Customer Satisfaction with E-Retailers: The Role of Product Type in the Relative Importance of Attributes

It is of strategic importance for e-retailers to allocate their resources to various service attributes according to their relative importance. How does one determine the relative importance of different service attributes? Does the relative importance of different service attributes remain the same across different product categories? These questions must be addressed by researchers and e-retailers. Since customer ratings for service attributes are highly correlated, modeling methods other than traditional regression models should be used to analyze the relative importance of service attributes to overall customer satisfaction. As such, this article utilizes neural networks in order to study the relative importance of e-retailer service attributes. Importantly, this article shows that the relative importance of e-retailer service attributes varies across different product categories (i.e., convenience, shopping, and specialty goods).     

Cross-selling across stores or within a store? Impacts of cross-buying behavior in online shopping malls

Abstract

This study investigates the impacts of cross-buying behavior in an online shopping mall where customers can purchase from additional product categories from various independent stores. We focus on the extent to which store loyalty and relationship duration moderate the cross-buying effects on three behavioral traits: customers’ purchase rate, lifetime duration, and spending. The results reveal that customers who engage in cross-buying more intensely purchase more frequently, have longer expected lifetime duration, and spend higher amounts in each transaction. The impacts on purchase frequency and customer retention are even greater for customers who exhibit higher behavioral loyalty toward some stores. However, store loyalty is found to weaken the association between cross-buying and average spending. Further, relationship duration appears to weaken the effects of cross-buying on purchase rate and spending. These results provide new insights into the impacts of cross-buying on customer value as well as managerial implications for shopping mall owners.     

The importance of importance: Its impact on decision-making in mall retail categories during an economic downturn

The study examines how, during an economic downturn, the perceived importance of the value offering of retail store categories, as identified by a major international mall operator based in Australia, influences the relationship between consumers’ shopping attitudes and likelihood of purchasing in those categories. The findings show variance in the importance pertaining to retail store categories between those that have and those that have not altered their shopping behaviour. Different mediating effects were found in the major, mini-major, leisure, apparel, and mobile phone categories, suggestive of each group having differing levels of self-interest in the value offerings of each category, thus, symptomatic of dissimilar decision-making strategies for each group. Contributions to theory and practice are discussed.     

Web aesthetics effects on perceived online service quality and satisfaction in an e-tail environment: The moderating role of purchase task

This study examines the effects of the two dimensions of web aesthetics, aesthetic formality and aesthetic appeal, on consumers' perceived online service quality and satisfaction during service encounter. The findings showed that, between task-oriented and task-free consumers, the patterns of the effects of the two dimensions of web aesthetics on perceived online service quality and satisfaction are dissimilar. However, regardless of the presence or absence of purchase tasks, aesthetic formality significantly influences perceived online service quality, and aesthetic appeal significantly influences satisfaction. In addition, the effect of aesthetic appeal on satisfaction is negative for task-oriented consumers. Managerial implications on how to manipulate web aesthetics to achieve superior online service quality and high consumer satisfaction are offered.     

Creating a satisfying internet shopping experience via atmospheric variables

The purpose of this research was to identify the atmospheric variables that contributed to satisfaction for internet consumers with different orientations toward shopping. Atmospheric categories that were proposed for studying internet environments included external and internal variables, layout and design, point‐of‐purchase, and customer services. Some consumers had a convenience orientation toward shopping on the internet, while others were apprehensive, apathetic, and highly involved in internet shopping. A segment of internet consumers also exhibited positive orientations toward store shopping. Results showed that some atmospheric variables influenced satisfaction for all consumers, regardless of their shopping orientation; however, some variables were contributors of satisfaction for specific shopping segments.     

A multi-category customer base analysis

Customer base analysis is an essential tool to measure and develop relationships with customers. While various models have been proposed in a noncontractual setting, they focus primarily on analyzing transactional patterns associated with a single product category or a firm-level activity, such as the times at which purchases are made at a particular retailer. This research proposes a modeling framework for customer base analysis in a multi-category context. Specifically, we model the time between a customer's purchases at the firm and the product categories that comprise her shopping basket arising from multi-category choice decisions. The proposed model uses a latent space approach that parsimoniously captures the dynamics of multi-category shopping behavior due to the interplay between purchase timing and shopping basket composition. We also account for interdependence among multiple categories, temporal dependence across category choices, and latent customer attrition. Using category-level transaction data, we show that the proposed model offers excellent fit and performance in predicting customer purchase patterns across multiple categories. The forecasts and inferences afforded by our model can assist managers in tailoring marketing efforts across categories.     

The moderating role of shopping trip type in store satisfaction formation

Consumers may weigh store attributes differently depending on the type of shopping trip. For example, fill-in shoppers likely value convenience, due to the ad-hoc nature and urgency of such trips. However, no study has yet explored the effects of shopping trip types on satisfaction formation. This study investigates how three types of shopping trips — major, regular fill-in, and special fill-in — affect satisfaction formation. Using data for all Dutch grocery chains from 2009–2014, we show that service, price, and convenience are important drivers of satisfaction. We also find that the effects of these drivers on store satisfaction depend on the shopping trip type. Major shoppers, for instance, treat service factors as less important to their satisfaction than other shoppers do. Convenience is a more important driver of satisfaction for regular fill-in shoppers. Price is a more important determinant of satisfaction on fill-in trips related to special occasions like birthdays and family dinners.     

Requirement analysis and service optimization of multiple category fresh products in online retailing using importance-Kano analysis

Online fresh retailing enriches people's shopping choices and provides convenience to reduce the risk of infection during the pandemic. Online reviews contain consumers' attention, requirements and sentiments, and in-depth analysis of this information has guiding values for service optimization. To better understand this information, a requirement analysis idea based on the attention and sentiment distribution of online reviews was proposed, namely importance-Kano analysis. Seven different customer requirements were found, including express delivery, cost performance, communication, freshness, flavor, specification and packaging. Flavor and freshness are the most concerned attributes, and they and other attributes all influence satisfaction in their unique ways. Consumers care a lot about the shopping experience and product quality and they have a high degree of product involvement in fresh products. Service improvement should be considered as a systematic project, and the influence of competitive environment, category differences and technological development should not be ignored. A service optimization model was developed based on the concept of total quality management, which was constructed by three layers including supply chain, operation management and consumer experience. The systematic analysis is conducive to in-depth understanding of the complexity, systematical and timeliness nature of fresh product operation management.     

A Comparative Analysis of the Relative Importance of Service Quality for Two UK Grocery Retailers

This article identifies the relative importance of service quality across two grocery store formats. Research to date, indicates that within the grocery sector, customers expect value for money in terms of product quality, nutritional value and service quality. If these attributes are met in relation to the customers' perceived risk, it is more likely that customer satisfaction and retention will occur. In difficult competitive, social and economic circumstances, some sources indicate that there will be a trading down in customer shopping habits, with more customers expecting higher levels of service provision across a wider range of store formats, including the discounters. This study examines the relative importance of service quality for a quality-led retailer, compared to a discounter. Quantitative and qualitative research was carried out to obtain both a demand and supply–side perspective. Research findings demonstrate that despite the fact that consumer expectations are rising in relation to the overall shopping experience, distinctions in relation to customers' expectations between the levels of service provided across quality-led stores, compared to discounters, is still evident.     

Corporate social responsibilities,consumer trust and corporate reputation: South Korean consumers' perspectives

This study proposes and tests a model of corporate social responsibility (CSR) that specifies relationships among (1) four categories of CSR initiatives as independent variables, (2) three types of consumer trust as mediating variables, and (3) corporate reputation as the dependent variable. Results show that the firm's fulfillment of economic and legal CSR initiatives had a direct positive effect on corporate reputation, whereas neither ethical nor philanthropic CSR initiatives did. In the CSR-trust link, economic performances fostered consumer expertise trust, legal and ethical CSR activities affected integrity trust, and philanthropic CSR activities influenced social benevolence trust in the firm. This study confirms that all three types of trust partially or fully mediate the effect of the four CSR initiatives on corporate reputation. This outcome indicates that CSR activities create and nurture consumers' trust in the company, which will, in turn, bring about consumers' positive or improved perceptions of the firm.     

Providing a critical service today for tomorrow's consumers: A relational model of customer evaluations and responses in the child care industry

Based on data collected in the important and rapidly expanding child care services industry, this study develops and tests a model that examines the relationships among customers’ evaluations of service performance dimensions, their satisfaction with and trust in the organization, as well as their word-of-mouth intentions and also investigates the role of social status in the proposed relationships. The results show that non-interpersonal (i.e., hard) service quality attributes have a greater impact on customer satisfaction while interpersonal (i.e., soft) service quality attributes have more influence on trust. Word-of-mouth intentions are primarily driven by trust and the hard dimension of service performance. Social status is shown to act as a moderator of many of the relationships in the model. The findings of the study offer important implications for providers of child care and other consumer services that are high in credence qualities.     

Effects of time pressure,type of shopping,and store attributes on consumers’ satisfaction with grocery shopping

The aim of this study is to investigate whether satisfaction with grocery stores is affected by type of grocery shopping in conjunction with time pressure, and which attributes are important for satisfaction. Fictitious grocery stores are constructed according to a fractional factorial design by varying access, price level, supply quality/range, and service quality. In an Internet survey, 1023 Swedish consumers rated satisfaction with major vs. fill-in shopping imagining they were under high or low time pressure. The results showed that satisfaction is higher for fill-in shopping than major shopping, that time pressure has no effect on satisfaction, and that price level, service quality, and product quality/range are more important for satisfaction with major shopping, whereas access is more important for satisfaction with fill-in shopping. It is also found that the importance of attributes for satisfaction depends on type of shopping more than on individual characteristics.     

The effects of online shopping attributes on satisfaction–purchase intention link: a longitudinal study

Attributes of online satisfaction are dynamic. Specifically, it remains to be examined how online shopping attributes empirically affect changes in satisfaction that leads to repurchase behaviours over time and why. The present study develops a theoretical framework for conceptualizing satisfaction with temporal effects and empirically tests it using longitudinal data from 219 online customers. The results indicate that the relationship between attribute‐level evaluations and satisfaction, which has only been examined in terms of predictors of satisfaction in prior literature, is dynamic and changes over time. Changed attributes (particularly convenience and site design) might signal an opportunity to capture the dynamics of attribute‐level evaluations over time. Furthermore, the findings reveal significant temporal effects of satisfaction and purchase intention at time point T on satisfaction and purchase intention at time point T + 1. The results suggest that temporal effects occur as a diagnostic function of a previous attribute rating of a subsequent satisfaction evaluation and the consumer's level of subjective knowledge.     

Convenience and satisfaction: mediation of fairness and quality

This study investigates the role of service fairness and service quality in the relationship between service convenience types (decision, access, transaction, benefit and post-benefit) and customer satisfaction. Results show that service convenience has a significant positive impact on service fairness. Both service fairness and service quality mediate the relationship between service convenience and customer satisfaction. This study provides useful insights to both researchers and practitioners on the role of service convenience in improving service fairness, service quality and customer satisfaction. Findings of this study contribute to the literature by empirically investigating the impact of service convenience types on service fairness, service quality and customer satisfaction; and by examining the mediating role of service fairness and service quality between convenience types and customer satisfaction.     

Cross-buying in retailing: Drivers and consequences

The phenomenon of cross-buying by consumers enables retailers to cross-sell their products and increase revenue contribution from existing customers. The effectiveness of cross-selling can be greatly improved by identifying the drivers of cross-buy and using them to target the right customers. In this study we identify exchange characteristics such as average interpurchase time, ratio of product returns, and focused buying, and product characteristics such as category of first purchase, as important drivers of cross-buy. The impact of marketing efforts of the firm on cross-buy is also identified. The results of the study have important implications for academicians in understanding what drives cross-buying as well as practitioners to help design more effective cross-selling strategies.     

Omnichannel-based promotions’ effects on purchase behavior and brand image

This paper examines the effects of utilizing consumers’ digital shopping traces when designing in-store promotions on purchase behavior and brand image. In two experimental studies with 526 and 550 espondents, the authors examine the effects of omnichannel-based promotions (e.g. using digital shopping trace to offer a promotion when the consumer enters the physical store) in two different product categories (utilitarian vs. hedonic), spontaneous/planned purchases and two different retail industries (durable good vs. travel). The results show that retailers benefit from using digital shopping traces as it increases purchases and enhances brand imagery. The effects are moderated by product category and type of purchase.     

Electronic logistics service quality and repurchase intention in e-tailing: Catalytic role of shopping satisfaction,payment options,gender and returning experience

This paper empirically examines the mediating role of shopping satisfaction between electronic logistics service quality (e-LSQ) and repurchase intention. Further, this paper investigates the moderating role of gender, payment options, and returns or replacement experience on the link between e-LSQ and shopping satisfaction (and repurchase intention). Empirical data comprising 640 Indian online shoppers are analyzed with covariance-based structural equation modeling. The findings indicated that the condition of the shipment is the most crucial e-LSQ dimension and its linkage with shopping satisfaction varies across payment options, gender, and returning experience. The poor condition of the shipment might have triggered the returns in e-tailing in the Indian context. The findings will help e-tail managers design a robust logistics network to retain and win despondent customers.     

Factors Influencing Successful Brand Extensions

Organisations frequently follow brand extension strategies. This paper investigates the impact of category similarity, brand reputation, perceived risk and consumer innovativeness on the success of brand extensions in FMCG, durable goods and services sectors. A set of hypotheses were developed and tested in a study amongst 701 consumers. The findings show that extensions into categories more similar to the original brand tend to be more readily accepted. Likewise, the reputation of the original brand is an important factor influencing the success of the extension. These findings are consistent across FMCG, durable goods and services brands. However, perceived risk about the extension category was only found to enhance acceptability of extensions for durable goods and services brands. Innovative consumers are more positively disposed towards service brand extensions than FMCG and durable goods brand extensions.     

The Impact of Mobile App Adoption on Cross-buying: The Moderating Roles of Product Category Characteristics and Adoption Timing

With more and more companies introducing mobile apps and consumers using them during the purchase journey, it is increasingly important to understand the consequences of app adoption on behavioral outcomes. This paper investigates the impact of app adoption on the number of additional products purchased by customers (i.e., cross-buying) and how this effect varies across different product categories and different customers. We focus on two key product category characteristics (utilitarian vs. hedonic nature and perceived risk) and on adopters who vary in their adoption timings (early vs. late adopters). Using data from an online retailer and a combination of propensity score weighting with difference-in-differences and Heckman correction estimation techniques, the results show that app adoption has a positive effect on cross-buying overall, but the effect varies greatly across products and consumers. App adoption promotes additional product purchases for hedonic products but leads to less cross-buying for utilitarian products. In addition, early adopters purchase a higher number of additional product categories than late adopters, with this difference decreasing over time and for new consumers compared to existing customers. These results offer novel insights into the behavioral consequences of app adoption and provide managers with useful recommendations for improving the effectiveness of their mobile app investments.     

Customer Relationship Management of the Information Education Services Industry in Taiwan: Attributes,Benefits and Relationship

Measuring the key attributes of the services provided is necessary, but it is not sufficient for the improvement of customer satisfaction. This study develops and empirically tests a model examining the relations among attributes, benefits, customer satisfaction, trust, commitment, and customer behavioural loyalty, as relationship duration and product involvement are used as controllable variables in a marketing system. Based on samples collected from PC School, one of the most renowned information education services in Taiwan, the results show that relationship duration does have a positive influence on customer behavioural loyalty, and product involvement has positive effects on customer satisfaction. The findings also suggest that customers purchase information education services with specific benefits, all of which come with corresponding attributes, and hence result in dissimilar levels of customer satisfaction and homologous behavioural sequences.