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1 – 10 of over 56000Limited attention has been given to the stability of the dimensions of quality across different types of internet retailing. This study aims to identify four distinct categories…
Abstract
Purpose
Limited attention has been given to the stability of the dimensions of quality across different types of internet retailing. This study aims to identify four distinct categories of internet retailing, develops a separate quality measurement scale for each category, then compares the dimensions of quality that emerged for each context.
Design/methodology/approach
Four category‐specific quality measurement scales (or RECIPE scales) were developed, one for each Fulfilment‐Product type of internet retailing. The scales were administered to 1,262 internet shoppers, then the data were used to refine and assess the statistical properties of each instrument. A cross‐category review of the refined quality dimensions was performed.
Findings
All four categories of internet retailing involve the quality dimensions of customer service and security. However, the dimensions of quality associated with selecting, paying for and obtaining products vary according to the type of product that is purchased (goods versus services) and the fulfilment method (offline versus electronic).
Research limitations/implications
There are four category‐specific variations of internet retailing quality. This study provides a framework for distinguishing and measuring each variation.
Practical implications
The “one‐size‐fits‐all” approach to measuring and managing internet retailing quality is not sufficient. Managers should develop quality management strategies that cater to the purchase and fulfilment requirements of customers in their type of internet retailing.
Originality/value
This study delineates internet retailing into four categories and presents a quality measurement scale for each category. This includes scales for three categories where such instruments do not otherwise exist.
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Sheng-Wei Lin, Eugenia Y. Huang and Kai-Teng Cheng
This study employed the commitment–trust theory in social psychology and relationship marketing to explore female customers' perception of channel integration quality in…
Abstract
Purpose
This study employed the commitment–trust theory in social psychology and relationship marketing to explore female customers' perception of channel integration quality in omnichannel retailing and its influence on their relationship commitment to and trust in the relationship with retailers, and thus on their stickiness. Channel integration quality consists of two dimensions: channel service configuration (channel choice breadth and channel service transparency) and integrated interactions (content consistency, process consistency and perceived fluency).
Design/methodology/approach
The study was carried out via a questionnaire survey, to which 868 valid responses were collected. The partial least squares technique was used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
Channel service transparency and perceived fluency influence relationship commitment; content consistency, process consistency and perceived fluency all have significant effects on trust. Interestingly, although less influential than integrated interactions, channel service configuration is the foundation of channel integration quality, testifying to its significant role.
Originality/value
This study provides strong evidence on how channel integration quality affects customer stickiness. Moreover, this study replicates the finding of significant relationships among relationship commitment, trust and stickiness in omnichannel retailing.
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Eleonora Pantano, Constantinos Vasilios Priporas and Charles Dennis
This study develops the idea of smart retailing, exemplified in innovative, technology-enriched retail services as part of service-oriented strategies. In particular, the purpose…
Abstract
Purpose
This study develops the idea of smart retailing, exemplified in innovative, technology-enriched retail services as part of service-oriented strategies. In particular, the purpose of this paper is to provide a new integrated framework to understand the emerging retail scenario based on the smart usage of technologies to improve retail service and develop innovation management strategies. This framework will provide a comprehensive understanding the basic forms of smart retailing as the current competitive scenario.
Design/methodology/approach
As a viewpoint, this paper employs an interdisciplinary approach, drawing upon the actual challenges in retailing, to propose a new perspective, the smart retailing one, to describe the new competitive scenario and formulates an emerging research agenda.
Findings
The present paper contributes to research on innovation and technology management for retailing by examining the key dimensions of smart retailing, which aims to enhancing retail service quality and retailers’ performance.
Originality/value
The paper clearly explains how current retailing is moving to a smart perspective, and how retail management should be adapted to successfully perform in the current service-dominant logic scenario, as consequence of the increasing consumer involvement in service co-production and the rapid growth of digital technologies.
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Helen White and Elizabeth Daniel
In the wake of some fairly spectacular “dot.com” crashes in the recent past, it is appropriate to open debate on the success (or otherwise) of new Internet “start‐ups” versus…
Abstract
In the wake of some fairly spectacular “dot.com” crashes in the recent past, it is appropriate to open debate on the success (or otherwise) of new Internet “start‐ups” versus large incumbent conventional industry players (in retailing) starting their own Internet activities as separate “bolt‐on” businesses (and new distribution/communication channels.) This paper examines exploratory interviews with senior managers from a selection of “established” organisations in contrasting retailing sectors. Its purpose is to explore the challenges and issues faced by these large retailing organisations in establishing competitive Internet businesses. Insights and reflections are provided for other managers who are also following this line of business expansion. Some of the companies that participated in the research include Dell Corporation, IBM, Tesco Direct, Lotus Notes, Interflora, Flying Flowers, Virgin, Charles Schwab, Waterstones and Thomas Cook.
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Mark B. Kolesar and R. Wayne Galbraith
There has been an explosion in the number of retail Web sites since 1995, e‐retail offering shares a few common elements specifically a product search facility (often augmented by…
Abstract
There has been an explosion in the number of retail Web sites since 1995, e‐retail offering shares a few common elements specifically a product search facility (often augmented by a product evaluation facility), an on‐line purchase function and a product delivery capability. There is a body of theory and empirical research in the study of customer loyalty drivers in the services sector, which demonstrates that customers evaluate services on the basis of tangibles, responsiveness, empathy, assurance, reliability and control. These service qualities depend on the customer’s perception of the overall service experience. The most influential element in the service experience is the relationship between the service provider and the customer. The Internet is a poor service delivery medium, it lacks the capacity for direct personal interaction enjoyed by non‐Internet based services. Sets out a number of marketing and Website design implications for e‐retailers and suggests means by which e‐retailers can manage customer perceptions to increase sales and develop greater customer loyalty.
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Sporting goods retailing is a significant sector within the sport industry with the total revenue of this sector reaching $52.2 billion in 2018. Beset with formidable competition…
Abstract
Purpose
Sporting goods retailing is a significant sector within the sport industry with the total revenue of this sector reaching $52.2 billion in 2018. Beset with formidable competition, sporting goods stores are compelled to augment their merchandise with service and improve retail quality. The purpose of this study is to investigate retail quality of sporting goods stores (RQSGS).
Design/methodology/approach
Based on 27,793 online reviews of 1481 stores in the United States, this study used Leximancer 4.0, a text mining software, to identify critical retail quality dimensions associated with sporting goods stores, and further explored the most salient dimensions among different levels of ratings.
Findings
Customer service and store aspects are the two higher-order dimensions of RQSGS; holistic experience, manager and staff are three themes under customer service, and product, B&M store and online–offline integration are three themes under store aspects. Furthermore, extreme reviews focus more on customer service, whereas lukewarm reviews focus more on store aspects.
Practical implications
Knowledgeable staff, managers and online–offline integration are instrumental in creating superior retail quality. Sporting goods stores should enhance hedonic and social values for consumers in order to ward off online competitions.
Originality/value
This study explored retail quality dimensions that are pertinent to sporting goods retailing utilizing text mining methods. This study to certain extent cross-validated the existing retailing literature that is developed on alternative methods.
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Reihaneh Alsadat Tabaeeian, Majid Mohammad Shafiee and Azarnoush Ansari
This paper aims to develop a validated scale that can help in measuring the gamified e-service quality (GE-SQ) in the e-retailing industry.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to develop a validated scale that can help in measuring the gamified e-service quality (GE-SQ) in the e-retailing industry.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses a mixed-method approach to develop and validate a scale for GE-SQ. First, reviewing the literature and interviewing with 14 experts were conducted to explore the initial items and themes. A sample of 215 participants was collected from online customers in Iran. Explanatory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to this sample to validate the categorized themes. Next, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to confirm the validity of the established dimensions by a sample of 549 online customers.
Findings
The results extracted 26 items and categorized them to 6 dimensions. “Ease of use”, “reliability”, “emotional appeal”, “interactivity”, “security” and “visual appeal” have been identified as the dimensions of the GE-SQ scale in the e-retailing industry. The validity of the developed scale containing 6 dimensions and 26 items was confirmed.
Originality/value
This research identified GE-SQ as a valid and reliable scale with six dimensions for measuring e-service quality in e-retailing. This finding has made significant academic contributions to the service quality and the retailing literature.
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Lauren M. Trabold, Gregory R. Heim and Joy M. Field
The online retail industry is enormous, covering a great assortment of products and services. Yet, little research has examined whether determinants of success in online retailing…
Abstract
Purpose
The online retail industry is enormous, covering a great assortment of products and services. Yet, little research has examined whether determinants of success in online retailing are similar or differ by industry sector. The purpose of this study is to examine industry sectors separately to distinguish drivers associated with overall satisfaction for the online consumers in those sectors.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses ridge regression to examine how e‐service quality dimensions are associated with overall customer satisfaction for several e‐retailing sectors.
Findings
While several e‐service quality dimensions exhibit a similar impact across all sectors, several other dimensions exhibited sector‐by‐sector differences. The drivers that frequently differ across sectors include price perceptions, ease of returns and refunds, and privacy experience.
Research limitations/implications
As an exploratory study, research opportunities and limitations derive from the public source of data, sample sizes within some of the sectors, and the ridge regression methodology.
Practical implications
Related prior research examined individual e‐retailing sectors, leading to scattered sets of findings that cannot be triangulated. The research allows for comparison by the manager, and presents empirical insights for managers in several e‐retail sectors.
Originality/value
This paper is one of only a few studies to examine a consistent set of e‐service quality measures on a sector‐by‐sector basis. The paper is also unique in that it uses publicly available data sources to examine these relationships, providing managers with insights on how they might analyze such public data sets for their own usage.
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Achchuthan Sivapalan and Charles Jebarajakirthy
Enhancing retailing service quality (RSQ) serves as a basic strategy for gaining competitive advantage in the retailing industry and enables retailers to make a loyal customer…
Abstract
Purpose
Enhancing retailing service quality (RSQ) serves as a basic strategy for gaining competitive advantage in the retailing industry and enables retailers to make a loyal customer base. The purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically investigate a comprehensive mechanism for enhancing customer loyalty to retail stores via service quality practices. This study suggests information on retailers can be the antecedent of the RSQ and its dimensions, thereby proposing a comprehensive mechanism for enhancing customer loyalty to retailers.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were collected using questionnaire surveys from 2,375 customers of three main supermarkets in Sri Lanka. After testing the measurement model, two structural models were run to test hypotheses.
Findings
The findings showed that the RSQ positively influenced customer loyalty. From all the RSQ dimensions, the store’s physical aspects, personal interaction and policy had a significant influence on customer loyalty. The findings also demonstrated that information on retailers contributes to enhancing a customer’s favorable evaluation of the supermarket’s physical aspects, personal interaction and retailing policy.
Research limitations/implications
This study was conducted with supermarket customers in one country using the cross-sectional data. Hence, the model should be replicated among retail customers in other countries with the longitudinal data.
Practical implications
Practically, this study recommends to retailers which dimensions of service quality they need to focus to enhance customer loyalty to their business. The study furthermore recommends certain dimensions that need to be emphasized while retailers design their promotional and communication programs.
Originality/value
Information on retailers has been suggested as an antecedent for enhancing supermarkets’ service quality practices. Thus, this study proposes a comprehensive mechanism for enhancing customer loyalty to retailers via service quality practices.
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Bruce R. Klemz, Christo Boshoff and Noxolo‐Eileen Mazibuko
The purpose of this study is to assess differences between the guidance offered by cultural studies in the services literature and the retailing literature for emerging markets…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to assess differences between the guidance offered by cultural studies in the services literature and the retailing literature for emerging markets. To research these differences, the role that the contact person has towards South African township residents' willingness to buy is to be assessed.
Design/methodology/approach
A services quality survey of black (ethnic Xhosa) township residents was performed for two different retail types: new, small, independently owned grocery retailers located within the townships, and established, large, national chains located within the city centres. The influence of these services quality measures on willingness to buy was assessed using the partial least squares method for each of the two retail types. Differences between the model parameters for these two retail types were assessed using ANOVA.
Findings
The results show that, consistent with the retailing literature, the contact people in these new, small, local and independently owned retailers focus extensively on empathy to influence willingness to buy, while the contact people in the large, traditionally white‐owned national retailers jointly focus on assurance and responsiveness to influence willingness to buy, and spend very little effort on empathy.
Research limitations/implications
Research implications are based on the usefulness of supporting theory, namely that the guidance offered by the cultural studies in the retailing literature is more predictive than that in the services literature for the emerging South African retailing market.
Practical implications
It is found that core elements in relationship marketing are well ingrained in collectivist Xhosa cultural norms. The results suggest that these cultural norms can, and should, be leveraged by the new independently owned grocery retailers.
Originality/value
The research addresses a key concern within emerging markets and offers practical help for retail development within this dynamic economic setting.
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