Internet retail customer loyalty: the mediating role of relational benefits

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.Abstract The application of technology-based self-service in service delivery has grown rapidly in recent years, but our current understanding of customer retention and satisfaction in such contexts remains limited. This paper proposes a conceptual framework that utilizes the construct of relational benefits to explain the link between Internet-based self-service technology attributes and customer loyalty and satisfaction. The framework posits that confidence and special treatment benefits mediate the impact of Internet self-service technology attributes on customer loyalty and satisfaction. The results of an empirical study using two contexts finds support for a fully mediated model. That is, confidence benefits mediate the impact of perceived control and performance on customer loyalty and satisfaction, while special treatment benefits mediate the relationship of efficiency and convenience with customer loyalty and satisfaction. The findings afford not only practical implications for marketers but also directions for future research on customer relational benefits and Internet-based self-service.

Relationship Among E-Service Quality, Culture, Attitude, Trust, Risk of Online Shopping

“…Findings regarding relational benefits revealed that perceptions of service quality had a positive effect on relational outcomes including trust (Yen and Gwinner, 2003). Hence, it is imperative for businesses to take into account that e-service quality is an important factor in developing customer trust and relationship (Lee and Lin, 2005).…”

Customer Orientation and Cross-Buying: The Mediating Effects of Relational Selling Behavior and Relationship Quality

“…If customers believe that service providers will treat them well (i.e., benevolence), their perceived risk and uncertainty will be reduced (Auh, 2005;Cho, 2006;Gao, Sirgy, and Bird, 2005;Selnes, 1998). Increasing customer's confidence not only can reduce customer's uncertainty in decision-making but also can increase customer's purchase intention (Flanagan et al, 2005;Yen and Gwinner, 2003), which shows that the role to increase confidence and reduce uncertainty in decision-making is played by none other than the trust (Garbarino and Johnson, 1999;Johnson and Grayson, 2005;Morgan and Hunt, 1994). In addition of benevolence, the trust in professional capability also can reduce the uncertainty (Crosby.…”

What Are Basic Human Needs? A Challenge to the Self-Determination Theory in the SST Context

“…Perceived control. Dabholkar (1996), Yen andGwinner (2003) andZhu (2002) conceptualized perceived control as a uni-dimensional construct and defined it as the degree of individuals' desire to exhibit mastery over the environment. In the current study, the conceptualization of perceived control in five items used by Dabholkar (1996), Yen and Gwinner (2003) and Zhu (2002) was used.…”