E-retailing ethics in Egypt and its effect on customer repurchase intention

The theoretical understanding of online shopping behaviour has received much attention. Less focus has been given to the formation of the ethical issues that result from online shopper interactions with e-retailers. The vast majority of earlier research on this area is conceptual in nature and limited in scope by focusing on consumers’ privacy issues. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical model explaining what factors contribute to online retailing ethics and its effect on customer repurchase intention. The data were analysed using variance-based structural equation modelling, employing partial least squares regression. Findings indicate that the five factors of the online retailing ethics (security, privacy, non- deception, fulfilment/reliability, and corporate social responsibility) are strongly predictive of online consumers’ repurchase intention. The results offer important implications for e-retailers and are likely to stimulate further research in the area of e-ethics from the consumers’ perspective

Examining the information value of virtual communities: Factual versus opinion-based message content

Social customer relationship management (SCRM) is an evolving discipline which uses technology as a communication channel. It is under-researched and is lacking in its use of traditional marketing principles to inform practice. We shed light on the type of content that is most valued in virtual communities (VCs), where search for information is a primary source of gratification. Contrary to findings from advertising research, our findings indicate that informational content is more highly valued. This is the first time such measures have been used to evaluate effectiveness of new media techniques. We discuss critical implications for brands hoping to develop or enhance customer relationships in these increasingly important channels. Specifically, we offer practical advice on how best to create content which may be valued by consumers seeking information. © 2013 Copyright 2013 Westburn Publishers Ltd