Positive crossover loyalty shifts or negative temporal changes? The evolution of shopping mechanism in the O2O era

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how customers encounter consumption-based evolution between mobile and offline platforms together with temporal and crossover effects. Counter to research on customer satisfaction theory, which shows that satisfaction directly affects loyalty, the authors show that when shopping between mobile and offline platforms, customers differently evaluate loyalty compared to the traditional satisfaction and loyalty approach. Also, customers differently evaluate three types of service quality from online to offline (O2O) platforms and response dynamically to firm satisfaction and loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach

This study tests temporal, carryover and crossover effects using longitudinal data sets.

Findings

From crossover loyalty shifts, the findings show that the relationship between offline provider satisfaction (OS) and mobile provider loyalty (ML) during consumption periods is consistently significant with similar impact. However, mobile provider satisfaction (MS) during the same periods does not impact offline provider loyalty (OL) in the same manner, but differs considerably in terms of pattern of influence. Specifically, the findings show that this crossover effect increases over time even though statistical impact is insignificant. Thus, the carryover loyalty shift has a positive impact when it originally occurs in the offline platform but differs significantly when it originates via the mobile platform. Practical implications – this study offers valuable guidance to managers on how O2O platform-centric firms try to enhance satisfaction with consumption system that links to three types of service quality and loyalty.

Research limitations/implications

This study offers valuable insights into offline and ML. This is seen, however, as an experimental study and further research using the same method would enable cross-cultural comparators.

Practical implications

Insights can be drawn from the findings, enabling comparisons relative to service quality-satisfaction-loyalty linkage across dual platforms. The idea of evolution and progression over time is particular pertinent to business practice assuming data sets are gathered, maintained and analyzed.

Originality/value

Insights can be used from the research findings, including but not limited to comparing the service quality-satisfaction-loyalty linkage across dual platforms and providing firms with an explanation of temporal evolution.

Citation

Ha, H.-Y. and Kitchen, P.J. (2020), "Positive crossover loyalty shifts or negative temporal changes? The evolution of shopping mechanism in the O2O era", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 54 No. 6, pp. 1383-1405. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-08-2018-0593