Roles of logistics service quality in shaping generation Z customers’ repurchase intention and electronic word of mouth in E-commerce industry

Abstract

As e-commerce continues to reshape retail landscapes, logistics service quality (LSQ) has become a crucial determinant of customer trust, satisfaction, and long-term engagement. This study investigates the impact of logistics service quality (LSQ) dimensions on the behavioral intentions of Generation Z consumers within Vietnam’s rapidly expanding e-commerce sector. The research focuses on how various LSQ factors—timeliness, personal contact quality, order accuracy, order condition, order discrepancy handling, and return convenience—affect trust and satisfaction, which subsequently influence repurchase intention and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). A quantitative approach was employed, gathering data from 495 Generation Z consumers with prior online shopping experience. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the proposed model and its hypotheses. This study found that key LSQ attributes play a significant role in shaping both trust and satisfaction, which, in turn, drive repurchase intention and eWOM. However, the findings indicate that Generation Z’s expectations for seamless logistics experiences vary across different service attributes. While factors such as order accuracy, order condition, and order discrepancy handling contribute to satisfaction, they do not necessarily build trust, highlighting the generation’s high standards and perception of these aspects as fundamental rather than differentiating features. This study challenges traditional LSQ frameworks by highlighting the evolving expectations of digital-native consumers. It offers practical insights for e-commerce businesses, emphasizing the need for a strategic blend of technological efficiency, personalized interactions, and seamless post-purchase services to enhance customer loyalty and competitiveness in the digital marketplace.

The Power of Fit in E-Commerce Platforms: Aligning Customer Service Orientation and Internal Service Quality

“…Our study builds on this tradition by conceptualizing Customer Service Orientation (CSO) as the interface-level signal and Internal Service Quality (ISQ) as the backstage execution capability [62]. Fit theory provides the structural lens for our focal predictions: (i) when CSO and ISQ are aligned, repurchase intention is expected to increase with their joint level [25,63]; (ii) the incremental gains from alignment should diminish at high joint levels [64]; and (iii) growing incongruence, one high and the other low, should reduce repurchase intention [65]. Response-surface analysis (RSA) offers the appropriate empirical framework to test these propositions, avoiding the conflation of level and discrepancy and enabling recovery of the geometric features of the CSO-ISQ surface implied by fit theory [25,28,66].…”

The Power of Fit in E-Commerce Platforms: Aligning Customer Service Orientation and Internal Service Quality

“…Our study builds on this tradition by conceptualizing Customer Service Orientation (CSO) as the interface-level signal and Internal Service Quality (ISQ) as the backstage execution capability [62]. Fit theory provides the structural lens for our focal predictions: (i) when CSO and ISQ are aligned, repurchase intention is expected to increase with their joint level [25,63]; (ii) the incremental gains from alignment should diminish at high joint levels [64]; and (iii) growing incongruence, one high and the other low, should reduce repurchase intention [65]. Response-surface analysis (RSA) offers the appropriate empirical framework to test these propositions, avoiding the conflation of level and discrepancy and enabling recovery of the geometric features of the CSO-ISQ surface implied by fit theory [25,28,66].…”

Platform-Specific Quality Dimensions in Instagram Commerce: How Social Media Features Drive Consumer Behavior

“…Clarity satisfies cognitive needs for information quality, attractiveness fulfills hedonic and aesthetic gratifications, interactivity satisfies social connection and communicatory utility gratifications, and relevance addresses informationseeking gratifications [49]. When enterprises deliver high-quality products across all dimensions, they simultaneously satisfy multiple consumer gratifications, thereby creating satisfaction, strengthening their brand image, generating electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), and driving repurchase intention [50].…”

Differences in Online Consumer Behavior: A Multi-Dimensional Comparative Study in the Context of European Digital Commerce

“… Ngo et al ( 2025 ) reported that younger consumers, in this case Generation Z, value social responsibility and transparency in the logistics operations, including green packaging and carbon-free delivery. Gajewska et al ( 2020 ) discovered that delivery satisfaction is associated with the logistics infrastructure maturity and countries such as the Netherlands and Germany score higher in re-liability measures.…”

“…Shipping matters research shows that customers differentiate the way in which they evaluate convenience, quality and reliability of delivery: Majchrzak-Lepczyk ( 2019 ) studied the quality of logistics services in 12 EU countries and found variation in perceived importance of punctuality, reliability and flexibility; Grant and Philipp ( 2014 ) illustrated how the features of delivery affect satisfaction differently for France, Germany and the United Kingdom; Vasić et al ( 2021 ) and Uvet et al ( 2024 ) showed that control of delivery details and returns procedures are valued differently by regions; Kim et al ( 2017 ) highlighted geographical constraints in cross-border logistics; Sendcloud ( 2022 ) and WIK-Consult ( 2021 ) provided extensive evidence of national preference of transport differences; and Ngo et al ( 2025 ) and Gajewska et al ( 2020 ) have underlined generational and infrastructure satisfaction drivers.…”

The Power of Fit in E-Commerce Platforms: Aligning Customer Service Orientation and Internal Service Quality

“…Our study builds on this tradition by conceptualizing Customer Service Orientation (CSO) as the interface-level signal and Internal Service Quality (ISQ) as the backstage execution capability [62]. Fit theory provides the structural lens for our focal predictions: (i) when CSO and ISQ are aligned, repurchase intention is expected to increase with their joint level [25,63]; (ii) the incremental gains from alignment should diminish at high joint levels [64]; and (iii) growing incongruence, one high and the other low, should reduce repurchase intention [65]. Response-surface analysis (RSA) offers the appropriate empirical framework to test these propositions, avoiding the conflation of level and discrepancy and enabling recovery of the geometric features of the CSO-ISQ surface implied by fit theory [25,28,66].…”

Platform-Specific Quality Dimensions in Instagram Commerce: How Social Media Features Drive Consumer Behavior

“…Clarity satisfies cognitive needs for information quality, attractiveness fulfills hedonic and aesthetic gratifications, interactivity satisfies social connection and communicatory utility gratifications, and relevance addresses informationseeking gratifications [49]. When enterprises deliver high-quality products across all dimensions, they simultaneously satisfy multiple consumer gratifications, thereby creating satisfaction, strengthening their brand image, generating electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), and driving repurchase intention [50].…”

Differences in Online Consumer Behavior: A Multi-Dimensional Comparative Study in the Context of European Digital Commerce

“… Ngo et al ( 2025 ) reported that younger consumers, in this case Generation Z, value social responsibility and transparency in the logistics operations, including green packaging and carbon-free delivery. Gajewska et al ( 2020 ) discovered that delivery satisfaction is associated with the logistics infrastructure maturity and countries such as the Netherlands and Germany score higher in re-liability measures.…”

“…Shipping matters research shows that customers differentiate the way in which they evaluate convenience, quality and reliability of delivery: Majchrzak-Lepczyk ( 2019 ) studied the quality of logistics services in 12 EU countries and found variation in perceived importance of punctuality, reliability and flexibility; Grant and Philipp ( 2014 ) illustrated how the features of delivery affect satisfaction differently for France, Germany and the United Kingdom; Vasić et al ( 2021 ) and Uvet et al ( 2024 ) showed that control of delivery details and returns procedures are valued differently by regions; Kim et al ( 2017 ) highlighted geographical constraints in cross-border logistics; Sendcloud ( 2022 ) and WIK-Consult ( 2021 ) provided extensive evidence of national preference of transport differences; and Ngo et al ( 2025 ) and Gajewska et al ( 2020 ) have underlined generational and infrastructure satisfaction drivers.…”

The Power of Fit in E-Commerce Platforms: Aligning Customer Service Orientation and Internal Service Quality

“…Our study builds on this tradition by conceptualizing Customer Service Orientation (CSO) as the interface-level signal and Internal Service Quality (ISQ) as the backstage execution capability [62]. Fit theory provides the structural lens for our focal predictions: (i) when CSO and ISQ are aligned, repurchase intention is expected to increase with their joint level [25,63]; (ii) the incremental gains from alignment should diminish at high joint levels [64]; and (iii) growing incongruence, one high and the other low, should reduce repurchase intention [65]. Response-surface analysis (RSA) offers the appropriate empirical framework to test these propositions, avoiding the conflation of level and discrepancy and enabling recovery of the geometric features of the CSO-ISQ surface implied by fit theory [25,28,66].…”

Platform-Specific Quality Dimensions in Instagram Commerce: How Social Media Features Drive Consumer Behavior

“…Clarity satisfies cognitive needs for information quality, attractiveness fulfills hedonic and aesthetic gratifications, interactivity satisfies social connection and communicatory utility gratifications, and relevance addresses informationseeking gratifications [49]. When enterprises deliver high-quality products across all dimensions, they simultaneously satisfy multiple consumer gratifications, thereby creating satisfaction, strengthening their brand image, generating electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), and driving repurchase intention [50].…”

Differences in Online Consumer Behavior: A Multi-Dimensional Comparative Study in the Context of European Digital Commerce

“… Ngo et al ( 2025 ) reported that younger consumers, in this case Generation Z, value social responsibility and transparency in the logistics operations, including green packaging and carbon-free delivery. Gajewska et al ( 2020 ) discovered that delivery satisfaction is associated with the logistics infrastructure maturity and countries such as the Netherlands and Germany score higher in re-liability measures.…”

“…Shipping matters research shows that customers differentiate the way in which they evaluate convenience, quality and reliability of delivery: Majchrzak-Lepczyk ( 2019 ) studied the quality of logistics services in 12 EU countries and found variation in perceived importance of punctuality, reliability and flexibility; Grant and Philipp ( 2014 ) illustrated how the features of delivery affect satisfaction differently for France, Germany and the United Kingdom; Vasić et al ( 2021 ) and Uvet et al ( 2024 ) showed that control of delivery details and returns procedures are valued differently by regions; Kim et al ( 2017 ) highlighted geographical constraints in cross-border logistics; Sendcloud ( 2022 ) and WIK-Consult ( 2021 ) provided extensive evidence of national preference of transport differences; and Ngo et al ( 2025 ) and Gajewska et al ( 2020 ) have underlined generational and infrastructure satisfaction drivers.…”