Charles McMellon

Exploring the determinants of retail service quality on the Internet

A multidimensional measure of perceived online service quality was developed based on consumers’ comments about their experiences with online retailers. These comments were organized and compared to the SERVQUAL scale. A survey was administered to adults who had made online purchases or role‐played the experience. While reflective of the SERVQUAL dimensions, the new measures became less reliant on interpersonal interactions and more technologically relevant. A new dimension also emerged that reflects consumers’ concerns for the geographic distance and facelessness of their experience. The study points to areas of improvement for online service quality.

Cybersenior Empowerment: How Some Older Individuals Are Taking Control of Their Lives

As individuals age, many begin to perceive a loss of control in their personal and social lives. To regain some of that control, individuals are buying computers and going on the Internet. The authors suggest that individuals who go on the Internet are empowering themselves because they are participating with others in a community and increasing personal control over their lives. They discuss potential empowerment themes developed from a convenience sample of older individuals (i.e., 50 or older) by analyzing their comments on how the Internet has influenced their personal and social lives. Emerging empowerment themes include the power of change, information, guilt, and how the Internet has enriched lives and expanded worldviews. What respondents told the authors has implications for funding and development of public policy including health and quality-of-life issues.

Building relationships with business and leisure flyers: perceived loyalty and frequent flyer programs.

Abstract Frequency marketing programs are widely used by service providers to build relationships and loyalty. This study examines one particular form of frequency marketing program the frequent flyer program and the factors which influence loyalty to the service provider. A survey of frequent flyers shows that business and leisure flyers find different aspects of these programs to be important. Compared with leisure flyers, business flyers were somewhat more interested in the points per se as a way of “keeping score,” while leisure flyers were somewhat more concerned with the procedural aspects of frequent flyer programs.