The impact of website quality on customer satisfaction and purchase intention: perceived playfulness and perceived flow as mediators

The purposes of this study are to examine whether perceived playfulness and perceived flow would mediate the relationships among website quality, customer satisfaction, and purchase intention, as well as to assess the degree of reciprocity between perceived playfulness and perceived flow in an online travel agency context. This study suggested a research framework for testing the relationships among the constructs based on the stimulus-organism-response framework. In addition, this study developed a non-recursive model. After validating the measurement scales, empirical analyses were conducted using structural equation modelling. The findings confirm that website quality affects customers’ perceived playfulness and perceived flow, and in turn, would influence their satisfaction and purchase intention. Notably, this study finds that the service quality is more important than information and system quality in influencing customer satisfaction and purchase intention. Furthermore, the study reveals that the relationship between perceived playfulness and perceived flow is reciprocal. Based on the findings, the implications are discussed in the paper and directions for future research are also highlighted.     

Comparing the effects of website quality on customer initial purchase and continued purchase at e-commerce websites

To succeed in the highly competitive e-commerce environment, it is vital to understand the impact of website quality in enhancing customer conversion and retention. Although numerous contingent website attributes have been identified in the extant website quality studies, there is no unified framework to classify these attributes and no comparison done between customer conversion and retention according to the different website quality attributes and their varying impact. This study adopts the model of Information Systems (IS) success by DeLone and McLean to provide a parsimonious and unified view of website quality, and compares the impact of website quality on intention of initial purchase with that on intention of continued purchase. With the proposed framework, we seek to understand how a company can increase customer conversion and/or retention. Our findings demonstrate the strength of our framework in explaining the impact of website quality on intention to purchase on the Web, and that website quality constructs exert different impact on intention of initial purchase and intention of continued purchase. The results suggest that an online company should focus on system quality to increase customer conversion, and on service quality for customer retention.     

How does presence influence purchase intention in online shopping markets? An explanation based on self-determination theory

Presence has been regarded as an essential component for understanding individuals’ behaviour in online environments. Drawing upon self-determination theory (SDT), this study examines the impact of presence in online shopping markets. The conceptual model is examined with data collected from TaoBao. The findings indicate that telepresence is positively associated with consumers’ autonomy and stickiness, while social presence is positively associated with consumers’ relatedness and stickiness. Furthermore, stickiness mediates both the relationship between autonomy and purchase intention, and the relationship between relatedness and purchase intention. Having introduced a new perspective of SDT, this study explains how presence significantly influences consumers’ psychological need satisfaction, attitude and behaviour, and confirms the critical role of presence in online shopping markets.     

From virtual community members to C2C e-commerce buyers: Trust in virtual communities and its effect on consumers’ purchase intention

In China, major C2C websites are focusing on increasing their customer bases by converting members of their virtual communities (VCs) into C2C buyers and sellers. This phenomenon is called e-commerce based on social networks (ENS). The current research analyzes what factors affect trust building among VC members and how this trust influences the trust in the C2C website or vendor. We propose and empirically test a model of trust in VCs based on the trust formation mechanism. Using data collected from Taobao Virtual Community, we show that familiarity, perceived similarity, structural assurance, and trust propensity are important antecedents to trust in members in VCs. Analyses of the two kinds of trust show that trust in members’ ability significantly affects three dimensions of trust in the vendor/website in terms of ability, integrity, and benevolence. In addition, trust in members’ integrity and benevolence stimulates the purchase intention and trust in the vendor/website’s ability positively affects the intention to get information and the purchase intention.     

Perceived quality factors of location-based apps on trust,perceived privacy risk,and continuous usage intention

Numerous location-based services (LBS) studies have suggested that the risk of disclosing personal privacy hinders consumers from adopting LBS, whereas scant attention has focused on clarifying how to mitigate the perceived privacy risk of using LBS. This quantitative study focuses on the effects of consumer quality perceptions (i.e. information quality, system quality, and service quality) on their trust in LBS, which consequently affects perceived privacy risk and continued usage intention towards LBS. Research data were collected through a market survey website; 1399 valid questionnaires were collected. Structural equation modelling analysis was applied to the data. The results revealed that information quality, system quality, and service quality were positively related to perceived trust. Perceived trust also correlated negatively with perceived privacy risk, but positively with continued usage intention. A managerial implication drawn from the findings is that LBS providers should develop more useful user interfaces or provide timely, personalised services to reduce perceived privacy risk and strengthen LBS continued usage intention.     

Understanding of website usability: Specifying and measuring constructs and their relationships

Developing a usable website is pivotal for e-business success. Researchers have devoted effort to develop metrics, guidelines and theories of website usability, yet there still is a lack of consensus on the multifaceted dimensions of website usability and lack of investigation of the nomological networks among website usability constructs. This study first investigated the common dimensions of website usability by integrating the findings of previous studies and a focus group study with website usability experts. Instruments to measure the constructs were developed and empirically validated. Then nomological networks between website usability constructs and between those constructs and online purchase intention and purchase were examined. Three field studies including two questionnaire surveys and a causal mapping analysis were conducted. The research identified ten website usability constructs with strong psychometric properties. A number of nomological networks between usability constructs were discovered, contributing to identification of sources of variances of purchase intention and purchase behavior. Findings of this study are expected to provide useful insights for practitioners to develop more usable websites and for researchers to better assess the effect of website usability on online customer behavior.     

Understanding consumers’ continuance intention towards mobile purchase: A theoretical framework and empirical study – A case of China

Although mobile purchase is convenient in the age of mobile commerce, many consumers still do not utilize mobile purchase to its full potential. From the mobile vendor’s perspective, retaining current customers and facilitating their continued purchase are crucial to create profitability and achieve a sustainable development. An understanding of the continuance intention towards mobile purchase can provide insights into mobile vendors’ marketing campaigns. Therefore, it is important to examine the determinants that impact continuance intentions of consumers for mobile purchase. Drawing upon information success model, flow theory and trust, this study proposed and empirically tested an integrated model to better understand the determinants of consumers’ continued intention to purchase on mobile sites. Empirical data from 462 users who had experience with mobile purchase were tested against the proposed research model by using structural equation modelling (SEM). The results indicated that information quality, and privacy and security concerns are the main factors affecting trust, whereas service quality is the main factor affecting flow. System quality, and privacy and security concerns affect satisfaction. Trust affects flow, which in turn affects satisfaction. These three factors together affect continued intention towards mobile purchase. The findings of this study provide several important implications for mobile commerce research and practice.     

Examining the Signaling Effect of E-tailers’ Return Policies

E-tailers normally have more accurate information regarding their products and services than consumers due to the nature of online transactions. To reduce consumers’ concerns of hidden information, e-tailers can use lenient return policies to attempt to signal high product and service quality. This research proposes a model to investigate the signaling effect of two components of return policy, return window—short return window vs. long return window and return depth—full refund vs. partial refund, on product quality and service quality. Data was collected using an online survey and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results show that both a long return window and a full refund signal high service quality, which then positively affects purchase intention. When it comes to product quality, return window does not have a signaling effect, while the signaling effect of return depth is moderated by service quality.     

Service quality,perceived value,and citizens’ continuous-use intention regarding e-government: Empirical evidence from China

Citizens’ low continuous-use intention has become a great challenge for the development of e-government in China. This study has developed a chain model of e-government service quality, perceived value, and citizens’ continuous-use intention to explain the relationship between government website service quality and perceived value, as well as how that relationship influences citizens’ reuse intention. Using data collected from a survey of 1,650 citizen users living in one direct-controlled municipality and four high-population cities in China, this study verifies the components of e-government service quality through partial least squares (PLS) analysis and then tests the proposed concept model using structural equation modeling. The results reveal that the concept of e-government service quality has eight contributing dimensions: system quality, reliability, security, accessibility, information quality, service capability, interactivity, and responsiveness. Perceived service value is a powerful mediator between service quality and citizens’ continuous-use intention. The intention to use is a consequence of service quality, service value, and satisfaction.     

The Relative Importance of Website Design Quality and Service Quality in Determining Consumers’ Online Repurchase Behavior

Abstract

Previous studies have found that website design quality is one main factor affecting consumers' initial online purchase behavior. For consumers' repurchase behavior, in addition to website design quality, service quality is another important factor. Which factor is more important in determining consumers' repurchase intention? Our results show that, compared with website design quality, service quality has significantly stronger effects on consumers' trust and satisfaction, both of which lead to their repurchase intention.     

Perceived information transparency in B2C e-commerce: An empirical investigation

Consumers abandon their online purchases at an e-commerce website partly due to the lack of information transparency of the website. We identify the antecedents of consumers’ perceived information transparency of an e-commerce website and its effects on consumers’ online purchase intention. We collected data through a scenario-based survey conducted in a laboratory setting. We found that (1) product transparency, vendor transparency, and transaction transparency significantly influence perceived information transparency; (2) perceived information transparency significantly increases consumers’ online purchase intention; and (3) perceived risk partially mediates the effects of perceived information transparency on purchase intention.     

The mediating effect of website quality on Internet searching behavior

The study investigates the mediating effect of website quality on Internet searching behavior. The research model incorporates three dimensions, namely (1) Internet attitudes of the Internet users, (2) website quality, including the system quality, service quality and information quality, and (3) Internet searching behavior demonstrated by the general population of Internet users. A survey instrument was used to gather data to exam the relationships in the proposed model. The collected online surveys (n = 856) are used to test the relationships among the three dimensions expressed in the proposed structural equation model. The results show that website quality has a mediating effect on Internet searching behavior. It is also discovered that there is significant correlation between Internet attitudes and website quality. This study contributes empirical data to the predominantly theoretical literature on Internet searching behavior in general and Internet attitudes and website quality in particular. It is, to a certain extent, common sense that website quality has a positive impact on Internet searching behavior. This paper takes an important step forward by detailing how website quality affects the Internet searching behavior via enhancing the effect of users’ Internet attitudes.     

政府门户网站安全体系中的技术要点分析

政府门户网站是我国各级政府机关履行职能、面向社会提供服务的官方网站,是政府机关实现政务信息公开、服务企业和社会公众、互动交流的重要渠道。但是由于门户网站具有开放性、公开性以及广泛性的特点,其网站安全体系又有待完善,因此门户网站的安全管理工作得不到有效落实,这导致其网站的运作面临着许多潜在风险,进而造成损失。本文,从门户网站的相关内容入手,分析了政府门户网站面临的安全风险,总结政府门户网站安全体系中的技术要点。     

A comprehensive model of the effects of online store image on purchase intention in an e-commerce environment

The aim of this study is to identify structural relationships between aspects of online store image and purchase intention. Responses from 211 website visitors were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the research hypotheses. The results demonstrated that enjoyment and familiarity are predictors of ease-of-use and settlement performance, respectively. Settlement performance and usefulness are positively related to purchase intention. The results provide some suggestions for online store owners to help them arrange budget priorities for website design. Moreover, it is important to manage image familiarity for an online store through image-enhancing techniques, such as advertising and publicity.     

Determinants of website development: a study of electronic commerce in Singapore

The website is the portal through which most of the electronic transactions are conducted today. The site’s development provides a glimpse of the firm’s electronic commerce (E-commerce) strategic objectives. Yet, few studies on E-commerce have related the firm’s website to its strategy. This paper examined the relationships between the strategic variables of competitive intensity, existing competencies of the firm, firm size, and strategic commitment on the one hand, and the development of the firm’s website, on the other. We developed a model based on existing literature in E-commerce and strategy. The study was conducted with 135 firms from the travel, financial and information technology (IT) sectors in Singapore. Results show that competitive intensity, firm size and existing competencies positively influence the firm’s strategic commitment to E-commerce. The commitment in turn affects the website development. We also show that websites can be classified according to their developmental level.     

Retaining customers by utilizing technology-facilitated chat: Mitigating website anxiety and task complexity

We examine how technology-facilitated chat moderates the effect of website anxiety on intention to return to a website, and alleviates the negative impact of task complexity on the three factors (performance, enjoyment, and social presence). We also investigate how website anxiety moderates the relationship between user perceptions of the three factors and intention to return, and how the three factors could be negatively influenced by task complexity. Among others, the results reveals that technology-facilitated chat moderates the effect of website anxiety on intention to return, and attenuates the negative effect of task complexity on user perceptions of the three factors.     

Examining the antecedents of user gratification and its effects on individuals’ social network services usage: the moderating role of habit

User loyalty or continued use is critical to the survival and development of any website. Focusing on the social network services (SNSs) context, this study proposes a research model for investigating individuals’ use motivations and the moderating role of habit with regard to gratification and continuance intention. This research integrates two influential media communication theories, media system dependency (MSD) and uses and gratifications, to examine SNSs-related behaviors. To comprehend online users’ motivations in depth, three motivations derived from MSD (understanding, orientation and play dependency relations) are operationalized as reflective, second-order constructs. The three motivations are theorized to affect parasocial interaction positively, and parasocial interaction is hypothesized to positively affect the gratification that individuals derive from SNSs usage. Furthermore, this study hypothesizes that gratification positively affects individuals’ continuance intention. Finally, we theorize that habit moderates the impact of gratification on continuance intention. Data collected from 657 Facebook users provide strong support for all six hypotheses. The results indicate that individuals’ motivations (i.e., the understanding, orientation and play dependency relations) positively affect parasocial interaction, which in turn has a positive effect on gratification, and subsequently continuance intention. In addition, the results show that habit has a small but negative moderating effect on the relationship between gratification and continuance intention. Implications for theory and practice are discussed, and suggestions are made for future research.     

Understanding the role of an IT artifact in online service continuance: An extended perspective of user satisfaction

Given increasing investment in an IT (information technology) artifact (i.e., online service website), it is becoming important to retain existing customers. In order to help link website design and investment decisions to the strategy for retaining customers, we propose a model by extending the user satisfaction perspective into research on online service continuance. We empirically tested the model within the context of a social network service. The analysis results found that website information satisfaction and system satisfaction play key roles in forming continuance intention through perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment. It is also noted that computer anxiety serves as an important moderator toward continuance intention. Theoretical and practical implications are offered for better understanding of the role of the IT artifact in online service post-adoption phenomena.     

The relationship between website quality,trust and price premiums at online auctions

This study measures the value of website quality in terms of its impact on trust, intention to transact and price premiums. Prior research on online auctions has focused on the use of reputation systems for building trust in online auction vendors and subsequently to generate price premiums. This study examines the extent to which trust can be induced by improving the quality of online auction listings. A survey of 701 eBay users is conducted which compares the price premiums of two nearly identical online auction businesses, one that has online auction listings with a perceived high quality and the other that has substantially lower perceived quality. Results of this study indicate that website quality can explain 49% of the variation in the trust for eBay sellers. In fact, it shows that sellers with good website quality are all perceived to be equally trustworthy regardless of their eBay reputation; whereas sellers with poor website quality are not perceived to be trustworthy even if they have a high eBay reputation score. The results also show that the trust resulting from increased website quality increases intention to transact and results in price premiums of 12% (on average) for sellers with higher quality listings. Theories from marketing, economics, and social psychology are used to explain why website quality induces trust in unknown vendors without providing any concrete evidence regarding the vendor’s past history.     

面向个性化站点的用户检索意图建模方法

针对个性化站点较少考虑用户检索意图的问题,提出结合交叉信息熵和词语特征信息的关键词提取方法以及结合余弦相似度和加权海明距离的文本排序方法,旨在不需要用户任何反馈的条件下,为用户推荐更满意的检索结果。通过过滤用户请求个性化站点时的访问地址,获取用户浏览的网页文本内容,从中提取能够表示用户检索意图的关键词集进行重新检索后对检索结果排序,最后将排序后的结果作为推荐模块返回给用户。实验表明,利用该方法获得的查询推荐结果能够更加符合用户检索意图,提供更好的用户体验。