalty schemes satisfy both the economic calculus and the emotional comfort zone of each segment, cementing confidence in service quality.

Embedding psychological intelligence into every layer of customer interaction requires a culture of empathy, transparency, and openness. Story-driven messaging that highlights real-world success stories, combined with active-listening protocols and case-specific problem resolution, alleviates the anxiety that often accompanies vehicle hand-offs and forges a stronger emotional bond. Continuous staff development underwrites this promise: recurring workshops on interpersonal communication, stress-diffusion tactics, and emotional-intelligence competencies foster a service climate that feels simultaneously professional and genuinely caring—an impression that translates directly into loyalty and positive word-of-mouth.

The technological backbone must keep pace. Enterprise-grade CRM platforms and customer-journey analytics tools provide real-time visibility into behavioural patterns, flag nascent issues, and trigger personalised alerts. Automated, rules-based data-collection pipelines feed dashboards that support dynamic segmentation and scenario planning. Dedicated focus groups, iterative A/B testing, and cohort analyses then validate innovations before full roll-out, ensuring that offerings remain aligned with fast-moving expectations.

Altogether, sustained gains in customer satisfaction in the vehicle-transport arena depend on marrying psychological acuity with digital dexterity and relentless operational refinement. Organisations that cultivate this triad raise not only the perceived calibre of their service but also their strategic position in an increasingly competitive landscape.

Conclusion. This investigation demonstrates that only a multi-layered reading of consumer psychology can reliably raise customer satisfaction in vehicle-transport services and, by extension, sharpen a carrier’s operational performance. The interconnected measures detailed in this article—high-resolution service personalisation, continual staff up-skilling, the deployment of advanced information systems, and an always-on feedback loop—act in concert to cultivate a consistently positive customer experience, a relationship corroborated by our structural-equation-modelling results.

Beyond closing a documented gap in the literature, the findings open fresh avenues for inquiry, notably into the precise financial dividends that flow from psychologically attuned service design. Equally important is their practical utility. Because the recommendations are modular, transport firms can tailor each element to their own scale, resource base, and market segment, thereby reinforcing competitiveness amid a rapidly shifting industry landscape. Implemented thoughtfully, the framework offers a clear path toward sustainable growth, stronger brand equity, and a durable strategic position in the evolving world of automotive transportation.

References

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