How corporate reputation,quality, and value influence online loyalty

This study considers the role of corporate reputation and its relation to quality, perceived value, and loyalty in an online context. This milieu potentially challenges the relevance of the reported findings from the more traditional retail marketing situations. In this respect, a number of important questions are raised concerning how perceived value and quality impact on online loyalty and the effect corporate reputation has on this process. Research was conducted among customers of two diverse online vendors, one dealing in books and the other in shares. Findings from the two samples suggest that corporate reputation has a direct effect on online loyalty and provides an important mediating effect for perceived value and aspects of quality in terms of their impact on online loyalty.     

The investigation on dimensions of e-satisfaction for online shoes retailing

Purpose—Online retailing has become a standard component in companies' multi-channel structure. This trend also involves an increasing number of experience attribute dominated products, which traditionally rely on brick-and-mortar retailers. These manufacturers have started to open their own online retail stores. This study identifies the key determinants of e-satisfaction at different stages of shoes online shopping process.Design/methodology/approach—We collect consumers' reviews about their online shopping experiences from online review websites. We use both qualitative and quantitative approaches to analyze the dataset, and investigate the complete process of consumers' e-tailing experiences.Findings—this research identifies the two key factors driving e-satisfaction of purchasing experience attribute dominated products online: product selection and customer service. In particular, our findings show that product selection is critical for e-satisfaction in the pre-purchase stage, and that customer service is more important in the post-purchase stage. Lastly, the study finds that manufacturers' websites often receive more negative reviews because of their poor service recovery strategies in the post-purchase period.Research limitations/implications—This study emphasizes the importance of adopting a dynamic approach by considering various stages of the consumer's online shopping experience. This study focuses on one specific experience good; the shoe industry.Practical implications—The results of this study are invaluable to firms interested in providing experience attribute dominated products online. Our findings indicate that product selection and especially post-purchase service are critical for a successful e-tailing.Originality/value—This paper emphasizes the importance of taking a dynamic view to investigate consumer's e-tailing experience. We adopt both qualitative and quantitative approaches in our study.     

The role of the brand in driving online loyalty for multichannel retailers

Multichannel retailers offer shoppers the possibility to cross channels to complete their shopping process. Multichannel retailers, unlike pure online sellers, offer shoppers multiple contact points to experience the brand. Also, multichannel retailers can leverage the trust and attachment to their brands that has been built with their offline presence to drive customers to buy online. Our paper explores the role of the customer relationship with the brand, with variables such as brand trust, brand attachment and length of brand relationship, as drivers of loyal behaviours towards the online channel. We compare the impact of these variables with those of the technology acceptance model. Multiple linear regression analysis is applied to data collected through a survey answered by 1533 multichannel retail shoppers in two product categories (apparel and consumer electronics) in two countries (UK and Spain). Our findings show that both brand trust and brand attachment have a positive impact on loyal behaviours towards the online channel, and that different loyalty behaviours, i.e. purchase intentions, word of mouth and electronic word of mouth are explained by different variables.     

eTailQ: dimensionalizing, measuring and predicting etail quality

Quality is related to customer satisfaction, retention and loyalty in both product and services settings. Thus, quality is expected to be a determinant of online retailer success as well. Based on online and offline focus groups, a sorting task, and an online survey of a customer panel, the authors establish the dimensions of the etail experience, and develop a reliable and valid scale for the measurement of etail quality. The analysis suggests that four factors—website design, fulfillment/reliability, privacy/security and customer service—are strongly predictive of customer judgments of quality and satisfaction, customer loyalty and attitudes toward the website.     

The influence of familiarity and usability on loyalty to online journalistic services: The role of user experience

The spread of the use of the Internet has had a significant effect on the newspaper sector. Potential cannibalization between the digital and traditional channels, as well as growing competition have made it necessary to gain greater loyalty among consumers of Internet press services. This paper analyzes the effect of consumer familiarity with a website and the degree of perceived usability on levels of loyalty. The results show that familiarity only affects loyalty among consumers who have more experience in using the Internet. However, perceived usability of a website has a significant influence, irrespective of how experienced consumers are. Finally, the paper offers various recommendations for Internet press management and points out the main limitations of the study.     

The four levels of loyalty and the pivotal role of trust: a study of online service dynamics

A four-dimension scale of loyalty that reflects Oliver’s [Satisfaction, a Behavioral Perspective on the Consumer, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1997] conceptualization of a sequential loyalty chain is proposed, operationalized, and tested. Further, through both synthesizing and building on existing research into loyalty, trust, satisfaction, value, and service quality, a framework is proposed and tested that positions trust as a pivotal driver of loyalty. Data is collected and analyzed from two surveys of online customers, the first being purchasers of books and the second being a study of online flight purchasing. Analysis suggests that the hypothesized cognitive-affective-conative-action loyalty sequence is statistically most likely out of all possible variations. Although some differences emerge in the two studies, structural modeling largely supports the hypothesized framework and positions trust as central to service dynamics.     

Adjusted expectations,satisfaction and loyalty development

The primary contribution of this article is an analysis of the influence of the use of individual's expectations about a service consumption on the behavior models, that examine the process according to which loyalty and satisfaction are generated. More specifically, the research examines the implications of considering adjusted expectations, namely those that tourists have after having visited a destination, rather than those expectations they may have prior to their visit. By developing structural equations, the research verifies that the use of adjusted expectations modifies the chain of causal relationships described in the cognitive–affective explanatory models for tourist satisfaction and loyalty.     

Customer perceived value,satisfaction, and loyalty: The role of switching costs

It is a marketplace reality that marketing managers sometimes inflict switching costs on their customers, to inhibit them from defecting to new suppliers. In a competitive setting, such as the Internet market, where competition may be only one click away, has the potential of switching costs as an exit barrier and a binding ingredient of customer loyalty become altered? To address that issue, this article examines the moderating effects of switching costs on customer loyalty through both satisfaction and perceived‐value measures. The results, evoked from a Web‐based survey of online service users, indicate that companies that strive for customer loyalty should focus primarily on satisfaction and perceived value. The moderating effects of switching costs on the association of customer loyalty and customer satisfaction and perceived value are significant only when the level of customer satisfaction or perceived value is above average. In light of the major findings, the article sets forth strategic implications for customer loyalty in the setting of electronic commerce. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Consumer socialization process: The role of age in children's online shopping behavior

The aims of this research are to develop an understanding of children perception of online shopping and to explore the extent of its adoption within the retail sector. This study also endeavors to investigate the role of age in the development of children's perceptions of online purchase. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 35 children aged 8–15 years old, and 28 parents in Australia. Template analysis was carried out to analyse the data. The results show that children aged 8–11 and aged 12–15 were different in their behavior and perceptions of online shopping. The results from the interviews suggest that the level of children's online shopping varies and is influenced by many factors, such as age, parental guidance, social networks, and peer influence. The gap in the knowledge of cyberspace also resulted in the reverse-socialization and granted more power for children. In addition, social media have become an emerging influential socialization agent strengthened by early use of the Internet. In terms of the originality, the study provides empirical evidence relating to children's perceptions and behavior in the online environment as consumers, which remain under-researched in the marketing literature. Moreover, the role of children’s age was incorporated in the study, allowing more insights to be obtained.     

Exploring the mediating role of utilitarian value and hedonic value in the formation of oppositional loyalty in online communities

Our research expands the scope of the research on oppositional loyalty from brands to online communities. Online communities allow members to freely express their opinions and promote the occurrence of oppositional loyalty behaviours towards the communities. Oppositional loyalty is defined in this article that, for the purpose of strengthening the market position of their preferred community, members of the online community may express negative views or even show oppositional behaviour towards adversarial communities. In view of social capital theory, the study examines the effect of hedonic value and utilitarian value on oppositional loyalty in online communities. The results show that only hedonic value significantly affects oppositional loyalty; hedonic value mediates the effect of the three dimensions of social capital (network ties, identification, and common language) on oppositional loyalty. The study identifies that community type moderates the impact of social capital (identification and common language) on hedonic value but does not moderate the effect of social capital on utilitarian value. Finally, we find that members' oppositional loyalty towards their community can promote their community participation. This research provides recommendations for online community managers to manage and benefit from members' oppositional loyalty.     

Service quality in blood donation: satisfaction,trust and loyalty

Service Business - This study proposes and validates a service quality scale for the blood donation process. It also analyses the impact that service quality has on donor satisfaction with the...     

The behavioural sequence of the financial services industry in Taiwan: Service quality,relationship quality and behavioural loyalty

This study develops and empirically tests a model for examination of the relations among service quality scales, relationship bonding tactics, customer satisfaction, trust and commitment, and customer behavioural loyalty in a relationship marketing system. This paper aims to test the relationship between perceived service quality satisfaction and relationship intentions, or, in other words, whether or not consumers will consider building long-term relationships with service providers on the basis of a single instance of perceived service quality. Based on three groups of samples from XYZ bank, one of the most famous banks providing merchant banking services in Taiwan, the findings suggest that financial products with different product attributes need different kinds and levels of service and relationship investment. The findings also suggest that there does exist a positive relationship between service quality satisfaction and perceived relationship investment.     

The international finance corporation and its role in the development process

Measures of different kinds are needed to cope with the manifold tasks arising in international development finance, and a variety of instruments, models and concepts have been suggested in the international discussion. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a subsidiary of the World Bank, plays a particular role in this connection: according to the objectives laid down in its Articles of Agreement it is to concern itself exclusively with private investments in productive enterprises in developing countries. The following article indicates the problems faced in the institutional promotion of private enterprises and explains why the operations of the IFC have so far yielded somewhat meagre results.     

The role of flexibility in online business

Companies are trying to be more competitive by establishing a presence on the fast-growing Net. At the same time, the Net's business environment is growing more complex and uncertain. Management literature argues that flexibility can enhance corporate responsiveness to such an environment. However, research on e-businesses has focused mainly on the idea of customizing online offerings. Here is a holistic view of flexibility, investigating how online companies can become flexible through the different functional aspects of their business—technology, human resources, operations, marketing, finance, and management. What are the related opportunities and pitfalls? And what guidelines can managers follow?     

Loyalty toward online food delivery service: the role of e-service quality and food quality

This study assesses the direct influence of food quality and e-service quality on customer loyalty toward online food delivery (OFD) service and its indirect influence through the mediation of customer satisfaction and perceived value. This study uses a survey of 405 OFD service customers from Bandung, Indonesia. By applying variance-based partial least squares to evaluate the proposed model, this study confirms the direct effect of food quality on online loyalty, but not e-service quality. Further, this study discloses the partial mediation role of customer satisfaction and perceived value on the relationship between both food quality and e-service quality on online loyalty toward OFD services.     

M-commerce: The nexus between mobile shopping service quality and loyalty

Whilst M-commerce is having a major influence in the way businesses and consumers interact, mobile shopping service quality (MS-SQ) has been understudied in the literature. This paper examines MS-SQ within a conceptual model of customer satisfaction and loyalty surveying UK customers who bought fashion clothing via their mobile devices. The results of two empirical studies confirm four dimensions of MS-SQ: efficiency, fulfilment, responsiveness and contact. Using bootstrapping of 2000 resamples, SEM results showed a significant impact of MS-SQ on customer satisfaction, which in turn impacts loyalty. These results are robust across two samples. Only the dimension efficiency exhibits an indirect effect on loyalty via satisfaction in both studies whilst controlling for gender, age, income, value of clothing item, and m-shopping experience. These findings are discussed and have managerial implications for retailers operating m-commerce sites.     

Managing customer loyalty through the mediating role of satisfaction in the DIY retail loyalty program

The focus of this study is the determinants of customer loyalty among members of retail loyalty programs. With data collected from a DIY loyalty program in a Central European country (a preliminary sample of 116 club members and a representative sample of 416 members), the study empirically tests the nature of the effect of the quality of personal interactions and perceptions of the quality of the loyalty program on customer loyalty through the mediating variable of customer satisfaction. Although the findings suggest that the quality of personal interactions bears no direct influence on members’ loyalty, it has a stronger influence on members’ satisfaction than the perceived quality of the loyalty program does. Influence on members’ loyalty is stronger from the mediating variable of customer satisfaction than from perceived quality of the loyalty program. This finding confirms the role of customer satisfaction as an important determinant of customer loyalty in the DIY setting. Offering a diagnostic tool in terms of selected direct and indirect determinants influencing customers’ loyalty, the paper also contributes to comprehension of loyalty programs’ effectiveness and members’ responses to the quality of loyalty programs, which contribution provides important implications for management and development of retail loyalty programs.     

The interrelationships among service quality,customer satisfaction,and customer loyalty: Examination of the fast-food industry

The purpose of this study was to use customers’ perspectives to develop a conceptual model for improving service quality and enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. The 197 samples were selected from customers of leading fast food franchise enterprises in Taiwan. The research results indicate that service quality positively influences customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Service quality positively influences customer loyalty through customer satisfaction. The research findings indicate that managers need to ensure they have efficient service quality to enhance customer satisfaction and customer loyalty levels.     

The role of fundamental motivations in willingness-to-pay online

This study aims to determine whether an understanding of chronic fundamental consumer motivations can help determine the mechanisms of willingness-to-pay for products online. To do so, it employs a simulated buying task on a fictional e-commerce site for a consumer product (branded either as a “new arrival” or a “classic”) to investigate the effects of two fundamental motivations (mate acquisition vs. self-protection) on willingness-to-pay for the product online. The primary focus of the paper to investigate the capacity of mate acquisition and self-protection motives to moderate the relationship between attitude toward the product and willingness-to-pay, as well as, the effects of the motives on willingness-to-pay are considered. Through regression and interaction effect analyses, it is shown that chronic fundamental motivation for mate acquisition is directly correlated with an increased willingness-to-pay for both product types, and it moderates the relationship between attitude toward a product and willingness-to-pay. Self-protection motivation increases willingness-to-pay for classic products but not new arrivals. By offering a rare look at chronic fundamental motivation in the consumer context and potentially being the first investigation of the moderating effects of fundamental motivations, the results mostly support the notion of predictable motivation induced behavioral tendencies.