Ebrahim Mazaheri

How customers respond to the assistive intent of an E-retailer?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how an E-retailers assistive intent impacts the perceptions and behaviours of online shoppers. The paper introduces a model that explains and examines the process through which the perceived assistive intent of an E-retailer leads to improved patronage intentions towards the web site. Design/methodology/approach – A survey on the most recent e-purchase experiences of more than 600 individuals in North America was conducted. Structural equation modelling based on EQS 6.1 was used to assess the measurement and structural models. Findings – Results indicated that customers’ impressions of an E-retailers assistive intent positively impact web site patronage intentions both directly and indirectly through two key constructs of e-shopping, including web site involvement and web site attitudes. Research limitations/implications – The student sample is not representative of the population. Students are familiar with internet and feel less need for assistance...

How Would the E-Retailer’s Website Personality Impact Customers’ Attitudes toward the Site?

This research investigates the relationships between website personality and two key variables of e-retailing, site involvement and site attitudes. A conceptual model is tested through a survey on the e-shopping experiences of 588 respondents from a large Northeastern university. Findings show that the five dimensions of website personality are not equally effective in shaping reactions towards the site. While enthusiasm has a positive impact and unpleasantness has a negative impact on both site involvement and site attitudes, some other dimensions influence only site attitudes (genuineness), site involvement (solidity), or neither of the two (sophistication). Implications for segmentation and targeting are discussed.

Determinants of experienced tourists’ satisfaction and actual spending behavior: a PLS path modelling approach

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of customer perceived relationship marketing (CPRM), service quality and brand experience on tourists’ satisfaction and actual spending behavior in the emerging hospitality industry in Iran. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 308 valid questionnaires were collected to empirically evaluate the measurement and structural model using the PLS path modelling approach, a variance-based structural equation modelling (VB-SEM) technique. Findings: The results support the causal relationships that exist between the exogenous and endogenous constructs. Furthermore, three other factors were found to be second-order constructs: brand experience (reflective-reflective) comprising of sensory, affective, behavioural and intellectual; service quality (reflective-reflective) comprising of tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy; and actual spending behaviour (reflective-reflective) comprising of dining frequency and dining expenditure. Originality/value: Current literature has commonly investigated the attitude, satisfaction and behaviour of a traveller’s intentions; however, limited research has examined an experienced tourist’s actual spending behaviour in an emerging hospitality industry environment, such as Iran.