The Effect of Marketing Mix on Loyalty Through Parent Satisfaction at Private Islamic Full-Day Schools

Purpose: This study examines the effect of the service marketing mix (7Ps)—product, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence—on guardian satisfaction and loyalty in private full-day Islamic junior high schools in Surabaya, with satisfaction as a mediating variable.

Research Methodology: A quantitative causal associative design was employed. The study involved 384 student guardians selected using proportionate stratified random sampling. Data were collected through a structured Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed using path analysis and the Sobel test to assess direct and indirect relationships among variables.

Results: The findings indicate that all 7P marketing mix variables have a positive and significant effect on guardian satisfaction. In addition, all marketing mix variables significantly influence guardian loyalty both directly and indirectly through satisfaction. Satisfaction is proven to play a significant mediating role in strengthening the relationship between the marketing mix and loyalty.

Conclusions: The study concludes that an integrated implementation of the 7P marketing mix significantly enhances guardian satisfaction and loyalty. Satisfaction acts as a key mechanism that strengthens the effect of marketing strategies on long-term loyalty in Islamic educational institutions.

Limitations: This study is limited to a single geographic context, namely private Islamic full-day junior high schools in Surabaya, and uses cross-sectional self-reported data, which may limit generalizability and causal inference.

Contribution: This study contributes to the extension of the 7P marketing mix theory in Islamic education and highlights the mediating role of satisfaction in building loyalty. It also provides practical implications for improving service quality and integrating Islamic values (akhlaqul karimah) to enhance guardian loyalty.