Ko de Ruyter

On the relationship between store image, store satisfaction and store loyalty

In this article the relationship between store image, store satisfaction and store loyalty is examined. A distinction is made between true store loyalty and spurious store loyalty and manifest and latent satisfaction with the store. We hypothesise that the positive relationship between manifest store satisfaction and store loyalty is stronger than the positive relationship between latent store satisfaction and store loyalty. Furthermore, we hypothesise a direct as well as an indirect effect through satisfaction of store image on store loyalty. Second, the relationship between store image and store loyalty is mediated by store satisfaction. We do not find evidence for a direct effect of store image on store loyalty.

Investigating drivers of bank loyalty : the complex relationship between image, service quality and satisfaction

This article investigates how image, perceived service quality and satisfaction determine loyalty in a retail bank setting at the global construct level, as well as the level of construct dimensions. At the global level the results of a large‐scale empirical study reveal that image is indirectly related to bank loyalty via perceived quality. In turn, service quality is both directly and indirectly related to bank loyalty via satisfaction. The latter has a direct effect on bank loyalty. At the level of the dimensions underlying aforementioned constructs, it becomes clear that reliability (a quality dimension) and position in the market (an image dimension) are relatively important drivers of retail bank loyalty.

Response Rate and Response Quality of Internet-Based Surveys: An Experimental Study

This study examines the effect of the timing of follow-ups, different incentives, length, and presentation of the questionnaire on the response rate and response quality in an online experimental setting. The results show that short questionnaires have a higher response rate, although long questionnaires still generate a surprisingly high response. Furthermore, vouchers seem to be the most effective incentive in long questionnaires, while lotteries are more efficient in short surveys. A follow-up study revealed that lotteries with small prizes, but a higher chance of winning are most effective in increasing the response rate. Enhancing questionnaires with visual elements, such as product images, lead to a higher response quality and generate interesting interaction effects with the length of the questionnaire and the incentives used. Finally, the timing of the follow-up has no significant influence on the response rate.

Antecedents of Commitment and Trust in Customer-Supplier Relationships in High-Technology Markets

Abstract The level of complexity and inherent perceived risk involved in customer relationships in high-technology markets leads to an intricate interplay of factors determining commitment and trust that in turn affect customer intentions to remain in the relationship. In this article, we develop a model in which aspects of the product, relationship management activities, and market variables are discerned and taken into account simultaneously as antecedents of trust, commitment, and intention to stay. The results from a qualitative and a quantitative study provide evidence for the influence of types of antecedents of trust, commitment, and intention to stay in supplier–customer relationships in high-technology markets relationships. It is shown that particularly affective commitment plays an important role in these relationships

Social Capital Production in a Virtual P3 Community

The purpose of this study is to examine the relational norms that determine social capital—an intangible resource embedded in and accumulated through a specific social structure. The social structure examined in this study is a virtual community created through text‐based conversations oriented toward peer‐to‐peer problem solving (P3). Empirical results support the conceptualization of social capital as an index composed of the normative influences of voluntarism, reciprocity, and social trust. Membership length was found to moderate the virtual P3 community experience. Qualitative analysis of the community dialogue provides additional support for the characterization of virtual P3 activity as community based.

Beyond the Call of Duty: Why Customers Contribute to Firm-hosted Commercial Online Communities

Firm-hosted commercial online communities, in which customers interact to solve each others service problems, represent a fascinating context to study the motivations of collective action in the form of knowledge contribution to the community. We extend a model of social capital based on Wasko and Faraj (2005) to incorporate and contrast the direct impact of commitment to both the online community and the host firm, as well as reciprocity, on quality and quantity of knowledge contribution. In addition, we examine the moderating influence of three individual attributes that are particularly relevant to the firm-hosted community context: perceived informational value, sportsmanship, and online interaction propensity. We empirically test our framework using self-reported and objective data from 203 members of a firm-hosted technical support community. In addition to several interesting moderating effects, we find that a customers online interaction propensity, commitment to the community, and the informational value s/he perceives in the community are the strongest drivers of knowledge contribution.

Customer-to-Customer Interactions: Broadening the Scope of Word of Mouth Research

The increasing emphasis on understanding the antecedents and consequences of customer-to-customer (C2C) interactions is one of the essential developments of customer management in recent years. This interest is driven much by new online environments that enable customers to be connected in numerous new ways and also supply researchers’ access to rich C2C data. These developments present an opportunity and a challenge for firms and researchers who need to identify the aspects of C2C research on which to focus, as well as develop research methods that take advantage of these new data. The aim here is to take a broad view of C2C interactions and their effects and to highlight areas of significant research interest in this domain. The authors look at four main areas: the different dimensions of C2C interactions; social system issues related to individuals and to online communities; C2C context issues including product, channel, relational and market characteristics; and the identification, modeling, and assessment of business outcomes of C2C interactions.

Merging service quality and service satisfaction. An empirical test of an integrative model

Abstract Recent research linking service quality and service satisfaction has raised issues which require conceptual and empirical elaboration. Among these are the conceptual overlap as well as distinctions between these two customer judgments, the role of expectations and perceptions and the question whether service satisfaction is a superordinate concept to quality or vice versa. In this article an integrative model is presented in which both concepts and their antecedents are delineated on the basis of conceptual advances made in the services marketing literature recently. Moreover, this model is empirically tested in a health care setting to determine the nature of the relationship between service quality and service satisfaction. The results suggest that service quality should be treated as an antecedent of service satisfaction. It was also found that service satisfaction, in addition to service quality, is a direct function of disconfirmation and perception. Furthermore, service quality and disconfirmation seem to be directly related to perception.

E-tailers versus Retailers: Which Factors Determine Consumer Preferences

The growth of Internet technology and electronic commerce has not been matched by theoretically-guided social science research. Clear and well designed consumer research is needed to describe, explain, and predict what will happen to this changing landscape. The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the structure for consumer preferences to make product purchases through three available retail formats - store, catalog, and the Internet. Conjoint analysis was used to assess the structure of the decision and the importance of the attributes in the decision-making process. The results from this study noticeably show that the structure of the consumer decision-making process was found to be primarily one of choosing the retail format (store, catalog, or Internet) and price of product (set at low, medium or high) desired. The strength of the retail store format suggests that fears that the Internet will take over the retail arena seem, at least at this point in time, overblown and exaggerated. However, there seems to be an identifiable segment of customers that has a preference for the Internet as a retail shopping alternative.The growth of internet technology and electronic commerce has not been matched by theoretically guided social science research. Clear and well-designed consumer research is needed to describe, explain, and predict what will happen to this changing landscape. The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the structure for consumer preferences to make product purchases through three available retail formats—store, catalog, and the internet. Conjoint analysis was used to assess the structure of the decision and the importance of the attributes in the decision-making process. The results from this study noticeably show that the structure of the consumer decision-making process was found to be primarily one of choosing the retail format (store, catalog, or internet) and price of product (set at low, medium, or high) desired. The strength of the retail store format suggests that fears that the internet will take over the retail arena seem, at least at this point in time, overblown and exaggerated. However, there seems to be an identifiable segment of customers that has a preference for the internet as a retail shopping alternative.

Positioning qualitative market research : reflections from theory and practice

Discusses a number of important issues pertaining to the domain of qualitative market research. Attempts to define what qualitative research is about and discuss some of the difficulties involved in coming up with a clear definition of the qualitative paradigm. Suggests a number of issues relating to theory and practice that warrant the existence of a new journal devoted specifically to qualitative market research. Concludes with a discussion of validity and reliability in the context of qualitative research.