Differentiating between service quality and relationship quality in cyberspace

Abstract

The onset of Internet marketing is revolutionising marketing practice. Although growth in sales of goods and services online has been dramatic, very little research has addressed the factors that lead to the delivery of superior service and the creation of effective marketing relationships. This paper explores and defines two related constructs – service quality and relationship quality – to ascertain whether consumers can meaningfully distinguish between the constructs. The research uses focus groups and an online survey to address this issue. The paper finds that, although service quality and relationship quality are distinct constructs, they overlap in the area of personal interaction and problem solving. The key drivers for the delivery of superior service and the creation of an effective relationship are reliability and trust emanating from service quality and relationship quality respectively.

Financial risk and its impact on new purchasing behavior in the online retail setting

“…These strategies confirm the applicability of previous retail service quality conceptualizations (Dabholkar et al 1996;2000) wherein service quality is achieved by providing superior service along five underlying dimensions: (i) physical aspects, (ii) reliability, (iii) personal interaction, (iv) problem-solving, and (v) policy. This is noteworthy given that Keating et al (2003) have demonstrated empirically that Dabholkar's conceptions of retail service quality are directly applicable to the online retail setting.…”

“…Minor modifications were made to the wording of some items to account for contextual differences associated with online shopping. The prior operationalization of the retail service quality scale in the online retail setting by Keating et al (2003) guided this modification.…”

Causes and consequences of donor perceptions of the quality of the relationship marketing activities of charitable organisations

“…75 They involve the individual wanting to communicate and cooperate with the organisation, and to be close to it. Commitment to an organisation is the 'highest stage of relational bonding'.…”

A Study of Benchmarking Influence on Customer Satisfaction

“…In particular, loyalty may be defined as a customer's intention or predisposition to purchase from the same organization again (Edvardsson et al, 2000), that result from the conviction that the value received from one seller is greater than the value available from other alternatives (Hallowell, 1996). As a consequence, loyalty has been considered to be a key factor in order to achieve company success and sustainability over time (Flavián et al, 2006;Keating et al, 2003).…”