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This exploratory study seeks to explore the link between the choices of payment mode to customer satisfaction. It examines the Austrian market in relation to its choice and usage of debit cards versus credit cards and its impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Furthermore, the study aims to identify the key drivers of customer satisfaction for these two modes of electronic payment.

A structured questionnaire was administered in person to 360 Austrian bank customers. These customers were selected using quota sampling based on Austrian census data for a particular Austrian province. However, while the quota sampling was used to determine the categories, selection of the actual respondents was done through systematic sampling. This ensured that the sample was representative of the population of that Austrian province who had credit and debit cards. One group, women who were 65 and older, were not considered as there were relatively few women in this age range who had debit and credit cards.

Five hypotheses were proposed. Four of the five hypotheses were supported while one, H4, had partial support. Essentially, the results indicate that a person's preference for a particular payment method is dependent on his/her personal characteristics. Additionally, the payment method's features and characteristics influenced its desirability and acceptance. Furthermore, a person's expectations had an impact on his/her attitude toward the payment method. The study also found that positive expectations, performance, and desires led to customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction, in turn, leads to a higher degree of intent to use the payment method and higher degree of intent to recommend the payment method. These results are consistent with the literature on customer satisfaction that identifies expectations, performance and desires as the drivers of customer satisfaction.

Multiple payment modes have emerged but there has been scant attention paid to the effects of payment modes on customer behavior and by extension, customer satisfaction and loyalty. This paper addresses these issues.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how cultural differences affect the perception of a brand.

A study was carried out in six countries among different involvement groups. The study uses Hofstede's cultural dimensions and Aaker's brand personality dimensions to see if brand perceptions of a product are similar among all six countries.

This study provides clear evidence that a same brand is perceived differently in different cultures in spite of its identical positioning. This means that if a firm wishes to achieve the same brand perception in different countries, the firm needs to create brand positioning strategies that emphasize the characteristics that enable consumers to perceive the product in a similar way.

This paper examines the perception of a single brand in the context of cultural dimensions in a global setting – in particular in six countries on three continents.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how firms that do both sourcing and selling choose which countries to source from and to which countries to sell. It also looked at the role of competitive strategy, vertical integration, and foreign involvement in the decision‐making.

A survey instrument that was designed based on personal interviews with 20 German garment industry executives was administered to 750 German, Austrian and Swiss garment manufacturers. In total, 93 questionnaires were usable. Factor analysis was employed in evaluating the data.

The results indicate that firms that both source and sell at the same time have more complex decision making than normative models suggest. These decisions tend not to be isolated decisions. The factors that are considered in sourcing are different in the decision as to where to sell. Foreign involvement, competitive strategy, and vertical integration influence the firms' decision making.

The study is exploratory in nature and it is limited in its application. Moreover, the disproportionately large number of German respondents may skew the results. In addition, the total number of respondents is relatively small. The study may also suffer from any or all of the following deficiencies: lack of reliability and validity test, having only one executive per firm respond to the survey, not considering country‐specific characteristics, and lack of control for the market‐entry strategy and market size variables.

Most research in this area focuses on either the sourcing or the selling side. This study looks at how sourcing and selling decisions are made by firms engaged in both activities. Additionally, the roles of competitive strategy, vertical integration, and foreign involvement in relation to the decision making are investigated.

The purpose of this paper is to examine what factors influence the satisfaction, loyalty, and behavioral intentions of the members of Generation Y with regard to their banking needs.

Using a multiple‐item survey instrument, 242 Austrian respondents were queried on what factors affect their satisfaction, loyalty, and behavioral intentions. Factor analysis and regression analysis are employed in the study.

The study finds differences among the three age groups contained in Generation Y in terms of their sources of information, financial services used, likelihood of switching, and number of banks utilized. In addition, determinants of satisfaction, loyalty, and behavioral intention are primarily affected by satisfaction with employees and services rendered. The results indicate that as young people reach certain milestones, their needs become more multifaceted. Consequently, the determinants of satisfaction also change.

This paper treats Generation Y as a heterogeneous group rather than homogeneous as many studies usually treat this age cohort. Moreover, given that many banks are trying to “grow” markets, this study looks at how the determinant factors change from one stage to another. Financial institutions will benefit from the insight derived from this paper in crafting their marketing strategies. It indicates what seems to be important to each age group in increasing their satisfaction level.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the differences among the different subgroups of the youth market in the context of their financial interests and usage. The study examines what determined their choice of banks. It also looked at what factors influence their satisfaction, loyalty, and behavioral intentions with regard to their banking needs.

Using a multiple‐item survey instrument, 242 Austrian respondents were queried on what factors affect their choice of banks, their choice of financial services, usage patterns, satisfaction, loyalty, and behavioral intentions. Descriptive analysis, factor analysis and cluster analysis were employed in the study. Different tests such as chi‐square tests, discriminant analysis and ANOVA were used to validate the chosen cluster solution.

Differences were found among the four clusters in terms of their interest in financial services, their usage, and their likelihood of switching. In addition, determinants of satisfaction, loyalty, and behavioral intention were primarily affected by satisfaction with employees and services rendered. The results indicate that as young people reach certain milestones, their needs become more multifaceted. Consequently, banks should be aware of these changing needs.

This paper treats the youth market as a heterogeneous group rather than homogenous as many studies usually treat this age cohort. Moreover, given that many banks are trying to “grow” markets, the paper looks at how the determinant factors change from one stage to another. Financial institutions will benefit from the insight derived from this paper in crafting their marketing strategies. It indicates what seems to be important to each age group in increasing their satisfaction level.

Relatively scant attention thus far has been accorded in the marketing literature to the examination and explanation of return behaviour of consumers, especially within the mail order industry. The issues examined here consist of the nature and influence of such factors as “buying experience”, “perceived risk”, and “return frequency”. The aim of this paper is to analyse four groups of returners (“heavy returners”, “medium returners”, “light returners”, and “occasional returners”).

This paper details an empirical study of return behaviour based on a field survey that was conducted specifically focusing on the apparel category. Exploratory factor analyses and analyses of variance (ANOVA) have been employed to test the proposed hypotheses.

Results show that there exist different reasons for returns among the four groups of returners. In particular, they differ in their initial shopping motivation for mail order purchases, their group‐specific reasons for product returns, and also in their spending patterns.

These are discussed within the body of the paper.

A number of meaningful implications for mail‐order firms are developed from the empirical findings. While product returners have been thought to be an amorphous category (akin to a “black box”) in the past, this paper highlights the disparate motives for making returns. Specific prescriptions are provided regarding the management of product description, consumer return policy, and the handling of consumer perceived risk.

This paper contributes toward the evolving literature of consumer return behaviour in the context of distance purchasing and also by taking into consideration the heterogeneity of return groups. It looks at the characteristics of the return groups and how they differ in their prior motives of making their purchase decisions.