Customer Return Research Articles

College Students Attitude toward Entrepreneurship: A Case Study of Dharmshala City

purposeful and creativeactivity of identifying a need. Mobilising resource and organising productionwith a view to delivering value to the customer return to the investors andprofit for itself in accordance with the risk and uncertainties associated withbusiness. An entrepreneur is a person who organises and operates a business concernfor the purpose of making profit. He is an especially talented person having thequalities of skill, initiative and an insight of innovation to achieve high goals. Helooks for opportunities, identities and seizes them for making economic gains.Entrepreneurs play a vital role in the economic development of a country. Theeconomic progress of a country depends primarily on the success or failure of the entrepreneurial development in that country.

Experiential value and continuance use of retailers’ mobile apps: Emerging market perspective

Background: The long-term profitability, marketability and viability of a retailer’s mobile applications (apps) depends more on its continuance use than initial adoption by customers. However, mobile shoppers do not continue to use mobile shopping apps, though investigators recognise that the experiential needs of mobile app users are essential in mobile app use. Hence, research investigating the role of experiential value (EV) in post-adoption, continuance use behaviour is lacking.Aim: This study investigates the dimensions of EV as mediators of the confirmation-satisfaction relationship in the expectation-confirmation model.Setting: Online-administered surveys were conducted among mobile shopping app users in South Africa.Method: Online self-administered questionnaires were distributed by a commercial marketing research firm among a sample of 410 retail m-shopping app users. Smart-PLS version 4.0 was used to test the proposed hypotheses.Results: The indirect effects via customer return on investment and service excellence were statistically significant. However, playfulness and aesthetic dimensions of EV did not mediate the confirmation-satisfaction relationship. Moreover, the direct effects of EV dimensions on satisfaction were not conditional effects based on the age and gender of the respondent.Conclusion: In the post-adoption use of mobile grocery shopping apps, the utilitarian aspects of EV explain the confirmation-satisfaction relationship.Contribution: The study’s theoretical significance is that it presents much-needed insights into the role of EV in the post-adoption stage of mobile app shopping. The study’s results practically lead to managerial recommendations to enhance the post-adoption use of mobile shopping apps.

A Study on Advertising Strategies of Yana Travels, Bengaluru

Advertising strategies referto the overall plan or approach that a business or organization usesto promote its products or services to a target audience. These strategies are designed to create awareness, generate interest, and ultimately persuade potential customers to take specific actions, such as making a purchase, signing up for a service, or engaging with a brand. Advertising strategies refer to the planned approach businesses use to promote their products or services to target audiences, aiming to achieve specific marketing objectives such as brand awareness, customer engagement, and sales growth. In this study, we delve into the advertising strategies adopted by travel companies, examining how these firms design and execute campaigns to stand out in a highly competitive industry. With the rise of digital platforms and evolving consumer preferences, travel companies are now leveraging diverse advertising channels, including social media, influencer partnerships, search engine optimization (SEO), and paid online ads, alongside traditional media such as television and print. This article explores how these strategies are crafted to resonate with various customer segments, addressmarket seasonality, and enhance brand visibility. The research also evaluates the impact of these advertising efforts on customer engagement, brand loyalty, and return on investment (ROI). By offering insights into successful marketing approaches, this study aims to guide travel companies in refining their advertising strategies to stay competitive in a rapidly changing marketplace.

Exploring Gender Differences in Shaping Total Tourism Experience Quality among Eco-Tourists

This research explored the role of gender as a moderating effect on the relationship between factors affecting ecotourism experiential value. Previous studies have investigated tourist satisfaction; however, the role of gender towards the experiential value remains unclear. More importantly, the tourist’s actual behavior at a destination is a critical determinant factor of tourist loyalty compared to the perception. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to explore the role of gender in the relationship between factors influencing the Ecotourist Experiential Value on Actual Tourist Behaviour. More specifically, this study delved into the consequences of destination experience (i.e. attachment and advocate) and investigated the influence of Ecotourist Experiential Value on Actual Behaviour between genders. A survey was conducted among the Taman Negara patrons in Malaysia. The research model was tested and confirmed with 243 tourists. The data was analyzed using Smart Partial Least Squares which is the variance-based structural equation modelling. The results evoked from the survey indicate that aesthetics is very much important as the influential factors towards positive total experience quality among male compared to female. In contrast, Customer Return on Investment becomes the main concern of female tourists towards Total Experience Quality as compared to male tourists. In light of the major finding, this study accentuates the importance of understanding gender behavior to provide valuable insights for destination marketers to establish positioning plans for the tourism industry.

A Study on the Production-Inventory Problem with Omni-Channel and Advance Sales Based on the Brand Owner’s Perspective

This study explores a supply chain product-inventory problem with advance sales under the omni-channel strategies (physical and online sales channels) based on the brand owner’s business model and develops corresponding models that have not been proposed in previous studies. In addition, because the brand owner is a member of the supply chain, and has different handling methods for defective products or products returned by customers in various retail channels, defective products or returned products are included in the supply chain models to comply with actual operating conditions and fill the research gap in the handling of defective/returned products. Regarding the mathematical model’s development, we first clarify the definition of model parameters and relevant data collection, and then establish the production-inventory models with omni-channel strategies and advance sales. The primary objective is to determine the optimal production, delivery, and replenishment decisions of the manufacturer, physical agent, and online e-commerce company in order to maximize the joint total profits of the entire supply chain system. Further, this study takes the supply chain system of mobile game steering wheel products as an example, uses data consistent with the actual situation to demonstrate the optimal solutions of the models, and conducts sensitivity analysis for the proposed model. The findings reveal that increased demand shortens the replenishment cycle and raises order quantity and shipment frequency in the physical channel, similar to the online channel during normal sales. However, during the online pre-order period, higher demand reduces order quantity and cycle length but still increases shipment frequency. Rising ordering or fixed shipping costs lead to higher order quantity and cycle length in both channels, but variable shipping costs in the online channel reduce them. Market price increases boost order quantity and frequency in the online channel, while customer return rates significantly impact inventory decisions.

Promised hassle time management in online retailing with fraudulent and regretful customers

Fraudulent customer return behavior, called “wardrobing,” incurs significant product return costs for online retailers. However, customers can also behave regretfully in online retailing, causing high product return costs. Consequently, we explore the combined effect of fraudulent and regretful customers in product returns. Research suggests implementing restrictive return policies to curb huge return costs due to fraudulent and regretful customer behaviors. One of the ways to implement a restrictive policy is by introducing hassle time. Consequently, retailers commit promised hassle times to customers, during which the retailers can approve the product returns and issue refunds. As a result, we determine how an online retailer can respond to regretful and fraudulent customers through promised hassle time while considering the stochastic nature of hassle time. In some situations, an online retailer might know that hassle time follows a specific probability distribution; in others, a retailer might not know the distribution. Therefore, we determine the optimal promised hassle time an online retailer must promise to regretful and fraudulent customers in each situation. For the first situation, we determine that a specific ratio, which we call the customer ratio, determines how the optimal promised hassle time changes with customers' fraud and regret levels. If the customer ratio is one, the optimal promised hassle time does not change; if it is greater than one, the optimal promised hassle time increases; and if it is less than one, the optimal promised hassle time decreases, with an increase in fraud and a decrease in regret levels. For the second situation, we propose a novel decision-making tool for online retailers, enabling them to optimize the promised hassle time. Finally, we generalize the results of our study to order cancellations with regretful customers, and shared mobility services.

Identifying factors of online shopping and influence on purchase intention of product among Saudi consumers: The mediating role of consumer trust

The rise of Internet technology has transformed consumer shopping behaviors, offering convenience and a wide range of options, making online shopping increasingly popular. In Saudi Arabia, this trend has grown significantly due to higher internet penetration, technological advancements, and shifting consumer preferences. However, building and maintaining consumer trust remains a crucial challenge. Despite the growing interest, there is limited research on the unique aspects of Saudi consumers’ online shopping behaviors. This study aims to address this gap by identifying key factors influencing these behaviors and examining their impact on purchase intentions, with a focus on the mediating role of consumer trust. This study explores factors influencing online shopping behavior and their impact on purchase intention, with a focus on consumer trust as a mediator. Using a survey of 573 respondents from Jeddah and Medina, Saudi Arabia, key factors identified through literature review include perceived usefulness, ease of use, risk perception, website quality, and social influence. The quantitative analysis revealed that customer service and return policies, information quality, perceived convenience, ease of use, usefulness, cost-saving, product variety, and social influence significantly affect consumer trust, which in turn enhances purchase intention. These findings provide valuable insights for businesses to optimize digital strategies, enhance consumer engagement, and foster long-term customer relationships, thereby boosting satisfaction and online business success.

TRANSPARENCY IN CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: ITS ROLE IN MITIGATING FINANCIAL RISKS AND IMPROVING PERFORMANCE METRICS

In-depth analysis of the vital role that openness plays in corporate governance is provided in this paper, with particular attention to how it improves organizational performance measures and reduces financial risk. Transparent corporate governance processes are more important than ever in a time of growing complexity in global business operations and elevated stakeholder expectations. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study combines qualitative insights from in-depth interviews with business executives, regulators, and governance experts with quantitative analysis of financial data from 500 publicly traded companies across several industries. The study's five-year duration, from 2019 to 2023, enables a thorough analysis of trends and causal connections. Based on reduced stock price volatility, fewer substantial financial restatements, and improved credit ratings, our results show a clear positive association between more corporate transparency and better financial risk management. Additionally, the study shows that businesses with more open governance processes routinely beat their less open competitors on a number of important performance criteria, such as customer happiness, employee productivity, and return on equity (ROE). The study also reveals complex connections between particular transparency metrics and performance results, emphasizing the necessity of customized strategies for improving openness depending on organizational and industry-specific factors. These revelations aid in the creation of an all-encompassing framework for putting corporate transparency into practice and gauging its effectiveness, offering practitioners, legislators, and scholars studying corporate governance useful direction.

An MCDM analysis of critical success criteria for medium and large construction projects in Australia and New Zealand

PurposeThe global construction industry has a history of poor project success, with evident and frequent overruns in cost and schedule. This industry is a highly interconnected and complex system in which the components, i.e. suppliers, contractors, end-users, and stakeholders, are delicately linked to each other, the community, and the environment. Therefore, defining and measuring project success can be challenging for sponsors, contractors, and the public. To address this issue, this study develops and analyzes a more comprehensive set of success criteria for medium and large construction projects.Design/methodology/approachAfter reviewing the existing literature, this study identified 19 success criteria for medium and large construction projects, which were categorized into five groups. The fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (fuzzy DEMATEL) method was used to gain further insight into the interrelationships between these categories and explain the cause-and-effect relationships among them. Next, this study applied the modified logarithmic least squares method to determine the importance weight of these criteria using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process.Findings28 project managers working in the construction industries in Australia and New Zealand participated in this study. Results suggest that “project efficiency” and “impacts on the project team” are cause criteria that affect “business success,” “impacts on stakeholders,” and “impacts on end-users.” Effective risk management emerged as the most crucial criterion in project efficiency, while customer satisfaction and return on investment are top criteria in “impacts on end-users” and “business success.”Originality/valueAlthough numerous studies have been conducted on project success criteria, multicriteria analyses of success criteria are rare. This paper presents a comprehensive set of success criteria tailored to medium and large construction projects. The aim is to analyze their interrelationships and prioritize them thoroughly, which will aid practitioners in focusing on the most important criteria for achieving higher success rates.

THE IMPACT OF SERVICE QUALITY ON CUSTOMER LOYALTY AT KIM THAI HOTEL

Every hotel's satisfaction and loyalty depend on the quality of its service. As a result, the question of service quality has long been a key research topic in the hospitality business. The study used methods such as secondary data collection and processing, expert interviews to build evaluation models, customer opinion collection, and quantitative data processing to clarify the impact of service quality aspects on loyalty. The study used correlation analysis and linear regression to show how six service quality parameters influenced client loyalty when using various Kim Thai hotel services. Among them, the security element has the most influence, while the empathy factor has the least influence on consumer loyalty to the hotel service. Among them, the security element has the most influence, while the empathy factor has the least influence on consumer loyalty to the hotel service. This research serves as the scientific foundation for the hotel to use when implementing solutions that improve service quality in order to promote customer return intentions.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0791/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Analisis Kepuasan Generasi Z terhadap Layanan E-Commerce: Implementasi Distribusi Binomial

This research aims to determine the probability of success in testing the quality of e-commerce services. The variables in this research consider the quality of e-commerce services and customer satisfaction, which are then grouped again based on dimensions. The dimensions of e-commerce services are product availability, delivery, and information and complaints. A binomial distribution is used to estimate the indicators in that dimension. Indicators in this dimension include product availability, delivery time, price and reliability, product quality and condition, customer complaints and return policies, and information quality. Success and samples were taken with n equal to 14 respondents as one representative of each study program. The population N is modeled using a binomial distribution by conducting n experiments. Each trial has two possible outcomes, namely success or failure. The probabilities of success and failure are expressed jointly by p and 1-p. The instrument used to collect data was a questionnaire with a Likert scale. The results of this research are p (strongly agree) = 0.191, p (agree) = 0.466, p (somewhat agree) = 0.269, p (disagree) = 0.046 and p (strongly disagree) = 0.027. Strongly agree, agree, and so on, state the respondent's answer to the statement about Shopee's service quality. The probability of success will increase when the sample size is smaller than a considerable probability value based on trials with varying n and x values.

환대서비스 종사원의 ESG 경영인식이 고객지향성, 진정성, 경영성과 간의 구조적 관계

Purpose - This study aims to use it as an opportunity to examine ESG management as well as identify the structural relationship between customer orientation, sincerity, and management performance among hospitality service employee ESG management awareness. Design/Methodology/Approach - To achieve the research purpose, theoretical and empirical research were conducted in parallel. The empirical study was conducted through a survey targeting employees working at hotels, family restaurants, coffee shops, and fast food restaurants, and the results were presented. Findings - A hypothesis was established, and as a result of hypothesis testing, a significant relationship was formed between ESG management awareness and customer-oriented behavior. The relationship between ESG management awareness and sincerity formed a significant relationship, and the relationship between customer orientation and management performance formed a significant relationship. A significant relationship was also formed between authenticity and management performance. Research Implications - Since the hospitality service industry is based on human resources, the role of employees as the foundation is important because it goes beyond customer satisfaction and creates customer return visits. Therefore, changes in job performance, including changes in the roles and abilities of employees, are important. There must be changes in the systems and environmental characteristics inside and outside the company. Moreover, it is believed that the high performance that employees are responsible for and the corporate environment have a significant relationship with management performance, and further influence each individual to take initiative in innovative behavior.

A Branch-and-Price Algorithm for an Integrated Online and Offline Retailing Distribution System with Product Return

This study identifies critical inefficiencies within a dual-channel operation model employed by a fast fashion company, particularly the independent operation of three logistics distribution systems. These systems result in high operational costs and low resource utilization, primarily due to redundant vehicle dispatches to meet the distinct demands of retail store replenishment, online customer orders, and customer return demands, as well as random and scattered return requests leading to vehicle underutilization. To address these challenges, we propose a novel integrated logistics distribution system design and management method tailored for dual-channel sales and distribution businesses. The approach consolidates the three distribution systems into one cohesive framework, thus streamlining the delivery process and reducing vehicle trips by combining retail and customer visits. An optimization algorithm is introduced to factor in inventory and distribution distance, aiming to achieve global optimization in pairing retail store inventory with online customer orders and unifying the distribution of replenishment products, online products, and returned products. The paper contributes to the field by introducing a new variation of the Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) that arises from an integrated distribution system, combining common VRP issues with more complex challenges. A custom Branch-and-Price (B&P) algorithm is developed to efficiently find optimal routes. Furthermore, we demonstrate the benefits of the integrated system over traditional, segregated systems through real-world data analysis and assess various factors including return rates and inventory conditions. The study also enhances the model by allowing inventory transfers between retail stores, improving inventory distribution balance, and offering solutions for scenarios with critically low inventory levels. Our findings highlight a significant reduction in total operating cost savings of up to 49.9% and vehicle usage when using the integrated distribution system compared to independent two-stage and three-stage systems. The integrated approach enables the utilization of vacant vehicle space and the dynamic selection and combination of tasks, preventing unnecessary mileage and space wastage. Notably, the integration of inventory sharing among retail stores has proven to be a key factor in generating feasible solutions under tight inventory conditions and reducing operational costs and vehicle numbers, with the benefits amplified in large-scale problem instances.

EXPRESS: A Suite of Metrics to Understand Return on Investments in Customers

When making customer investments under resource constraints, approaches based upon next period accounting profit fail to consider the long-term. As we show, marketers’ suggested solutions often omit retention spend from the customer investment, understating the required committed marketing spend. Unfortunately, the logical outcome is a focus on the wrong (high retention cost) customers. Marketers may even try to acquire customers as long-term investments, then refuse to invest in their retention. We develop a suite of metrics to consider investments in customers, including customer return on investment (CROI), acquisition return on investment (AROI), retention return on investment (RROI), and option return on investment (OROI). Using the suite can help marketers calculate meaningful ROIs, even when they cannot clearly differentiate between acquisition and retention marketing spend. Our key contributions show how to assess the value of customer investments and treat customer acquisition as gaining an option to spend on retention. We outline the connection between the metrics, detail when each are appropriate, and show how to apply the suite of metrics to a variety of simulated datasets.

Advanced payment strategy for EOQ model regarding perishable product with maximum lifetime, customer return, preservation technology and partial backlogging

Advanced payment strategy for EOQ model regarding perishable product with maximum lifetime, customer return, preservation technology and partial backlogging

When it rains, it pours? The impact of weather on customer returns in the brick-and-mortar retail store

With the increase in weather's unpredictability, the retail industry has been actively integrating weather data to make more informed decisions. However, knowledge about the impact of weather on customer returns is limited. It is crucial to understand customer return behavior so that companies could design strategies that are beneficial for both the business and its customers. In our study, we explore the role of weather (weather types and temperature) in shaping customer return behavior. Transaction data from 328 brick-and-mortar retail stores situated in 56 cities across China were analyzed using ordinary least squares regression. The results demonstrate that rainy days, in comparison to cloudy ones, reduce the likelihood of customers venturing out to make returns. Additionally, we observe that extreme temperature conditions, whether excessively cold or hot, also deter customers from initiating returns. However, the impact of weather on returns is subject to variations introduced by different return channels and holiday periods. Together, our research demonstrated a novel factor that impacts customer return. With the ever-dynamic symphony of the weather, this research broadens the scope of weather's influence on consumer behavior to encompass the domain of returns, while providing valuable implications for retailers to respond to weather-related fluctuations in customer return behavior.

Optimizing lot sizing model for perishable bread products using genetic algorithm

This research addresses order planning challenges related to perishable products, using bread products as a case study. The problem is how to effi­ci­ently manage the various bread products ordered by diverse customers, which requires distributors to determine the optimal number of products to order from suppliers. This study aims to formulate the problem as a lot-sizing model, considering various factors, including customer demand, in­ven­tory constraints, ordering capacity, return rate, and defect rate, to achieve a near or optimal solution, Therefore determining the optimal order quantity to reduce the total ordering cost becomes a challenge in this study. However, most lot sizing problems are combinatorial and difficult to solve. Thus, this study uses the Genetic Algorithm (GA) as the main method to solve the lot sizing model and determine the optimal number of bread products to order. With GA, experiments have been conducted by combining the values of population, crossover, mutation, and generation parameters to maximize the feasibility value that represents the minimal total cost. The results obtained from the application of GA demonstrate its effectiveness in generating near or optimal solutions while also showing fast computational performance. By utilizing GA, distributors can effectively minimize wastage arising from expired or perishable products while simultaneously meeting customer demand more efficiently. As such, this research makes a significant contri­bution to the development of more effective and intelligent decision-making strategies in the domain of perishable products in bread distribution.

The Influence of E-trust and E-Servqual on E-Repurchase Intention with E-Satisfaction as an Intervening Variable

The significance of e-commerce in the digital economy relies on repeat customers for sustainable growth. Key factors influencing customer return visits include e-trust and e-service quality. E-trust involves trust in platform security, product reliability, and transaction transparency. E-service quality includes website quality, responsive customer service, and efficient shipping and returns processes. This research aims to analyze the influence of E-trust and E-Servqual on E-Repurchase Intention with E-Satisfaction as an intervening variable. The study adopts a quantitative research approach, with the sample selected using nonprobability sampling, specifically the purposive sampling technique. The sample for this study comprises 244 students from Putra Bangsa University. Data analysis employs the Structural Equation Model (SEM) approach. Based on the data analysis, the following findings emerge: (1) E-trust has a positive effect on E-satisfaction, (2) E-service quality has a positive effect on E-satisfaction, (3) E-satisfaction has a positive effect on E-revisit intention, (4) E-satisfaction mediates the influence between E-trust and E-revisit intention, and (5) E-satisfaction mediates the influence between E-service quality and E-revisit intention.The results of this research have significant implications for businesses using e-commerce platforms, indicating that building trust, improving service quality, and increasing customer satisfaction are important strategies for influencing repurchase intentions in the online environment.

The Effect of Service Quality and Product Quality on Consumer Repurchase Intention with Satisfaction as A Mediating Variable at Putri Ayu's Weaving in Gianyar Regency

Purpose – The aim of this study is to examine the effect of service quality and product quality on customer return through satisfaction at Putri Ayu Weaving in Gianyar Regency. 
 Methodology – In this study, a survey questionnaire was administered to 85 participants, and the data were analysed using SEM-PLS..
 Findings – show that satisfaction plays an important role in purchase intention, where physical evidence is the main factor of service quality and design is the main factor of product quality. It has also been shown that satisfaction is often influenced by price. The results also confirm that service quality has a positive and positive effect on customer satisfaction, product quality has a positive and positive effect on customer satisfaction, service quality has a positive and positive effect on repeat intention, and product quality has a positive and positive effect on repeat intention. In addition, customer satisfaction has a positive effect on repurchase intention and plays a mediating role between service quality and repurchase intention. The implications of this study suggest that Putri Ayu Weaving should prioritise good service by providing staff training on operations, information accuracy, professionalism, and problem solving to meet customer needs and satisfaction. This study promotes a better understanding of consumer behaviour and provides better insights for businesses in the weaving industry.
 Originality – indicators measuring customer satisfaction act as a mediator between product quality and service quality on repurchase intention
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Remanufacturing Practices and Value Chain Performance in the Food and Beverage Industry in Kenya.

With the age of e-procurement and consumer awareness, allowance for product returns is key in ensuring customer satisfaction and customer return. Value chains have been facing challenges such as waste accumulation, scarce resources and high material costs which could be reduced by returning waste products to the value chains for reusing, recycling and remanufacturing. The main objective of this study was to examine the influence of product returns on value chain performance in the food and beverage industry in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive research design and the target population was 291 companies in the food and beverage industry. The sample population involved 74 companies in the food and beverage industry. Self-administered structured questionnaires were used to collect primary data. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found that value chain performance was influenced positively and significantly by product remanufacturing practices and most of the food and beverage firms in the industry that are implementing remanufacturing practices are improving their value chain performance by minimizing waste and the need to purchase new raw materials thereby increasing operational efficiency. This research was based on remanufacturing practices and value chain performance in the food and beverage industry in Kenya and there is a need to undertake similar studies in retail or commercial sector and in other countries in order to uncover the underlying relationships between remanufacturing practices and value chain performance and the findings may identify interesting comparisons. This study adds to existing research on the subject of remanufacturing practices and value chain performance as it reveals that remanufacturing practices are necessary to promote optimization of the performance of the value chains. Based on the current Literature, studies focusing on the implementation of the remanufacturing practices are limited. There is no study that is linking remanufacturing practices and value chain performance of the food and beverage industry. Therefore, this is a pioneering study in both content and context.