Perceived opportunism (PO) in e‐return service encounters

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the existence, role, and hidden problems associated with customer perceived opportunism (PO) in e‐return service (e‐RS) encounters.Design/methodology/approachA theoretical framework is proposed linking return policy (RP) and information credibility (IC) with customer PO, trust, and stickiness intention (SI). This study reviews research and concepts from various fields, including marketing, psychology, and information systems and derives six hypotheses. Data from online users are examined using LISREL 8.8.FindingsThe results confirmed that PO mediates between e‐RS and trust, as well as the power of the proposed model to predict e‐RS customer behavior.Research limitations/implicationsThis work developed a novel customer e‐RS behavioral model to characterize the current online environment. Potential limitations of the proposed method are also described, along with suggestions for further research on sampling and model development, in order to accurately forecast the future development of the online environment.Practical implicationsThe study findings remind retailers to understand the inevitability of PO and associated damage when providing e‐RS, and suggest effective measures, such as smooth e‐RS process design and reasonable fee plans, to solve this problem.Originality/valueThis study developed the first behavioral model of the existence of both positive and negative customer perceptions of e‐RS. PO is the key factor for reducing the effect of high‐quality e‐RS on negative perceptions.