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

Can ubiquity moderate m-banking resource-related negative effects?

El objetivo de este estudio es explorar la influencia de los inconvenientes de la banca móvil relacionados con la falta de recursos en la satisfacción de los clientes, su disposición a recibir marketing móvil de permiso y la emisión de boca-oreja. Analizando una muestra de 1429 usuarios de banca móvil, determinamos que la satisfacción de los clientes influye en su disposición a recibir marketing móvil de permiso y emitir boca-oreja, mientras que la disposición a recibir marketing móvil de permiso tiene un efecto positivo sobre la emisión de boca-oreja. Siendo la ubicuidad un atributo distintivo de la banca móvil, observamos su papel moderador, identificando que hay clientes que consideran la ubicuidad como una característica importante de la banca móvil, mientras que otros no la consideran relevante. Este estudio propone recomendaciones para mejorar el uso de los servicios de la banca móvil, evitando o disminuyendo los efectos negativos de sus inconvenientes.The objective of this study is to explore the influence of m-banking resource-related inadequacies on clients’ satisfaction with the banking services, their permission-based mobile marketing tendencies and word-of-mouth emission actions. Analysing a sample of 1429 users of mobile banking services, we determined that clients’ satisfaction influences their willingness to receive permission-based mobile marketing and to emit word-of-mouth, while the willingness to receive permission-based mobile marketing has a positive effect on the word-of-mouth emission. In order not to overlook the ubiquity as a distinguishing attribute of m-banking services, we observe its moderating role, identifying clients who consider ubiquity as an important m-banking characteristic and others who do not consider it relevant. Hence, attending the opinion of actual m-banking clients, this study proposes suggestions for improving the use of m-banking services by avoiding or lessening the negative effects of m-banking resource-related inadequacies

Customer evaluations of after-sales service contact modes: An empirical analysis of national culture�s consequences

customer, service, culture, evaluation

Secure webs and buying intention: the moderating role of usability

El presente trabajo ha planteado un modelo conceptual a fin de mostrar como los antecedentes de la intención de compra se ven reforzados en contextos de Webs altamente usables. Específicamente, el trabajo analiza en profundidad el rol moderador de la usabilidad en la explicación de la conexión entre seguridad de una Web e intención de compra. Entre ambos extremos (seguridad e intención de compra), se han incluido diversas variables para explicar mejor su conexión. Para ello, ha sido diseñada una Web ficticia de ropa dirigida al segmento joven de clase media. A fin de alterar la usabilidad de la Web se han realizado dos tipos de manipulaciones: la velocidad y la facilidad de uso de la Web. Las dos Webs creadas (alta usabilidad y baja usabilidad) fueron visitadas por un total de 170 encuestados que fueron compensados con un USB valorado en 15 euros. Los resultados muestran que la seguridad percibida en la Web acarrea tres interesantes efectos (especialmente para la Web altamente usable): (i) mejora las actitudes agrado, (ii) reduce el nivel de riesgo percibido; (iii) aumenta la confianza. Los dos últimos efectos, a su vez, acaban aumentando la intención de compra.. Por último, se ha demostrado que la usabilidad, efectivamente, refuerza las relaciones consideradas en el modelo propuesto para explicar la intención de compra.A conceptual model has been proposed to show how buying intention antecedents are reinforced in highly usable contexts. Specifically, this paper deeply analyses the moderator role of system variables (usability) on explaining the relationship between Web security and buying intention. Between both extremes (security and buying intention), several relationships have also been stated to better explain this effect. An “ideal” fictitious Website was designed for a non existent clothing company directed at the segment of middle class consumers. In order to alter Web usability, two blocks of changes were made, one concerning Website speed and the other related to ease of use. Our experiment sample consisted of 170 respondents who participated in exchange for a pen-drive (USB) valued at 15 euros. The results show that improving website security has three interesting effects (especially in high usable contexts): (i) it improves pleasure attitudes, (ii) reduces the level of perceived risk and (iii) increases trust. Secondly, it has been found that to increase buying intention, two actions must be taken: (i) to diminish perceived risk and (ii) to improve users’ pleasure attitudes towards the Website. Finally, usability has been found to have a moderating role in all the relationships considered (reinforcing them)

Servitisation and value co-production in the UK music industry

Since the rise of music on the internet, record companies have reported falling sales of physical products. This has occurred at a time when technology has radically increased choice, availability and the opportunity for the consumer to purchase music. As the music industry has moved from a product to a service business model, has the loss of sales meant they have not taken their customers with them? This paper provides a description of different music consumers based upon quantitative analysis of consumer characteristics. The paper then undertakes an exploration of the relationship between the consumer groups and their purchasing preference in relation to intangible ‘service’ purchase such as downloaded music and the purchase of a tangible physical product such as CDs or vinyl. In addition, we analyse the relationship between consumer types and their propensity to actively engage with music communities, such as through engagement with social media, and thus their willingness to coproduce greater value. Finally we explore the moderating effects of age and time devoted to listening to music on purchasing preferences and music discovery

Self service technology : an overview of existing research

The purpose of this working paper is twofold. First the paper presents a review of the literature on self service technology (SST). The review categorizes the literature based on dependent variables studied in existing research. The review finds that most of the studies have focused on antecedents of attitude/intention/usage of SST, satisfaction with SST, and loyalty to SST. Also, the antecedents to each of the three main dependent variables are systemized in the review. The review shows that existing literature on SST hardly include moderating variables in the models tested. None of the articles aiming to explain loyalty to SST have included potential moderating effects in the models tested. The paper also gives an overview of potential dimensions for categorization of SST. Only a few of the articles reviewed gives insight into such dimensions. Given the limited focus on dimensions for categorization of self service technologies, the second purpose was to study how various channels vary along more general channel dimensions. A brief review of such dimensions is reported, and an exploratory study among students at Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (NHH) is conducted illustrating how 11 channels are perceived along 16 dimensions. The results show significant differences between the channels in how they are perceived along all of the 16 dimensions studied. Finally, based on the review and the exploratory study conducted, some directions for future research are suggested

Consumer Acceptance of Technology Contact: Extending Web-Based eCommerce to Technology-Based Services

This paper theoretically defines the concept of technology contact, as a specific service characteristic, that is referred to the level of customer-technology interaction the service requires. Moreover, it defines technology contact of a service as a construct with three dimensions: time of interaction with technology, medium sophistication and task complexity. Then, we develop a conceptual model for consumer acceptance of technology-based services that includes the notion of service technology contact. It is hypothesized that technology contact, as a unique service characteristic, affects performance expectancy, ease of use and behavioral intentions, but these relationships are moderated by individual’s anxiety with technology and the type of shopping trip. The scenario of technology-based dynamic product information service in supermarket stores is used in order to empirically test our model. The technology contact of the service is manipulated at three levels using service scenarios with different supporting technologies (electronic shelf labels, electronic kiosk and PDA) that are presented to 575 grocery store shoppers. Results confirm the hypotheses and the paper concludes that the level of technology contact is an important service characteristic that should be taken into account when designing and evaluating technology-based services

How Personality and Relationship Affect Customers\u27 Adoption of Advanced Self Service Technology in Branch Banking

Self Service Technology (SST) in brick-and-mortar outlets advances from pure transaction processing to elaborate pro-active sales functions, where customers can be addressed directly as part of interactive marketing and customer relationship management approaches. This opens up new ways to reach customers for transaction intensive industries like financial services. SST may be used to increase revenues by cross or up-selling instead of just cost-cutting by lowering transaction costs. Customer adoption of in-branch SST like ATMs or kiosk systems might take different courses than those of internet sales platforms and previous research suggests a high influence of personality traits as well as customer relationship characteristics. We extend well proven technology adoption models by moderating effects from personality traits and customer relationship characteristics. Using survey and customer account data from customers of a European retail bank, we identify relevant moderating effects. Our study contributes by the transfer of SST adoption models to the specific research domain and the integration of moderating effects into adoption models by using additional external data