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1 – 10 of 17Sarah Amsl, Iain Watson, Christoph Teller and Steve Wood
Online shoppers make product purchase decisions based on product information shown on a retailer's website and potentially in comparison to that seen on competitors' websites…
Abstract
Purpose
Online shoppers make product purchase decisions based on product information shown on a retailer's website and potentially in comparison to that seen on competitors' websites. Insufficient, poor quality or missing information about a product can lead to reduced retailer sales. Measuring online product information quality (PIQ) is therefore an essential element in helping retailers maximize their potential success. This paper aims (1) to identify directly quantifiable PIQ criteria, (2) to assess the effects of PIQ and (3) to evaluate the moderating effect of product involvement.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a scenario-based experiment within 3,544 do-it-yourself (DIY) online shoppers from the United Kingdom (UK). Within an 8 × 2 × 2 between-subjects design, the authors manipulated the factors PIQ criteria (8), PIQ level (2) and product type (2).
Findings
The findings support that poor PIQ has a negative impact on consumers online shopping outcomes. The authors also found that the effects of PIQ differ between the various criteria, the product category and the level of consumer involvement in the selling process. In the context of product depiction, title readability and product attribute comparability with other retailers' websites a high level of PIQ is required. Moreover, high involvement products need a higher level of PIQ than low involvement products.
Originality/value
This research expands website quality and service failure literature by introducing PIQ criteria and its effects in the context of online retailing. The authors also establish actionable managerial recommendations to assist retailers to embrace and utilize PIQ to better understand their own potential website and thus business improvements.
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Betsy Stringam and John Gerdes
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how well hotel website load time performance compared against customer expectation benchmarks. In a competitive market, service…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how well hotel website load time performance compared against customer expectation benchmarks. In a competitive market, service interactions are important. As customers move to mobile devices, the time to load a website is a critical part of the service delivery. Long load times can lead to poor service experiences, customer frustration and lost business. Hotel website load times on both mobile and desktop devices were examined and compared to service expectations.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used an online service to assess and compare website load performance using both desktop and mobile devices for 259 international hotel company and sub-brand websites.
Findings
The time to load hotel websites was significantly slower on mobile devices compared to desktops. Load times on both platforms exceeded 3 s, which is considered best practice. Long load times represent a service gap and can cause dissatisfaction resulting in a potential customer abandoning the website for a competitor’s site, thus affecting sales.
Research limitations/implications
While the population for the study was robust in size and contained most of the major hotel companies worldwide, it was not exhaustive. Data also represent a snapshot and will change over time. Load times vary based on test location, access device and network traffic. Additionally, web page load times and customer expectations will change as technology evolves.
Originality/value
Increased use of mobile devices for hotel reservations increases the importance of mobile service delivery. This is the first known study to measure hotel website load times for mobile devices, and to examine both mobile and desktop performance against best practice. The results of this study highlight a service gap, which can lead to loss of business. Given the consistency of the results, the authors suspect that this is an issue that has not been recognized within the industry. This study is valuable because it exposes an issue of website design not generally addressed in the hospitality industry, even though tools are available to monitor site performance.
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Alberto Guillén Perales, Francisco Liébana-Cabanillas, Juan Sánchez-Fernández and Luis Javier Herrera
The aim of this research is to assess the influence of the underlying service quality variable, usually related to university students' perception of the educational experience…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this research is to assess the influence of the underlying service quality variable, usually related to university students' perception of the educational experience. Another aspect analysed in this work is the development of a procedure to determine which variables are more significant to assess students' satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to achieve both goals, a twofold methodology was approached. In the first phase of research, an assessment of the service quality was performed with data gathered from 580 students in a process involving the adaptation of the SERVQUAL scale through a multi-objective optimization methodology. In the second phase of research, results obtained from students were compared with those obtained from the teaching staff at the university.
Findings
Results from the analysis revealed the most significant service quality dimensions from the students' viewpoint according to the scores that they provided. Comparison of the results with the teaching staff showed noticeable differences when assessing academic quality.
Originality/value
Significant conclusions can be drawn from the theoretical review of the empirical evidences obtained through this study helping with the practical design and implementation of quality strategies in higher education especially in regard to university education.
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Ivan Russo, Nicolò Masorgo and David M. Gligor
Given increasing customer expectations and disturbances to product returns management, capabilities such as supply chain resilience (SCR) can complement service recovery…
Abstract
Purpose
Given increasing customer expectations and disturbances to product returns management, capabilities such as supply chain resilience (SCR) can complement service recovery strategies in retail supply chains. This study utilizes procedural justice theory (PJT) to conceptualize service recovery resilience as a capability that allows firms to meet customer requirements when dealing with disruptions, and empirically investigates its impact on procedural and interactional justice and customer outcomes (i.e. satisfaction and loyalty) in the context of product replacement.
Design/methodology/approach
This research employs two scenario-based experiments using a sample of 368 customers to explore the outcomes associated with service recovery resilience.
Findings
The investigation shows more satisfied and loyal customers when a retail supply chain can overcome service recovery challenges through SCR. The study shows that customers evaluate not only the process itself, but also their interactions with the retailer. Specifically, procedural justice and interactional justice have a significant influence on these relationships.
Originality/value
This study proposes service recovery resilience as a concept that bridges service recovery theory with supply chain strategy in the unique context of product replacement. Further, this study also notes how information enhances customer satisfaction with the retailer's effort to address disturbances in the recovery process. Finally, this study informs managers on the capabilities needed to face new customers' needs.
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Muhammad Asif Zaheer, Tanveer Muhammad Anwar, Zoia Khan, Muhammad Ali Raza and Hira Hafeez
This study aims to investigate the different attributes of electronic commerce (e-commerce) that determine perceived value and electronic loyalty (e-loyalty) among consumers of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the different attributes of electronic commerce (e-commerce) that determine perceived value and electronic loyalty (e-loyalty) among consumers of online food delivery applications (OFDAs). In this globalized world and competitive environment, e-commerce demands have increased and organizations are giving special attention to web development, website design and functions to hold the current consumers with sustainable performance in the globalized and competitive environment. Almost every industry has been affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and changed the way of operational work in many industries. Similarly, the food industry is facing serious challenges and now restaurants started heavily depending on OFDAs.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was quantitative and data were collected from 509 consumers of the district of Rawalpindi, Punjab Pakistan by using a convenience sampling technique who was the users of OFDAs to evaluate the proposed research model. Confirmatory factor analysis was applied to evaluate the validity of the constructs, and structural equation modeling was employed to test the model through Smart-PLS.
Findings
Our findings revealed that perceived value has a substantial positive impact on electronic loyalty (e-loyalty). Moreover, results confirmed that perceived value mediates the relationship of electronic privacy (e-privacy), electronic security (e-security), electronic payment (e-payment), usability and electronic innovativeness (e-innovativeness) with e-loyalty.
Research limitations/implications
This study added to the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and technology acceptance model (TAM) by exploring consumers’ intentions for using OFDAs in the framework of e-commerce attributes, perceived value and e-loyalty. Similarly, the study enabled the author to learn more about how people would use the information system after successfully applying the UTAUT.
Practical implications
This study has significant implications for web developers, application designers, food delivery companies, restaurants and other businesses. Subsequently, it indicates the importance of the incredible attractiveness of OFDAs in boosting users’ intentions to keep using the application.
Originality/value
This research contributes substantially to OFDAs efforts to continuously increase its meal service platform and improve client satisfaction which resulted in repurchase intent. In addition, the research facilitates OFDA firms to enhance the features of their applications according to clients.
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Bernd F. Reitsamer, Nicola E. Stokburger-Sauer and Janina S. Kuhnle
Effective customer journey design (ECJD) is considered a key variable in customer experience management and an essential source of brand meaning and pro-brand behavior. Although…
Abstract
Purpose
Effective customer journey design (ECJD) is considered a key variable in customer experience management and an essential source of brand meaning and pro-brand behavior. Although previous research has confirmed its importance for driving brand attitudes and loyalty, the role of consumer-brand identification as a social identity-based influence in this relationship has not yet been discussed. Drawing on construal level and social identity theories, this paper aims to investigate whether effective journeys and the resulting overall journey experience are equally powerful in driving brand loyalty among customers with different levels of consumer-brand identification.
Design/methodology/approach
The present article develops and tests a research model using data from the European and US service sectors (N = 1,454) to investigate how and when ECJD affects service brand loyalty.
Findings
Across two cultural contexts, four service industries and 33 service brands, the results reveal that ECJD is a crucial driver of service brand loyalty for customers with low consumer-brand identification. Moreover, the findings show that different aspects of journey effectiveness positively impact the valence of customers’ experience related to those journeys – a process that is ultimately decisive for their brand loyalty.
Originality/value
This study is unique because it generates theoretical and practical knowledge by combining the literature streams of customer journey design, customer experience and branding. Furthermore, this work demonstrates that consumer-brand identification is a critical boundary condition to be considered in the relationship between ECJD and brand loyalty in services.
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Eduardo Parra-Lopez, José Alberto Martínez-González and Angel Chinea-Martin
The purpose of this paper is to determine the drivers of the formation of e-loyalty in a tourist destination, providing a model composed of variables that are under the control of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the drivers of the formation of e-loyalty in a tourist destination, providing a model composed of variables that are under the control of the firm along with others that are not fully controllable by professionals.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was carried out with a sample of 497 subjects, university students and online consumers, and with the use of structural equations (partial least squares).
Findings
Results show that young people give a high valuation to all the variables used in the research. These results contribute to the literature on e-loyalty in tourism destinations and improve tourism loyalty in this population segment.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of this research has been related to the number of variables and measurement indicators that, according to the literature review, influence e-loyalty. Finally, a balanced and statistically significant model has been developed that has practical utility and analyzes online purchase of tourism products from a process perspective that includes variables that are internal and external to the firm.
Practical implications
The study suggests that young people have a favourable attitude and predisposition towards e-commerce, which, in turn, favours firms’ efforts to promote consumption and loyalty within the framework of the model’s variables.
Originality/value
This research paper has important value by analysing the initiating variables to determine how e-loyalty can be managed in tourist destinations, in addition to analysing an important segment for future tourism development.
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Riad Shams, Antonino Galati, Darko Vukovic and Giuseppe Festa