Search results

This paper builds a theoretical argument of how the Internet increases the scope for disintermediation and analyzes the changes in the structure of transaction costs in the case of retailing. The paper treats the Internet as a low‐cost selling technology that needs substantial customers acceptance and a specific business model in order to be a viable alternative to traditional retailing. The proposed model predicts that different types of traditional retailers follow different strategies with respect to e‐commerce depending on their pre‐Internet market positioning. These conclusions are supported by empirical evidence from the adoption strategies, followed by a sample of well‐established U.S.‐based retailers. This study shows that retailers whose traditional selling technology is best approximated by e‐commerce are more likely to be among the first to reap the benefits of low‐cost online distribution.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of national culture on the diffusion process of business‐to‐consumer (B2C) e‐commerce using Hall's cultural classifications and Hofstede's multicultural framework.

Time‐series secondary data across 58 countries were utilized and independent samples t‐test and nonparametric correlation analyses were conducted to test the proposed hypotheses.

Results of the study suggest that high‐context and polychronic cultures are more conducive to the adoption and diffusion of internet retailing. An unexpected finding is evidence of the significant positive impact of uncertainty avoidance on B2C e‐commerce adoption.

Based on the empirical findings of the study, managerial implications are derived. These insights may help global internet marketers predict B2C e‐commerce adoption and diffusion across countries and formulate more effective online marketing and communication strategies by accommodating for cultural influences during the diffusion process. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.

This study is among the few large‐scale empirical studies attempting to establish the importance of understanding cultural influences on consumers’ online purchasing behavior across countries.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the dimensions of the e-fulfillment process and its influence on customers in pure e-tailing; to classify the pertinent literature that has evolved over time addressing relevant managerial issues; and to identify the gaps between the practices prevalent in the e-fulfillment and those suggested by academicians to develop insights for future research.

A critical systemic literature review approach was used for the study with quantitative and qualitative analysis.

The authors identified seven dimensions of e-fulfillment in the literature on pure e-tailing: e-business quality, product quality, pricing, availability, timeliness, condition and ease of return and explored its linkages with shopping satisfaction and repurchase intention of customers in e-tailing.

The study was skewed toward an empirical approach. The study does not include many of the analytical models in this space.

This study helps e-tailers, academicians and practitioners understand critical dimensions of e-fulfillment and its influence on customers in the pure e-tailing setting in order to design customer-centric e-fulfillment architecture.

The study identified seven dimensions of e-fulfillment in the literature and explored its influence on shopping satisfaction and repurchase intention of customers in pure e-tailing. This is the first compilation of standalone/isolated studies available in the literature to provide e-tailers and academicians meaningful insights into e-fulfillment in the pure e-tailing setting.

Luxury goods manufacturers have long been hesitant to adopt the internet as a channel of distribution. A luxury brand’s concept of exclusiveness is seemingly incompatible with the ubiquitous accessibility provided by the mass medium internet. The purpose of this paper is to address the apparent contradiction by examining consumer responses to the online accessibility and price display of luxury goods.

Three studies are presented: first, a qualitative pre-study with luxury industry experts is conducted to identify the current managerial discussion on the online distribution of luxury goods. Second, an experiment with 183 high-income individuals is conducted to test the effects of online accessibility on consumer perceived scarcity and desirability. Third, a second experiment with 142 qualified luxury insiders is conducted to test consumer responses to the online accessibility and price display of luxury goods.

Results indicate that the online accessibility of luxury goods does not affect consumer perceived scarcity and, hence, does not dilute brand desirability. This “no-dilution” finding applies to both high- and low-involvement goods and persists independently of whether or not retail prices are explicitly displayed.

Whether or not to sell luxury goods online has been controversially discussed among both marketing scholars and executives. To the authors’ knowledge, the present paper is the first to empirically examine consumer responses to the online accessibility and price display of luxury goods.

This study aims to examine gender differences in the impact of imagining product use on purchase decisions. The authors argue that while imagination can enhance purchase intention for female consumers, it can be detrimental to male consumers. This study explores the conditions under which imagination can be turned into a positive device for male consumers.

Three experimental studies were conducted. The first two studies illustrate the differential effects of imagination on males vs females. Given the negative effect found among males, the third study focused exclusively on male consumers to identify conditions under which the negative impact of imagination on these consumers can be alleviated.

Studies 1 and 2 show that while an imagination tactic has positive or no effect on female consumers, a generic imagination request lowers male consumers’ purchase intention. Focusing on potential ways of alleviating this negative effect, Study 3 shows that for males without prior brand ownership experience, imagining product use in a less-typical context can increase purchase intention.

The results provide evidence that gender impacts the effectiveness of imagination in improving product evaluation. Furthermore, the context of imagination and previous brand experience can be used together to determine how male consumers respond to imagination.

The study’s findings warn against the blind use of imagination tactics. Instead, retailers need to customize imagination tactics based on gender, previous brand experience and product usage context.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first papers to examine the impact of gender on the influence of imagination on product evaluation.

The rapid development of electronic commerce (e‐commerce) has seen emerging electronic service retailers attracting the interest of, and gaining the patronage of, both service providers and customers. However, there is consensus that the e‐commerce industry in general has not been able to cope with all the challenges of, and to realise the true potential of, the technology‐based marketplace. Through an extensive literature review and the use of industry examples, this article brings together existing theories and new realities in the emerging electronic market. Argues that, although the Internet marketplace possesses unique characteristics, which Web‐based businesses must be able to manage, there are certain traditional values that remain central to business success in all markets. Offers a detailed analysis of the various factors that influence the market success of an electronic service retailer and provides specific managerial implications for practitioners.

Examines the importance of e‐commerce in the retail economy. The analysis is placed in the broader context of economic and social change and provides a theoretical framework for evaluating the growth of e‐commerce as a major distribution channel. By exploring the results of the recently released “Household Internet survey of Canadian households”, the paper documents the actual shopping behaviour of Internet shoppers from a variety of perspectives. The Canadian experience should provide analysis with a series of benchmarks and trends on which to evaluate the adoption of e‐commerce in other markets.

Suning Group launched Suning.com when its chain stores were developing at the highest speed, realizing the transformation to an Internet retailer. Suning continued to follow the growth strategy of “Technological transformation and Smart Services”, and was renamed Suning Commerce Co. Ltd. It launched a business model of “e-commerce + stores + retail service providers”. Riding on the brand new O2O business model, Suning is thinking and practicing from simple donation to actual implementation, from constructing public welfare network to extending CSR ecosystem in a bid to advance towards deeper and more extensive Internet economy, and to create greater social value.

China became the second largest Internet market and the biggest mobile phone market in the world in 2002. It is estimated that with China’s entry to the WTO, its commitments to liberalization in the telecommunication and financial services sectors will spur e‐commerce development in this country. The growing popularity of the telephone, the increased number of internet users, and the extensive competition in the telecommunications industry are all prerequisites for E‐commerce development, but they do not indicate the existence of expansion of the same pace in e‐commerce. There are multiple factors that contribute to the slow development of e‐commerce in China. The focus of e‐commerce in China will be different than it is in Europe and America because of the difference in traditional business models, conventional consumer behaviors, and consumer expectations. This paper analyzes the factors that have significant impact on the E‐commerce development. The paper is aimed to help businesses that want to expand e‐business in China to understand China’s e‐commerce development, its uniqueness, and its obstacles.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the pervasiveness of food delivery apps (FDAs) and the increased scholars’ attention for the topic of FDA continuance usage intention. However, the limited understanding about possible segments of FDA users has hindered food retailers from providing FDAs with a personalized manner, which impairs the effectiveness of marketing strategies. Thus, this study aims to first explore key antecedents of users’ continuance intention toward FDAs and then segment and profile Taiwanese users based on the identified antecedents of FDA continuance intention and demographics.

An online survey was implemented to collect responses from FDA users in Taiwan. With a response rate of 82.4%, the final sample of 326 respondents (average age = 28.3; female = 54.9%) was analyzed by using two techniques of structural equation modeling (SEM) and cluster analysis.

The results indicate six antecedents of users’ continuance usage intention towards FDAs, including information quality, system quality, information quality, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment and satisfaction. Additionally, three distinct clusters of FDA users are successfully identified, labeled as “value sensitive users”, “time-sensitive users” and “security sensitive users”.

This study is one of the pioneers that explores the possible segments in FDA market, which helps FDA providers and food retailers develop more focused and appropriate strategies to encourage users to continue using FDAs. Our findings contribute to building an optimized version of “FDA Tech” that becomes an omni-channel solution to serve the increased home-delivery needs in the new normal era.