An Empirical Investigation of the Impacts of Website Quality on Consumer Loyalty: A Case of Baby Boomers
Keywords:
Website Quality, Consumer Satisfaction, Trust, Loyalty, Baby BoomersAbstract
The purposes of the study seek to 1) examine the association between website quality dimensions and overall perceived website quality; 2) examine the relationship among overall perceived website quality, consumer satisfaction, and trust; and 3) examine the association between consumer satisfaction, trust, and consumer loyalty. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire from an online panel called Amazon Mechanical Turk (mturk.com). The study’s final sample consisted of 188 responses. To test all hypothesis relationships, we followed a two step structural equation modeling approach. Results revealed that system quality dimension (web appearance and interactivity) did not positive impact overall perceived website quality. The information quality dimension of informativeness did positively impact overall perceived website quality but information quality dimension of security did not positively impact overall perceive website quality. Service quality dimension of fulfillment did not positively impact overall perceived website quality, but service quality dimension of responsiveness did positively impact overall perceived website quality. In addition, results also showed that overall perceived website quality positively impact trust, which in turn, influences loyalty in terms of WOM, repatronage intentions, and share of wallet. Furthermore, overall perceived website quality was found to positively influence satisfaction, but satisfaction was not found to positively influence trust. However, we only found that satisfaction positively influenced WOM and share of wallet but not repatronage intentions. Theoretical and managerial implications are provided. Limitations and future research direction are addressed.References
Aladwani, A. M., & Palvia, P. C. (2002). Developing and validating an instrument for measuring user perceived web quality. Information & Management, 39(6), 467-476.
Almousa, M. (2011). Perceived risk in apparel online shipping: A multi dimensional perspective. Canadian Social Science, 7(2), 23-31.
Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3), 411-423.
Baker, R. (2011). Uses and misuses of online panels. International Journal of Market Research, 53(2), 275-278.
Bai, B., Law, R., & Wen, I. (2008). The impact of website quality on customer satisfaction and purchase intentions: Evidence from Chinese online visitors. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 27(3), 391-402.
Bauer, H. H., Falk, T., & Hammerschmidt, M. (2006). eTransQual: A transaction process-based approach for capturing service quality in online shopping. Journal of Business Research, 59(7), 866-875.
Chang, M. K., Cheung, W., & Lai, V. S. (2005). Literature derived reference models for the adoption of online shopping. Information & Management, 42(4), 543-559.
Chiou, W-C., Lin, C-C., & Peng, C. (2010). A strategic framework for website evaluation based on a review of the literature from 1995-2006. Information & Management, 47(5-6), 282-290.
Colby, S. L., & Ortman, J. M. (2014). The baby boom cohort in the United States: 2012 to 2060. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2014/demo/p25-1141.html
Corbitt, B. J., Thanasankit, T., & Yi, H. (2003). Trust and e-commerce: A study of consumer perceptions. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 2(3), 203-215.
Cristobal, E., Flavian, C., & Guinaliu, M. (2007). Perceived e-service quality (PeSQ) measurement validation and effects on consumer satisfaction and website quality. Managing Service Quality, 17(3), 317-340.
DeCaprio, J., & Swanson, L. (2014). 5 keys to the digital experience equation: Leveraging customers, context and content to deliver the optimal digital experience. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/3AlnOUH
DeLone, W. H., & McLean, E. R. (2003). The DeLone and McLean model of information systems success: A ten-year update. Journal of Management Information Systems, 19(4), 9-30.
Demangeot, C., & Broderick, A. J. (2006). Exploring the experiential intensity of online shopping environments. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 9(4), 325-351.
Dholakia, R. R., & Zhao, M. (2010). Effects of online store attributes on customer satisfaction and repurchase intentions. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 38(7), 482-496.
Doherty, N. F., & Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2010). Internet retailing: The past, the present and the future. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 38(11/12), 943-965.
Flavian, C., Guinaliu, M., & Gurrea, R. (2006). The role played by perceived usability, satisfaction and consumer trust on website loyalty. Information & Management, 43(1), 1-14.
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39-50.
Forsythe, S. M., & Shi, B. (2003). Consumer patronage and risk perceptions in Internet shopping. Journal of Business Research, 56(11), 867-875.
Friedman, D. C., Brown, T. A., & Taran, Z. (2011). Specialty store expertise as a driver of satisfaction and share of wallet. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 21(4), 375-389.
Grohol, J. (2011). Mechanical Turk to the rescue of psychology research? Psych Central. Retrieved from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/03/03/mechanical-turk-to-the-rescue-of-psychology-research/
Hausman, A. V., & Siekpe, J. S. (2009). The effect of web interface features on consumer online purchase intentions. Journal of Business Research, 62(1), 5-13.
Hsieh, M. T., & Tsao, W. C. (2014). Reducing perceived online shopping risk to enhance loyalty: A website quality perspective. Journal of Risk Research, 17(2), 241-261.
Hur, Y., Ko, Y. J., & Valacich, J. (2011). A structural model of the relationships between sport website quality, e-satisfaction, and e-loyalty. Journal of Sport Management, 25(5), 458-473.
Jeong, M., Oh, H., & Gregoire, M. (2003). Conceptualizing web site quality and its consequences in the lodging industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 22(2), 161-175.
Jones, C., & Kim, S. (2010). Influences of retail brand trust, off-line patronage, clothing involvement and website quality on online apparel shopping intention. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 34, 627-637.
Keiningham, T. L., Aksoy, L., Malthouse, E. C., Lariviere, B., & Buoye, A. (2014). The cumulative effect of satisfaction with discrete transactions on share of wallet. Journal of Service Management, 25(3), 310-333.
Keiningham, T. L., Cooil, B., Aksoy, L., Andreassen, T. W., & Weiner, J. (2007). The value of different customer satisfaction and loyalty metrics in predicting customer retention, recommendation, and share-of-wallet. Managing Service Quality, 17(4), 361-384.
Kim, D. J., Ferrin, D. L., & Rao, H. R. (2008). A trust-based consumer decision-making model in electronic commerce: The role of trust, perceived risk, and their antecedants. Decision Support Systens, 44(2), 544-564.
Kim, J. H., & Lennon, S. J. (2010). Information available on a web site: Effects on consumers’ shopping outcomes. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 14(2), 247-262.
Kim, S., & Stoel, L. (2004). Apparel retailers: Website quality dimensions and satisfaction. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 11(2), 109-117.
Kollmann, T., Kuckertz, A., & Kayser, I. (2012). Cannibalization or synergy? Consumers’ channel selection in online-offline multichannel systems. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 19(2), 186-194.
Kuan, H. H., Bock, G. W., & Vathanophas, V. (2008). Comparing the effects of website quality on customer initial purchase and continued purchase at e-commerce websites. Behaviour & Information Technology, 27(1), 3-16.
Lee, G. G., & Lin, H. F. (2005). Customer perceptions of e-service quality in online shopping. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 33(2), 161-176.
Littrell, M. A., Ma, Y. J., & Halepete, J. (2005). Generation X, baby boomers, and swing: Marketing fair trade apparel. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 9(4), 407-419. doi: 10.1108/13612020510620786
Loureiro, S. M. C., & Roschk, H. (2014). Differential effects of atmospheric cues on emotions and loyalty intention with respect to age under online/offline environment. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 21(2), 211-219.
Manganari, E., Siomkos, G., Rigopoulou, I., & Vrechopoulos, A. (2011). Virtual store layout effects on consumer behavior. Internet Research, 21(3), 326-346.
McKnight, D. H., Choudhury, V., & Kacmar, C. (2002). Developing and validating trust measures for e-commerce: An integrative typology. Information Systems Research, 13(3), 334-359.
Namuduri, K., & Ram, P. (2001). Always there for you. Intelligent Enterprise, 4(6), 56.
National Retail Federation Foundation. (2018). Across the ages: Generational impact on spending. Retrieved from https://nrf.com/resources/retail-library/across-the-ages-generational-impact-spending
Oliver, R. L. (1999). Whence consumer loyalty? Journal of Marketing, 63(Fundamental Issues and Directions for Marketing), 33-44.
Paolacci, G., Chandler, J., & Ipeirotis, P. G. (2010). Running experiments on Amazon Mechanical Turk. Judgment and Decision Making, 5(5), 411-419.
Perkins-Munn, T., Aksoy, L., Keiningham, T. L., & Estrin, D. (2005). Actual purchase as a proxy for share of wallet. Journal of Service Research, 7(3), 245-256.
Pizzutti, C., & Fernandes, D. (2010). Effect of recovery efforts on consumer trust and loyalty in e-tail: A contingency model. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 14(4), 127-160.
Shahbandeh, M. (2020). U.S. apparel market-statistics and facts. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/topics/965/apparel-market-in-the-us/
Sorum, H., Andersen, K., & Vatrapu, R. (2012). Public websites and human computer interaction: An empirical study of measurement of website quality and user satisfaction. Behaviour & Information Technology, 31(7), 697-706.
Suryandari, R. T., & Paswan, A. K. (2014). Online customer service and retail type-product congruence. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 21(1), 69-76.
Toufaily, E., Souiden, N., & Ladhari, R. (2013). Consumer trust toward retail websites: Comparison between pure click and click-and-brick retailers. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 20(6), 538-548.
Tsao, W. C., & Hsieh, M. T. (2012). Exploring how relationship quality influences positive eWOM: The importance of customer commitment. Total Quality Management, 23(7), 821-835.
Udo, G. J., Bagchi, K. K., & Kirs, P. J. (2010). An assessment of customers’ e-service quality perception, satisfaction and intention. International Journal of Information Management, 30(6), 481-492.
Van Iwaarden, J., Van Der Wiele, T., Ball, L., & Millen, R. (2004). Perceptions about the quality of web sites: A survey amongst students at Northeastern University and Erasmus University. Information & Management, 41(8), 947-959.
Wolfinbarger, M., & Gilly, M. C. (2003). eTailQ: Dimensionalizing, measuring and predicting etail quality. Journal of Retailing, 79(3), 183-198.
Xing, Y., & Grant, D. B. (2006). Physical distribution service quality in online retailing. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 40(5), 415-432.
Yoo, B., & Donthu, N. (2001). Developing a scale to measure the perceived quality of an internet shopping site (SITEQUAL). Quarterly Journal of Electronic Commerce, 2(1), 31-46.
Zhou, T., Lu, Y., & Wang, B. (2009). The relative importance of website design quality and service quality on determining consumers’ online repurchase behavior. Information Systems Management, 26(4), 327-337.