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Customer satisfaction is a central issue in marketing management, as it plays a crucial role in determining customer loyalty amid increasingly intense business competition. A comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing customer satisfaction is essential not only for academics in strengthening marketing theory but also for practitioners in designing effective service and product strategies. This article aims to address two research questions: (1) what are the dominant factors influencing customer satisfaction, and (2) how does customer satisfaction relate to customer loyalty? The study employed a qualitative literature review method. The data consisted of scientific articles published between 2020 and 2025, accessed through Google Scholar and Publish or Perish (PoP) using the keyword “customer satisfaction.” From an initial selection of 30 articles, 27 were identified as relevant, and 5 core articles were further analyzed. The findings reveal three main themes: product and service quality as the dominant determinants of customer satisfaction; price, brand image, and promotion as supporting factors; and customer trust as an important mediating variable in building loyalty. This study concludes that customer satisfaction serves as a strategic link between service quality and customer loyalty. Future research is encouraged to explore the roles of digitalization, customer experience, and sustainability in shaping long-term customer satisfaction.

This article discusses the application of deductive and inductive methods in management, which are relevant in facing modern business challenges. Deductive methods, which move from general principles to specific cases, are used to confirm decisions based on established theories, whereas inductive methods, which move from specific observations to generalizations, allow the formation of new theories based on empirical data. These two methods have complementary advantages and disadvantages; deductive excels in efficiency and systematic logic, but is limited to initial premises, while inductive offers flexibility in understanding complex situations, although it risks producing less valid generalizations. The integration of deductive and inductive methods can provide a holistic approach, helping organizations make decisions that are evidence-based, adaptive, and relevant to specific contexts