The impact of customer interface quality, satisfaction and switching costs on e-loyalty: Internet experience as a moderator

Customer interface quality has been confirmed to critically influence the success of electronic commerce, and there has been extensive discussion about the effects of customer interface quality on consumer behavior. However, few studies have examined how customer interface quality affects e-loyalty. Furthermore, although satisfaction and switching costs are expected to be antecedents to customer loyalty, few studies have systematically examined how these elements are related to customer interface quality. This study proposes an integrating theoretical framework for testing the relationships among customer interface quality, satisfaction, switching costs, and e-loyalty. Moreover, this study argues that the relationships among these constructs are moderated by Internet experience. Empirical analyses are performed using structural equations modeling analysis. The findings confirm that customer interface quality, including customization, interaction, convenience and character, contributes to generating e-loyalty. Particularly, the results show that convenience directly enhances e-loyalty. Additionally, this study finds that customer interface quality positively influences switching costs for customers with higher Internet experience, a phenomenon that has not previously been explored.     

Stage antecedents of consumer online buying behavior

Unlike previous research which adopts simultaneous measures to examine customers’ satisfaction with the entire online shopping experience, this study examines two important stages of online buying behavior: ordering and fulfillment. The explicit consideration of the two stages acknowledges the fact that in an online environment, the two stages are distinct and there is a delay between the time a customer makes an order and the time he receives delivery of the merchandise. Examined are the antecedents and consequences of customer satisfaction in different stages of the online buying process based on the expectation–confirmation model (ECM). Results indicate that the customers’ satisfaction with the ordering process and the fulfillment process, and the perceived usefulness of the website contribute significantly to their intention to continue using a business-to-consumer (B2C) website. It is also shown that the customers’ perceived usefulness affects their satisfaction only with the ordering process but not with the fulfillment process. Implications and limitations are discussed.     

Service Quality and Perceived Value's Impact on Satisfaction, Intention and Usage of Short Message Service (SMS)

SMS, being an almost instantaneous communication medium that connects people, is now a phenomenon that has grown and spread around the globe at an amazing speed. Given the current trend of SMS usage and its potential growth, this paper will provide an insight of the extent to which how service quality and the value perceived by the SMS users have an impact on their extent of the SMS usage in the post SMS adoption phase. Specifically, this article will examine how service quality of the service providers and perceived value affect customer satisfaction and how customer satisfaction will affect their behavioural intention to continue to use SMS which in turn affects the extent of SMS usage in the local context. Using partial-least-squares, an analysis was conducted based on the 150 surveys collected to test for the proposed relationships. The results showed that the tangibles, empathy and assurance dimensions of service quality are antecedents of customer satisfaction and a positive relationship exists between customer satisfaction and customers' behavioural intentions to continue to use SMS. Additionally, the positive relationship between customers' behavioural intentions to continue to use SMS and the extent of SMS usage is also significant. These results were similar to the results shown by Cronin and Taylor (1992) studies. The perceived value/customer satisfaction relationship investigated in this research was in line with Fornell et al.(1996) and Cronin et al.(2000) where perceived value was one of the determinants of customer satisfaction. Specially, the results revealed that perceived value, together with tangibles, empathy and assurance aspects of the service quality, played an important role in determining customer satisfaction for SMS. Implications of the above results for research and practice are discussed.     

Assessing the effects of service quality and justice on customer satisfaction and the continuance intention of mobile value-added services: An empirical test of a multidimensional model

Understanding the antecedents and consequences of customer satisfaction in the mobile communications market is important. This study explores the effects of service quality and justice on customer satisfaction, which, in turn, affects continuance intention of mobile services. Service quality, justice and customer satisfaction were measured by multiple dimensions. A research model was developed based on this multidimensional approach and was empirically examined with data collected from about one thousand users of mobile value-added services in China. Results show that all three dimensions of service quality (interaction quality, environment quality and outcome quality) have significant and positive effects on cumulative satisfaction while only one dimension of service quality (interaction quality) has a significant and positive effect on transaction-specific satisfaction. Besides procedural justice, the other two dimensions of justice (distributive justice and interactional justice) significantly influence both transaction-specific satisfaction and cumulative satisfaction. Furthermore, both types of customer satisfaction have significant and positive effects on continuance intention. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

The relationships among service quality,perceived value,customer satisfaction,and post-purchase intention in mobile value-added services

The purposes of this study are to construct an instrument to evaluate service quality of mobile value-added services and have a further discussion of the relationships among service quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction, and post-purchase intention. Structural equation modeling and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data collected from college and graduate students of 15 major universities in Taiwan. The main findings are as follows: (1) service quality positively influences both perceived value and customer satisfaction; (2) perceived value positively influences on both customer satisfaction and post-purchase intention; (3) customer satisfaction positively influences post-purchase intention; (4) service quality has an indirect positive influence on post-purchase intention through customer satisfaction or perceived value; (5) among the dimensions of service quality, “customer service and system reliability” is most influential on perceived value and customer satisfaction, and the influence of “content quality” ranks second; (6) the proposed model is proven with the effectiveness in explaining the relationships among service quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction, and post-purchase intention in mobile added-value services.     

Assessing blog-user satisfaction using the expectation and disconfirmation approach

The growing popularity of blogs has drawn an increasing amount of attention from corporations keen to expand market share and establish better customer relationships. It is thus imperative to probe into why some blogs attract a tremendous amount of interest and why they are sustainable. Although there are a number of studies exploring the factors underlying popular or successful blogs, few results have been reported from the integrated perspective of IS success and marketing. By segregating blog quality into information quality and system quality, this study investigates the linkage between blog quality and blog-user satisfaction within the expectation–disconfirmation paradigm. It establishes nine key constructs for blog-user satisfaction and tests the relationships among them. The results of this study provide directions for bloggers and system administrators to achieve higher levels of blog-user satisfaction by developing multi-faceted strategies based on the reported dimensions of blog quality.     

Green exploration and exploitation: Capabilities,product advantage,and policy considerations

While sustainability has been identified as a critical driver of innovation, our understanding of green innovation activities interrelationship with capability antecedents and consequences of both green exploration and green exploitation remains unclear. A preliminary framework is developed to guide hypotheses and provide insights into green innovation and its connections with new product advantage from a Resource-Advantage (R-A) perspective. A sample of 197 traditional Chinese manufacturing enterprises conducting green innovation is an input into a structural equation model. The results indicate that green exploitation has direct positive effects on both innovative eco-friendly products' customer satisfaction and differentiation, whereas green exploration only positively impacts product differentiation. Importantly, green exploitation fully mediates the connections between capability antecedents (i.e., technology capability and market capability) and new product advantage (i.e., customer satisfaction and differentiation). By contrast, green exploration only fully mediates capability antecedents on new product differentiation. Our findings shed new light on exploration and exploitation research that shapes green innovation activities. Further, it contributes greater clarity into how manufacturing enterprises translate their technology and market capabilities into new eco-friendly product advantage. Moreover, the results suggest implications for manufacturers to become both “green and competitive” as well as offer policy-makers insights into shaping programs to assist green innovation.     

The effects of two-way communication and chat service usage on consumer attitudes in the e-commerce retailing sector

In e-commerce retailing (e-retailing), where competitors are only one click away and prices are easy to compare, providing superior customer service and reciprocal communication via a company’s website are important aspects of attracting and retaining customers. One increasingly popular solution to improve customer service is a “live chat” interface that allows consumers to have real-time conversations online with customer service agents. As the literature on the impacts of real-time communication via live chat is currently very limited, this study develops and tests a model that demonstrates the moderating effects of a chat service on the relationship between two-way communication (i.e., a core element of perceived website interactivity) and customer satisfaction, trust, repurchase and word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions. The data for this study were collected via an online survey (N?=?6783) targeting the existing customers of five e-retailers that actively utilize live chats as a customer service tool. The study results show that the extent to which a consumer perceives that an e-retailer is dedicated to fostering two-way communication between the consumer and the seller has significant effects on trust, satisfaction, and repurchase and WOM intentions. Moreover, the results of a multi-group analysis show that the use of a chat service positively moderates these relationships.     

Consumer perception of interface quality, security, and loyalty in electronic commerce

Customer interface quality, perceived security, and customer loyalty are critical factors for success of an e-commerce website; however, the relationships among them are not fully understood. We proposed a model for testing the relationships among them and the important outcomes of the site: switching costs and customer loyalty. Data was collected to test the model using a web-based survey, and empirical analyses were performed using SEM. The analytical results demonstrated that customer interface quality and perceived security positively affected customer satisfaction and switching costs, and thus customer loyalty to an e-commerce website. Specifically, our study showed that switching costs positively moderated the effect of customer satisfaction on customer loyalty; this moderating effect is discussed.     

A methodology to map customer complaints and measure customer satisfaction and loyalty

In this study, an analysis was conducted for the relationships between the main components of customer relationship management (CRM) and customer complaints in the domain of logistics and transport. Today, complaints and the handling of complaints play a pivotal role in customer relationships. Moreover, companies are reluctant to admit that they have difficulties with customers’ complaints, but as yet there appears to be no complete solution to this issue. To remedy this situation, customer complaints must be comprehensively collected and analysed. Issues must be classified, and timely solutions must be developed. In this paper, a conceptual framework is proposed including mathematical models, hypothesised relationships, perceived value and interactivity between customer, business and the system, as well as customer satisfaction analytics. The framework will address the relationship between customer satisfaction issues, loyalty and customer acquisition and estimate customer satisfaction and loyalty. For the purpose of analysis, this study uses both qualitative and quantitative approaches. For data collection, a survey questionnaire was distributed to 60 Fremantle Port logistics and transport customers. For the quantitative approach, linear and nonlinear modelling is adopted. Using the model, we are able to address the shortcomings of CRM technology, and tackle the issues of loyalty improvement and customer acquisition. Finally, based on nonlinear modelling and using a fuzzy inference system, namely the Takagi–Sugeno-type approach, we defined fuzzy rules, by means of which we ascertain the relationship between customer satisfaction and the main relevant variables.     

The influence of technology readiness on satisfaction and behavioral intentions toward self-service technologies

Today’s competitive world is increasingly characterized by technology-assisted services and transactions. Self-service technologies (SSTs) continue to be a critical component of customer–firm interactions but not all customers like to use SSTs or are ready to use them. In this study, we examine the role of customer’s technology readiness (TR) and assess the influence of TR on both satisfaction and behavioral intentions toward SSTs. We first review the relevant literature on technology readiness, satisfaction and behavioral intentions, then explore their relationships, and present our research framework and hypotheses. This model was tested with a sample of 413 consumers. The hypothesized model was statistically significantly supported, indicating that TR does influence customer satisfaction and behavioral intention with SSTs. Implications of the results are then discussed.     

The moderating effect of gender on relationship quality and loyalty toward Internet service providers

Relationship quality – based on Commitment–Trust theory – can explain and predict the success of a relationship between an ISP and its customers, measured in terms of loyalty. We proposed a model to express the relationship and included gender as a moderator in the relationship. We then developed a questionnaire to test the model empirically and used a sample in Spain to check its validity and reliability. Analysis provided strong support for our hypotheses that gender exerted a significant moderating role on our model relationships. The influence of trust on commitment and of commitment on loyalty was significantly stronger for females than males, while the effects of satisfaction on commitment and of trust on loyalty were significantly stronger for males. Implications were drawn for practitioners.     

Customer participation,value co-creation and customer loyalty – A case of airline online check-in system

Information communication technologies and self-service technologies, such as self-check-in kiosks or online check-in systems, are widely used in the air transport industry. This study proposes a conceptual model to investigate the relationships among customer participation, co-created values and customer loyalty in an air transport context, and empirically tests the model by using questionnaire survey data collected from Taiwanese airline passengers. In particular, three perceived values (i.e. enjoyment value, economic value and relational value) are specified to represent the passengers' co-created values. The empirical results support the following hypotheses. Customer participation in using an online check-in system is positively related to all three values, which further lead to satisfaction with respect to the system. System satisfaction is also related to satisfaction with respect to the company, and both system satisfaction and company satisfaction have positive effects on customer loyalty.     

Feedback mechanisms and consumer satisfaction,trust and repurchase intention in online retail

We introduce a key construct, perceived effectiveness of feedback mechanisms (PEFMs), to analyze moderating effects of PEFMs on the relationship between consumers’ satisfaction, trust, and repurchase intention. We find that (1) PEFMs negatively moderate the satisfaction–trust relationship; (2) PEFMs positively moderate the trust–repurchase intention relationship; (3) provider recommendations and customer reviews are complementary with customers’ trust but can substitute for prior experience with products.     

An empirical analysis of effective TQM implementation in the Hong Kong electronics manufacturing industry

The objective of this research is to develop a conceptual model of total quality management (TQM) implementation and test it empirically. The main research problem of this study is to investigate the effect of adopting TQM principles on quality achievement in manufacturing. The hypotheses specifying relationships between the core parts of the model including quality management infrastructure, core quality management practices, quality performance, and customer satisfaction are tested using survey research method. Data were collected from 50 managers of 25 manufacturing companies in Hong Kong. Correlation analysis on the ratings given by two different respondents from the same company shows that employee relations strongly facilitates the use of quality data and reporting, while training supports the function of product design, supplier quality management, and quality data and reporting. The results also indicate that employee relations and training have direct effects on quality performance which, in turn, relates to customer satisfaction. Practitioners are advised to build a supportive environment with a strong emphasis on human and organizational aspects to promote effective TQM implementation. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Toward an Integrated Decision-Making Model for Consumer Electronic

The study proposes an integrated comprehensive consumer decision-making model by extending the customer value, satisfaction, and loyalty framework to include customer experience as an antecedent to creating value and enhancing satisfaction toward technology continuance intention. Our study incorporates perspectives from information systems (IS) and service marketing, where customer value (hedonic and utilitarian) theory and literature on customer experience with perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness as its dimensions are found to be drivers of technology continuance intention for consumer electronics. In addition, partial least squares results from 370 smartphone users indicate that within consumer electronics, price negatively moderates the relationship between utilitarian value and satisfaction but not with hedonic value and satisfaction. Contributions of findings and implications are discussed to provide references for consumer electronic firms in IS and service marketing.     

Constructing online switching barriers: examining the effects of switching costs and alternative attractiveness on e-store loyalty in online pure-play retailers

Developing switching barriers to retain customers has become a critical marketing strategy for online retailers. However, research on the role of switching barriers in e-retailing is still limited. Recent trends show that when competitors are just one click away, it is questionable if customer loyalty can be achieved at all in online environments. This leads to the research question on whether switching barriers have any impact on e-loyalty in pure-play retailers. The paper examines the influence of switching barriers on customer retention (i.e., e-store loyalty) and further investigates the moderating effects of switching costs and alternative attractiveness. Data were gathered via a survey of 590 shoppers of online pure-play retailers in the UK. Findings show that customer satisfaction and the two dimensions of switching barriers (perceived switching costs and perceived attractiveness of alternatives) significantly influence customer loyalty. Contrary to findings in earlier studies, it was found that switching costs did not moderate the relationships between satisfaction and loyalty nor between perceived attractiveness of alternatives and loyalty. The paper makes imperative recommendations to develop switching barriers and to foster loyalty along with suggestions for future research.     

Predicting repurchase intention for online clothing brands in Taiwan: quality disconfirmation,satisfaction, and corporate social responsibility

Electronic Commerce Research - This study examined the antecedents influencing customer satisfaction and repurchase intention for online clothing brands from the viewpoint of...     

基于95598大数据的电力客户满意度分析

客户满意度反映了客户期望值与客户体验的匹配程度,是评价客户服务质量的一个重要指标。在电力客户满意度研究中,最重要的是获取真实的客户满意度评价结果。本文利用电力客户服务所积累的真实业务数据,提出了基于分层结构的客户满意度得分判定方法,该方法具有严谨的三层结构设计,与实际数据紧联系,逻辑逐层递进,互为补充,从而实现了从模糊的满意度评价到直观的满意度得分的顺利转化。随后通过实际应用案例研究,将电力客户满意度评价与具体的业务过程相联系,提出研究技术路线,对抽取的业务数据进行满意度得分转化,并利用R语言挖掘客户满意度较低的深层原因。所提方法突出了电力客户服务测评的综合性,能客观地从用户体验的角度反映服务质量,具有现实应用价值。     

Predicting the adoption of mobile financial services: The impacts of perceived mobility and personal habit

Mobile financial services (MFS) have become a critical issue in the financial sectors. An expanding application of mobile commerce, MFS play an important role in managing customer relationships. Thus, we proposed a model that incorporates three external variables—perceived enjoyment, perceived mobility, and personal habit—into the technology acceptance model (TAM) to assess the antecedents that influence continued usage intention in MFS. In addition, we examined the moderating effect of gender on customer relationships. Structural equation modeling was used, and 368 MFS users were investigated. The findings revealed that perceived mobility, personal habit, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use are the major antecedents that influence continued usage intention in MFS. However, perceived enjoyment is not significantly associated with intention. Moreover, gender moderates the relationships between the variables in the proposed model. Perceived mobility affecting usage intention will be stronger for men than for women, whereas personal habit affecting usage intention will be stronger for women than for men.