Customer e-Loyalty in Online Retailing: Testing a Measurement Scale

Research aim: In recent years, the interest for the activities aimed to nurture a strong relationship among retailers and their customers have increasingly intensified, especially in digital environments. Recently those activities have seen their relevance increased by the growing positive impact of COVID-19 pandemic on online retailing. Working on existing customers rather than capturing new ones is the new imperative for retailers, even if we refer to online platforms, obviously without underestimating the acquisition attempts of new customers. The aim of this study is to test a conceptual model of measurement for Customers e-Loyalty (CeL) in digital context in order to evaluate its impacts on digital retailers (e-commerce retailers, e-banking retailers, e-service providers). Methodology: it has been adopted a component-based Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) on a sample of Italian digital users, who makes online purchases prevalently on Amazon in order to test the CeL scale of measurement as a conceptual (meta) model. A structured questionnaire has been administered online to the consumers through Google Forms. Findings: The study has permitted to get some counterintuitive evidence related to the process of formation of customer loyalty in digital context. The trust isn’t a determinant of CeL and the affective loyalty doesn’t impact any of the elementary dimension of CeL, nor impacts on conative loyalty. Finally, the model has been able to better capture the impact of the individual dimensions of CeL on its outcomes (price sensitiveness, intentional SOW, e-WOM). Theoretical implication and originality: Propose a reliable customer e-loyalty measurement scale in online retailing. The statistical assessment of this conceptual model will permit, in the middle term, also to measure the CeL in several other retailing industries. Furthermore, in a next step, this investigation, could be extended to other geographical settings. Managerial Implication: the better understanding of the relationships among the latent variables and outcomes in the model might encourage the online retailers to figure out appropriate course of actions to win customers’ commitment and satisfaction and to provide better services in order to create a loyal customer base in a digital context

Critical review of the e-loyalty literature: a purchase-centred framework

Over the last few years, the concept of online loyalty has been examined extensively in the literature, and it remains a topic of constant inquiry for both academics and marketing managers. The tremendous development of the Internet for both marketing and e-commerce settings, in conjunction with the growing desire of consumers to purchase online, has promoted two main outcomes: (a) increasing numbers of Business-to-Customer companies running businesses online and (b) the development of a variety of different e-loyalty research models. However, current research lacks a systematic review of the literature that provides a general conceptual framework on e-loyalty, which would help managers to understand their customers better, to take advantage of industry-related factors, and to improve their service quality. The present study is an attempt to critically synthesize results from multiple empirical studies on e-loyalty. Our findings illustrate that 62 instruments for measuring e-loyalty are currently in use, influenced predominantly by Zeithaml et al. (J Marketing. 1996;60(2):31-46) and Oliver (1997; Satisfaction: a behavioral perspective on the consumer. New York: McGraw Hill). Additionally, we propose a new general conceptual framework, which leads to antecedents dividing e-loyalty on the basis of the action of purchase into pre-purchase, during-purchase and after-purchase factors. To conclude, a number of managerial implementations are suggested in order to help marketing managers increase their customers’ e-loyalty by making crucial changes in each purchase stage

Impact of Electronic Word-Of-Mouth on Consumer-Based Brand Equity and Purchase Intention: Hotel Industry in Thailand

Electronic word-of-mouth is a new form of informal communication where messages are disseminated to others using social media and other electronic platforms. This research investigates eWOM to determine its impact on the perception of brand equity and the intentions of consumers to purchase hotel services in Thailand. Using a quantitative approach and a non-probability sampling method, 410 Thai respondents aged 18 and above with relevant hotel experiences participated in this study. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were used to analyze the model fit and the validity and reliability of the variables. In addition, in order to investigate the relationship between the constructs, first-order and second-order approaches were used, in which eWOM was the second-order construct in the study, while its credibility, valence, and volume, were first-order constructs. The findings indicated that eWOM positively affects all brand equity dimensions and purchase intentions, showing the strongest significant positive effect on brand awareness. Additionally, brand equity dimensions were shown to mediate the effect of eWOM on purchase intentions. Details of the analyses and discussions are included in the latter part of this paper

THE ROLE OF BRAND IMAGE MEDIATION ON CONSUMER INTEREST IN CHOOSING UMRAH AND HAJJ SERVICES IN THE NEW NORMAL ERA

Lately, there has been a growing interest in undertaking sustainable global tourism destinations particularly to Saudi Arabia. The benefits can be maximized if the government is successful in attracting present pilgrims and influencing their future intentions to visit the country as tourists through service providers in Muslim countries. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to measure the interest buying of pilgrims for the holy land based on the influence of E-WOM, Price, and Brand Image through the mediation model at PT Andalas Jaya Wisata in the New Normal Era. With a purposive technique with two criteria, it is planned to distribute 99 online questionnaires and direct interviews, then analyze the data with the help of Smart PLS. the results of this study show E-WOM variable on Interest Buying variable has not an effect and Price variable on Interest Buying variable has not an effect

Measuring Perceptions of Consumer Destination Image, Destination Familiarity, E-WOM, Destination Trust with Destination Choices

Current theory in tourism marketing lacks understanding of how businesses signal trust to consumers to make destination-based choices. The present research investigates the role of E-WOM, destination image, familiarity, and trust (as mediator) in destination choice from signaling theory perspective. The theory suggests that there is asymmetric information between the receiver and sender which can be resolved by communicating various positive signals. This study aims to test interrelationships among these variables on destination choice. A random sample of 382 consumers having experience of travelling to the northern areas of Pakistan participated in this study. Data was analyzed through SmartPLS. The research findings highlight relationship among factors which plays a significant role for destination choice. The findings further indicate that destination trust act as a positive signal for consumers which in turn influences their destination choice (consumer perceive). Furthermore, for tourists visiting northern areas of Pakistan positive E-WOM, destination image and familiarity create signals to influence destination trust. Implications of the findings for theory and practices are considered along with future research directions

Impact of Marketing Strategy, Customer Perceived Value, Customer Satisfaction, Trust, and Commitment on Customer Loyalty

This research explored the relationships between the marketing mix, customer perceived value, relationship quality (customer satisfaction, trust, and commitment), and customer loyalty for Taiwanese retail stores. The study employed systematic random sampling to select 593 subjects from the Hanshin department store and the 7-Eleven convenience store, as well as the Wellcome supermarket, the Carrefour hypermarket, and the Costco warehouse club. The final number of usable questionnaires was 500. A four-part questionnaire was employed in this study and included customer shopping characteristic variables, the marketing mix scale, the customer perceived value scale, the relationship quality and customer loyalty scale. Data collected from the questionnaire was analyzed with PASW Statistics 18 to test the hypotheses. Descriptive statistics, internal consistency reliability, exploratory factor analysis, Pearson\u27s correlation, multiple regression and ANOVA statistical operations were performed. The results tested the four hypotheses (3 sub-hypotheses per hypothesis) and determined the answers for the research question. The findings indicated that trust, commitment, price deal and perceived quality significantly and positively influenced customer loyalty, word-of-mouth communication, price insensitivity, and purchase intention. Findings also indicated that distribution intensity had a positive relationship, while advertising spending had a negative relationship with customer word-of-mouth communications. Customer satisfaction was a significant factor only for purchase intention. Taiwanese retail store shoppers are highly trustful and committed to the store. Retailers should deliver more value to shoppers through promotion activities (price deals and advertising campaigns) to build a long-term and mutually profitability relationship with shoppers. The limitations and future research recommendations are also included in this study

The Influence of Innovativeness on Revisit Intention: The Mediating Role of Word-of-Mouth in Augmented Reality for Tourism in Thailand

Purpose:  This study aims to identify the motivational factors that encourage travelers to adopt augmented reality (AR) applications when exploring tourism destinations and to investigate the mediating effects of personal word-of-mouth (WOM) on the relationships between innovativeness and revisit intention outcomes among travelers.   Theoretical framework:  This study developed a conceptual framework that determines travelers’ inclination to use AR applications at tourism destinations, based on three primary variables: Innovativeness, Word-of-Mouth and Revisit Intention.   Design/methodology/approach:  A sample size of 430 was collected through an online self-administered survey. The proposed model was subjected to analysis using the structural equation modeling to examine the mediator effect of Word-of-Mouth.   Findings:  The results of the study indicate that service innovation and technology innovation have a significant and direct impact on travelers' WOM communication regarding their intention to revisit tourist destinations that offer AR applications. The revisit intention towards AR-based tourism applications is indirectly influenced by service innovation as mediated by WOM.   Research, Practical & Social implications:  This current study enhances comprehension of the determinants that drive tourists to utilize AR applications at tourism destinations by integrating established theoretical frameworks and adapting them to the specific context of tourism.   Originality/value:  As prior studies focused on the post-experience aspects of AR adoption, the motivations of travelers to reconsider their intention to use ART in Thailand remained unclear. Insufficient comprehension of tourists' inclination to revisit and utilize AR in Thailand’s tourism destinations may result in the failure of these destinations to attract new or returning visitors, ultimately leading to a decline in revenue

What leads consumers to spread eWOM for Food Ordering Apps?

Restaurants are using innovative ways to engage with consumers using Food Ordering Apps (FOAs). The purpose of this article is to identify the influence of consumers’ eSatisfaction, perceived value, trust, and eLoyalty on eWOM for FOAs in India. The study also verifies if eWOM for FOAs varies based on age, gender, family size, order value, and online shopping experience. The research followed a multi-stage approach. In the first stage, an extensive literature review was conducted to identify the various factors that lead to eWOM. In the second stage, a survey was distributed among the FOA users. 375 responses were obtained. In the third stage, a binary multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the predictive power of the proposed research model. The results indicated that eLoyalty, trust, and perceived value were statistically significant in predicting consumers’ intent to spread eWOM for FOAs. eSatisfaction, age, gender, order value, shopping experience, and family size were insignificant in shaping the customer’s intention to spread eWOM for FOAs. The findings of this study can be used to understand the factors that influence users to spread eWOM for FOAs. Managers in food delivery business can use the findings from this study to address the most relevant constructs shaping eWOM as it has an impact on the survival prospects and profitability of the business