The impact of online customer service and store features on consumer experience and willingness to revisit their preferred online store

Consumers shopping behaviors have transformed and changed with evolving digital elements across channels such as websites and mobile applications. Prior studies have started to substantiate the specific nature of in-store shopping, online shopping and, to a lesser extent, mobile app shopping. Thus, in-store shopping and its distinctive characteristic, namely the ability of consumers to experience an offer on a multisensory level (Childers et al. 2001) contrasts with the limited sensory exploration (e.g., touch and scent) in online and app shopping. Contrary, online shopping is viewed as differing in terms of production information available to consumers, allowing them to compare offers on multi-attributes (e.g., Park and Kim 2003; Scarpi 2011). A few studies have assessed shopping on mobile apps (e.g., Wang et al. 2015) and have identified habitual shopping as the primary reason to utilize apps. Much of the current understanding of the different retail environments draws from research assessing each context individually or comparing consumer behaviors across two contexts (Liu et al. 2019; Newman et al. 2018; Rohm and Swaminathan 2004) rather than multiple environments. The current research contributions hinge on the comparison of shopping behaviors and experiences across store, online, and app environments from a holistic perspective. Previous research primarily assesses each retail environment individually, yet the current research provides a comparison of consumer behavior and shopping experience across three main shopping environments: store, online, and mobile applications.Study 1 (N = 232) focused on providing initial evidence for the proposed differences in shopping behaviors across store, online, and app environments. Study 2 (N = 594) examined how shopping environments shape overall consumer experiences by assessing commonly studied outcome variables in this area: utilitarian and hedonic value, satisfaction, word-of-mouth, repatronage intention, and flow (Babin et al. 1994; Jones et al. 2006; Maxham and Netemeyer 2002; Wang et al. 2007).Current findings reveal diverging shopping behaviors driven by shopping environments. For example, online and app shopping is mainly done weekly by most consumers, who spend the most amount of money when shopping online. In addition, shopping experiences elicit varying consumer responses such as higher levels of hedonic value in store versus online and app contexts.Overall, managers need to consider these differences when creating comprehensive shopping experiences as part of a comprehensive customer journey. In creating a seamless omni-channel customer journey, companies need to carefully consider and adjust strategic approaches to offer positive experiences throughout various touchpoints. Clearly, distinctive consumer behavioral trends emerged across shopping environments.KeywordsShopping experienceShopping valueRetailingOmni-channelAppOnline shoppingStore

Customer service quality for online shopping: Evidence from Dangdang.com

This study primarily focused on the variables, that is, the perceptions of customer satisfaction between online and in-store shopping. By comparing these two shopping modes, this study brought the issue of customer satisfaction into focus on the shopping experience. The objective of the study is to analyze and examine the in-store and online shopping experiences of customers in terms of customer satisfaction, to determine the sociodemographic profile of the respondents, and to describe how satisfied they were with both in-store and online shopping. The survey established that more than half were between the ages of 18 and 30, and most were females, while a good number were single. A greater number of people are employed, and their monthly income ranges from P10,000 to below, and they are college graduates. Respondents demonstrated a nearly equal preference for both in-store and online shopping, with a greater preference for in-store shopping regarding physically evaluating and comparing products. The results also revealed that, given the preferences in shopping mode by the respondents and their perceptions, differences in buyer buying patterns for in-store and online shopping exist but are minimal. This study differs from previous studies that have merely focused on the advantages of the online shopping experience. This study remains even in a post-pandemic situation because there is still a change in lasting consumer behavior and satisfaction between online and in-store shopping. Practically, it could be applied to business for better customer experience in the settings while theoretically, to understand what occurs within preferences on shopping throughout and after the disruption of the pandemic.

Nowadays, online shopping is gaining increasing popularity in Malaysia. The development of online shopping has led some to argue that there are additional elements influencing consumer behavior. As a result, a growing number of researchers are currently studying online consumer behavior to better understand the specific characteristics of online shopping. Therefore, this study is conducted to determine the factors that influence online shopping behavior between different online shopping platforms among Malaysian consumers. This is a quantitative study, and 371 students and staff from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) were randomly picked to participate. The data was gathered via an online questionnaire using Google Forms. The findings show a positive relationship between the variables, namely web characteristics, external stimulus, affection, and cognition. It indicates that all variables influence online shopping behavior among Malaysian consumers. Furthermore, the findings reveal that consumer behavior patterns for online shopping are not different even when using different online shopping platforms. Therefore, it is very critical to understand consumer online purchasing behavior and its influencing factors to improve online shopping in Malaysia. Malaysian businesses must have an in-depth knowledge of the market for their goods and the demographics of the customers they are targeting before engaging in online commerce.

The online shopping consulting service (online customer service) is an important component of online shopping, and the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence technology has allowed online retailers to apply this technology to customer service. This study explores an online retailer’s customer service innovation decisions. We develop a stylized model to investigate an online retailer’s choices of two different online shopping consulting service strategies, as well as the impact of the different strategies on both online retailer and consumers. This study demonstrates that providing AI customer service with higher performance and higher probability of consumer shopping problem resolution may not always benefit the online retailer. Existing studies have already shown that consumers prefer human customer service. However, this study shows that consumers do not always prefer human customer service, and they prefer AI customer service in some situations. Moreover, this study reveals that the probability of consumers’ shopping problems being resolved and the consulting cost can affect the online retailer’s choice of online customer service strategies.

Purpose The influence of background music on consumer behaviour in shopping environments has interested researchers for decades, and a range of studies have investigated the impact of a variety of musical stimuli in different environments. Results are relevant for marketing practitioners and managers, who constantly seek to optimize their sales environments, with the aim of customers having the most pleasant buying experience and consequently increasing their spending. With the growth of online sales in recent years, researchers’ interest in shopping environments has again increased. However, compared to the number of studies in traditional offline environments, online research has been limited. Moreover, online studies are constrained to laboratory experiments, with relatively small sample sizes and often of poor design. This research aims to contribute to knowledge on online consumer behaviour by conducting a large-scale field study to establish how and to what extent background music (altered in genre/loudness/tempo) influences consumer behaviour in a real-life setting. Methodology In this field study, product videos were implemented in an online shop of a German company and accompanied by different variations of background music. Three consecutive experiments in three time periods with different musical stimuli were conducted, and in a quantitative approach, real-time data on the behaviour of all website visitors in the online shop were collected. The experiments examined (a) customer behaviour in terms of conversion, (b) if converted, payment method, and (c) if effects were mediated by session duration (time on the website). The conversion probabilities were subsequently analysed using a linear probability model (LPM). Findings The analysis of the data from all three experiments showed that background music (of all variations of genre, tempo or loudness) a) has no significant influence on consumers’ decisions regarding conversions, b) that there is no significant influence on the payment method, accordingly c) the hypotheses regarding mediation effects could also be rejected. Contributions One of the main contributions of this study is that it is the first large-scale empirical field study conducted in the research area. The findings do not confirm those of previous laboratory studies in fictitious online shopping environments, which are themselves inconsistent. The results of this thesis support the theory that there is no effect of music on online consumer behaviour. Accordingly, the outcomes also indicate that, in general, the findings from laboratory studies on online consumer behaviour are not reproducible in practice due to the different environments to which website visitors are exposed. Practical Implications As an implication for practice, marketing practitioners should not, as a matter of everyday practice, use music in online shopping settings. If music is requested by the management, then an appropriate music selection should be carefully tested with the individual target group. Limitations / Suggestions for Future Research Suggestions for future research centre on using variations of the musical stimuli in all dimensions of the music used, and investigating other shopping websites and other forms of online shopping, Furthermore, variations in the experimental setup should be used, and finally, qualitative studies in this area should be carried out to offer a basis for further quantitative examination.

Online sales continue to grow in recent years, and so competition is increasing in the online retail industry. Website interactivity might play a crucial role in enhancing consumer perceptions, attitudes, and responses to retail websites. The purpose of this study is to propose an integrated conceptual model with the underpinnings of technology acceptance model (TAM) to demonstrate how the experiential context of website interactivity of online retail stores affect customer responses to online retailers. This study explores the effects of website interactivity on online consumers’ perceptions of online retail sites using laboratory-based experiments (semi-online field experiments). A 2 × 2 between subject experimental design was conducted among 295 students from a major university in Australia. The results showed website interactivity enhances customer perceptions of usefulness and ease of using retail websites. Perceived usefulness (PU) of a website enhances intention to purchase and this influence is moderated by customer involvement in online shopping. Interestingly, the ad hoc test results indicate that the effects of involvement in online shopping on PU purchase intention link is high at high website-interactivity level. These findings contribute to the literature on online retailing and consumer behaviour in an online context.

Online shop is an Internet-based business, which is increasing in Indonesia, such as Lazada, Zalora, Tokopedia, Elevenia, Bukalapak, and so on. They attempt to provide maximum service, especially related with security transactions and interesting promotion to capture consumers as much as possible. In an online shop business, usually C to C business, where online shop serves as an intermediary party between merchants with consumers. This can be the weakness because quality of products and services depend on retailers, not the online shop itself, but the responsibility is imposed to the retailers. In this case, numerous comments are given by the consumers who made purchases. Not only positive comments, but also negative ones. The comments typically are on the quality and condition of item, condition of packaging, delivery time, and so on. In this study, researchers looked at the experiences from the consumers of online shops, who tend to respond to comments of other consumers who bought the goods. This research used the concept of e-commerce, and consumer behavior. To deepen understand the experience of consumers, researchers conducted in-depth interviews as the primary data. The informants are consumers who usually purchase through online shops. Authenticity and triangulation of method are used as data validity technique. The results stated that informants pay attention with the comments from previous buyers. They also noticed whether the goods are a favorite (many buyers) or not, including the number of followers (if sold via Instagram), and star sign. If the online shop and sellers’ partners ignore such comments, it will be a disruption for themselves. These findings provide input to online shops to realize the importance of comments from consumers and increase better services, including coaching to the retail merchant partners.

The global reach of online market allows buyers and sellers to transact without being imprisoned to geographical constraints. However, current research claims that despite of all the advantages, the customers remain unsatisfied from their online purchase experience. This paper focuses on the role of familiarity with online retailing on product uncertainty and retailer’s visibility and its effect on the online customer satisfaction. The data was primarily collected for Olx.com and Alibaba.com . The questionnaire was rotated online to customers who had shopped at the two websites. Customer shopping online were asked to rate the questionnaire on 5 point likert scale. The constructs for Familiarity with online retailing, Logistical support, Product uncertainty, Retailers visibility, Website design, Pricing, Customer service and Online customer satisfaction was included in the questionnaires. A scale of 5 was used where 1 represented strongly agree and 5 was strongly disagree. The analysis of the data includes presentation of the results that were gathered during the research, first general profile of the sample is presented and the measurement model is examined using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). After the establishment of the validity and reliability of the measures used, the examination of the structural model is performed. The paper supports the argument that familiarity with online retailing reduces the effect of product uncertainty and retailer’s visibility on customer satisfaction. The effects of website design, pricing, and customer service on online customer satisfaction were also incorporated in the model. Additionally, a new dimension of logistical support was also studied to effect satisfaction. The results of this study suggest that more and more people are shifting towards online purchasing. Online customer satisfaction is enhanced when the retailer is more visible to the customer and also when the retailer’s website is more users friendly and carries a lot more information that is required for the customers. The results also suggest that when logistical service is provided to the customers their satisfaction is increased. Quick and efficient delivery system, timely and customer oriented delivery system can enhance the online satisfaction of the customers. The study has implications for managers to understand the online motivations a consumer has while making a purchase.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine an integrated model of factors affecting attitudes toward online shopping in Jordan. The paper introduces an integrated model of the roles of perceived website reputation, relative advantage, perceived website image, and trust that affect attitudes toward online shopping. Design/methodology/approach – A structured and self-administered online survey was employed targeting online shoppers of a reputable online retailer in Jordan; MarkaVIP. A sample of 273 of online shoppers was involved in the online survey. A series of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to assess the research constructs, unidimensionality, validity, and composite reliability (CR). Structural path model analysis was also used to test the proposed research model and hypotheses. Findings – The empirical findings of this study indicate that perceived website reputation, relative advantage, perceived website image, and trust have directly and indirectly affected consumers’ attitudes toward online shopping. Online consumers’ shopping attitudes are mainly affected by perceived relative advantage and trust. Trust is a product of relative advantage and that the later is a function of perceived website reputation. Relative advantage and perceived website reputation are key predictors of perceived website image. Perceived website image was found to be a direct predictor of trust. Also, the authors found that 26 percent of variation in online shopping attitudes was directly caused by relative advantage, trust, and perceived website image. Research limitations/implications – The research examined online consumers’ attitudes toward one website only therefore the generalizability of the research finding is limited to the local Jordanian website; MarkaVIP. Future research is encouraged to conduct comparative studies between local websites and international ones, e.g., Amazon and e-bay in order to shed lights on consumers’ attitudes toward both websites. The findings are limited to online shoppers in Jordan. A fruitful area of research is to conduct a comparative analysis between online and offline attitudes toward online shopping behavior. Also, replications of the current study’s model in different countries would most likely strengthen and validate its findings. The design of the study is quantitative using an online survey to measure online consumers’ attitudes through a cross-sectional design. Future research is encouraged to use qualitative research design and methodology to provide a deeper understanding of consumers’ attitudes and behaviors toward online and offline shopping in Jordan and elsewhere. Practical implications – The paper supports the importance of perceived website reputation, relative advantage, trust, and perceived web image as keys drivers of attitudes toward online shopping. It further underlines the importance of relative advantage and trust as major contributors to building positive attitudes toward online shopping. In developing countries (e.g. Jordan) where individuals are generally described as risk averse, the level of trust is critical in determining the attitude of individuals toward online shopping. Moreover and given the modest economic situation in Jordan, relative advantage is another significant factor affecting consumers’ attitudes toward online shopping. Indeed, if online shopping would not add a significant value and benefits to consumers, they would have negative attitude toward this technology. This is at the heart of marketing theory and relationship marketing practice. Further, relative advantage is a key predictor of both perceived website image and trust and the later is a major driver of attitudes toward online shopping. Online retailers’ executives and managers can benefit from such findings for future e-marketing strategies and retaining customers to achieve long-term performance objectives. Originality/value – This paper is one of the early empirical endeavors that examined factors affecting attitudes toward online shopping in Jordan. This study provides evidence on the factors that determine online shoppers’ attitudes as an antecedent to consumers purchase decisions. From a theoretical perspective, this study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by revealing the sort of cause and effect relationships among relative advantage, perceived website reputation, perceived website image, in addition to trust, and their effect on consumers’ attitudes toward online shopping. Moreover, this paper is one of handful research that has distinguished between perceived website image and perceived website reputation along with their relationships and more specifically in the context of online shopping. From an international e-marketing perspective, online retailers planning to expand their operations to include Jordan or the MENA Region have now valuable empirical evidence concerning the predictors of online shopping attitudes and online shoppers’ behavior upon which e-marketing strategies are formulated and implemented.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a significant impact on business operations and consumer behaviour across the world. The South African online retail environment also encountered different opportunities and last-mile logistics challenges. However, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on online consumer behaviour has received limited attention. Furthermore, limited studies exist which have measured the online buying behaviour of young people, an important online market segment.Objectives: The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly influenced the online shopping behaviour of young people and to provide online retailers and consumer behaviour theorists with a better appreciation of young consumers’ online purchasing needs, which will assist them in developing and effecting appropriate last-mile logistics strategies.Methods: A quantitative research design was used, and empirical data were collected from two non-probability sampling surveys conducted in 2019 (before the COVID-19 pandemic) and in 2020 (during the COVID-19 pandemic) of 461 young people in the Johannesburg area. A self-administered online questionnaire was used to collect the research data.Results: The results indicate that online shopping behaviour either did not change or increased because of the COVID-19 pandemic for most respondents. Young online consumers consider order fulfilment aspects to be more important than the tangible considerations of online retailers.Conclusion: This research study provides a distinct perspective of young people’s perceptions of online shopping and makes a meaningful contribution by identifying the important fulfilment-related service quality expectations of young online customers in South Africa.

In recent years, the number of online consumers has increased significantly, with individuals dedicating substantial time to online shopping. Familiarity with online platforms has grown, and consumer behaviour has undergone considerable changes over the past two decades. The objective of the present study is to analyse consumer behavioural patterns and identify the factors influencing their current online shopping behaviour. A quantitative research method was employed, involving a sample of 300 respondents. A structured, self-administered research instrument was utilised to predict online consumer behaviour through the technology acceptance model using structural equation modelling. The results indicate that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and personal innovativeness significantly influence consumer attitudes, ultimately leading to the utilisation of online platforms for purchasing necessities. Furthermore, trust in online platforms plays a crucial role in shaping consumers’ online shopping decisions. Therefore, the findings of this study are valuable for online marketers aiming to encourage consumers to purchase products and services through online platforms.

This chapter explores the role of retailers’ ethics in consumer behaviour and channel selection. It is largely acknowledged that many ethical issues in online retailing differ from those of traditional brick-and-mortar retailing. However, there is limited understanding of how ethical considerations vary among consumers that use various shopping channels. Our analysis is based on survey data from traditional shoppers (n = 216), online shoppers (n = 224) and multichannel shoppers (n = 244) in Finland. We firstly examine how these three customer types perceive four key elements of online retailer ethics: security, privacy, non-deception and fulfilment. Secondly, we examine how consumers’ perception regarding the ethics of online retailers is linked to online customer patronage behaviour. Our results demonstrate that the importance of different aspects of online retailing ethics varies among traditional, multichannel and online customers, and online retailers’ ethics are especially important for the most active online shoppers. These results can assist retailers who either operate or have the intention to operate as either online or multichannel retailers to better understand consumers’ ethical expectations towards online retailing.

Objectives: This study explores the influence of live shopping behavior on consumer purchase intentions within the TikTok Shop, emphasizing its relevance to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Understanding the dynamics of live shopping behavior on platforms like TikTok is vital for businesses aiming to leverage this innovative marketing strategy. Theoretical framework: The research is grounded with a behavioral predictor in understanding shopping decisions using the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) theory psychological model. SOR here, the stimulus uses store and brand image; the organism sees from quality and trust, and the response is based on purchase intention. Methods: Sample data was obtained from 419 respondents from an online survey using the snowball technique. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the proposed hypotheses Results and discussion: Brand image affects perceived quality, and brand image affects trust. Store image affects perceived quality, and store image affects trust. Perceived quality and trust affect purchase intention. Research Implications: The findings can be used as an evaluation for a marketing platform tool for the purchasing decision-making process. The development of the live shopping research model framework with Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) theory effectively for evaluating consumer and online shopping behavior. Meanwhile, this research also provides managerial strategies related to insights to managers of online shopping services, especially for e-commerce to be able to develop business networks by paying attention to factors that influence consumer behavior in online shopping, which will impact consumer buying interest Originality/Value: This research gives insight to behavior literature which focus on the Stimuli-Organism-Response (SOR) theory as a review tool for the purchase decision-making process and consumer behavior. In addition, evaluating consumers' online shopping behavior (TikTok Shop) developed a robust online consumer behavior concept on the influence of variables used to measure live shopping behavior in making decisions on consumer purchase intention.

In marketing, internet has developed into a new distribution channel. Moreover, online transactions are growing hugely in recent years. It has created phenomena of online stores, spreading in Indonesia. Competition among online stores become fierce, and marketers should know how consumer behavior in internet environment. The purpose of this research is to explore the characteristics of each different online consumer and the online store attributes that consumer chose as the important factors in the online store. Based on 203 participants, our findings indicate five segments of the online consumer. Those are online shopping lovers (a group that addicted to buy through the internet), online window shoppers (a group that like to know all the detail information, before they choose to buy), negative judgmental online users (a group who can use internet but do not like online shopping), on off shoppers (a group or segment of people who trust the online store, but prefer to buy directly through offline store) and traditional shoppers (a group of people who don’t like online shopping). In addition, there is also similarity in those five segments. Online customers believe that online store attributes, like security and service are important when they want to buy online.