The influence of different types of satisfaction on loyalty on C2C online shopping platform: From the perspective of sellers and the platform

Abstract

With the rise and development of major types of platforms, the competition for resources has become extremely fierce, and the market share of C2C platforms has been seriously threatened by the loss of resources. Therefore, building and maintaining buyers’ satisfaction and loyalty to C2C platforms is critical to the survival and sustainability of C2C platforms in China. However, the current knowledge on how platform satisfaction and loyalty are constructed in the C2C e-commerce environment is incomplete. In this study, seller-based satisfaction and platform-based satisfaction are constructed separately. We further distinguish seller-based transaction satisfaction into economic and social satisfaction and explore their antecedents and consequences. To test our research hypotheses, we conduct a survey and collect data from a real online market (Taobao website). The results show that seller-based transaction satisfaction positively affects platform-based overall satisfaction and loyalty; perceived product quality, perceived assurance, and perceived price fairness all have a significant effect on economic satisfaction, whereas perceived relationship quality and perceived empathy significantly influence social satisfaction. These findings help us understand the literature related to customer satisfaction in the context of C2C in China and provide inspiration for online sellers and platforms.