Internet retail customer loyalty: the mediating role of relational benefits

Abstract

The application of technology‐based self‐service in service delivery has grown rapidly in recent years, but our current understanding of customer retention and satisfaction in such contexts remains limited. This paper proposes a conceptual framework that utilizes the construct of relational benefits to explain the link between Internet‐based self‐service technology attributes and customer loyalty and satisfaction. The framework posits that confidence and special treatment benefits mediate the impact of Internet self‐service technology attributes on customer loyalty and satisfaction. The results of an empirical study using two contexts finds support for a fully mediated model. That is, confidence benefits mediate the impact of perceived control and performance on customer loyalty and satisfaction, while special treatment benefits mediate the relationship of efficiency and convenience with customer loyalty and satisfaction. The findings afford not only practical implications for marketers but also directions for future research on customer relational benefits and Internet‐based self‐service.