Swinder Janda

Consumer perceptions of Internet retail service quality

The purpose of this manuscript is to explore consumers’ perceptions of Internet retail service quality. This is accomplished via two studies. Study 1 utilizes qualitative depth interviews to identify five dimensions important to consumers in their assessment of the quality of Internet retailers. These are termed performance (how well an online retailer does in terms of meeting expectations regarding order fulfillment), access (Internet retailer’s ability to provide a variety of products from anywhere in the world), security (relating to perceptions of trust in the online retailer’s integrity regarding financial and privacy issues), sensation (interactive features of the e‐retailer’s Web site) and information (quantity and credibility of information provider by the online retailer). Study 2 quantifies the five dimensions using multi‐item scales, and conducts a survey to assess the reliability and validity (convergent, discriminant, and nomological) of these dimensions. Theoretical and managerial implications of the results are also discussed.

A phenomenological investigation of Internet usage among older individuals

Older consumers comprise a growing but under‐represented segment of Internet users. However, compared to many younger groups, members of this segment often possess more discretionary time and income. This presents a significant opportunity for marketers of Internet related products and services. In order to better understand older individuals’ attitudes and motivations concerning Internet usage, phenomenological interviews were conducted among six Internet users and six non‐users. From the emic perspective of the informants, and the etic interpretation of the transcripts, the following six themes characterizing differences between Internet using and Internet non‐using older individuals emerged: Reference group affiliation, Technology schema, Resistance to change, Nature of social relations, Perception of reality, and Physical dexterity. The marketing implications of these findings are identified and discussed.

How do consumers evaluate Internet retail service quality

The conceptualization and assessment of service quality continues to play an important role in marketing for both academics and practitioners alike. This study extends the service quality literature by utilizing semi‐structured depth interviews with 58 online shoppers to uncover key aspects of Internet service quality. Results indicate that consumers evaluate the service of Internet marketers in terms of five major dimensions: performance, access, security, sensation, and information. While marketing academicians may use the study’s findings as a framework to develop measures to empirically assess Internet service quality, online retailers may use our findings as a resource while constructing, managing, and evaluating their marketing strategies.

Predicting consumer intentions to purchase energy‐efficient products

Purpose – This research aims to examine behavioral intentions toward purchase of energy‐efficient products utilizing the theory of reasoned action framework.Design/methodology/approach – Survey data from a sample of 202 shoppers of electrical appliances and small electronic products was utilized to estimate the proposed model.Findings – The main finding is that attitude toward energy‐efficient product has a stronger effect on intentions compared to the subjective norm component.Research limitations/implications – In order to maximize use of their financial resources, companies marketing energy‐efficient products need to focus more on enhancing consumer attitudes toward their brands and spend relatively less on efforts to educate consumers about using energy – efficient appliances in general.Practical implications – Since attitudes are formed from beliefs and knowledge, use of informational ads that clearly illustrate energy‐saving consequences of their specific brands of products will be an effective mark...

The effects of advertising spending on brand loyalty in services

Purpose – This paper aims to model the effect of advertising spending on brand loyalty by examining the simultaneous effects of advertising spending, store image, perceived quality and satisfaction on brand loyalty.Design/methodology/approach – A proposed model is compared with three competing models of the relationships amongst, and impact of, independent variables on brand loyalty. Data from the banking and discount store services in South Korea are used to examine the indirect effects of customer perceptions of advertising spending on brand loyalty.Findings – Results elucidate the complexity of advertising spending effects on brand loyalty, with mediating roles played by store image, perceived quality and satisfaction. Significant results obtained in both banking and retail services differing in firm‐customer relationships suggest that the findings are robust.Research limitations/implications – Future research might test the proposed research model in other cultures and conduct cross‐cultural compariso...

An empirical test of a proposed customer satisfaction model in e‐services

Purpose – This research aims to build on recent advances in services marketing theory to propose and evaluate empirically a model of online customer satisfaction and its key antecedent and consequent constructs. This research also aims to establish the role of attribution and disconfirmation within this context.Design/methodology/approach – An online survey is utilized to collect data and the proposed theoretical model is estimated using structural equation modeling via the AMOS software.Findings – The findings indicate that perceived value may both directly and indirectly (via disconfirmation) affect not just satisfaction, but it may also indirectly affect attribution via disconfirmation.Originality/value – This research contributes to extant literature via further extending theory related to customer satisfaction in the online environment. For example, one major contribution of the study pertains to illustrating the role of perceived value in affecting an online shoppers satisfaction. Since satisfactio...

Development of brand equity: evaluation of four alternative models

This study examines the development of brand equity by evaluating the influences of brand associations, perceived quality, satisfaction, and brand loyalty. Based on insights from prior research, four models are proposed, which focus on alternative relationships among these four factors. Sample data sets from the banking and discount store services are used to evaluate the relationships between and among these four factors. Results of the comparative data analyses reveal that the research model fits the data significantly better than the other three models. In particular, the contention that the effects of perceived quality impact brand equity indirectly through satisfaction is supported. The findings indicate that the primary contribution of the current study lies in the inclusion of satisfaction as an antecedent to brand equity and in the attempts to adequately model its relationships with the more traditional brand equity antecedents of perceived quality, brand loyalty, and brand associations. These results, and their implications, along with avenues for further research are also elaborated in this research.

Manufacturer–supplier relationships: An empirical test of a model of buyer outcomes

Abstract Relational buyer–seller exchanges have been the focus of significant research in the past few years. In extending this recent research, the authors draw upon transaction cost analysis and symbolic interactionism to propose and test a model focusing on outcomes of manufacturer–supplier relationships from the perspective of the manufacturer. Data from 157 purchasing executives offer empirical support for the relationships proposed in the model. In the context of acquiring critical items, relational orientation is found to be negatively related to measures of acquisition and possession costs and positively related to perceived product quality, and these variables, in turn, are significantly linked to the buyers satisfaction with the supplier. Model results also indicate that a relational orientation has both a direct and an indirect link to satisfaction. Implications for both marketing managers and researchers interested in collaborative relationships between buyer and supplier organizations are offered.

Role of satisfaction in an integrative model of brand loyalty

Purpose – Despite an extensive body of research on brand loyalty, it has been demonstrated that customer‐based brand research is still in a state of evolution. The purpose of this paper is to develop and test alternative models of the brand loyalty process by examining the effects of customer orientation, brand association, perceived service quality, and satisfaction on brand loyalty utilizing data from South Korea and China. Further, relatively little attention has been given to the competing process of individual‐level brand loyalty. Thus, this paper aims to examine the relationships among satisfaction and other key constructs that may potentially affect brand loyalty.Design/methodology/approach – Structural equation analysis of six competing models is provided. Although competing models are supported by prior research, they differ with respect to the particular mechanism that underlies the alternative explanations and the mediating effects. In this study, Armstrongs notion is adopted to show that the ...

The effect of customized information on online purchase intentions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to employ a cross-cultural perspective to propose and empirically evaluate four models focusing on the role of satisfaction and trust in the formation of online travel purchase intentions. Design/methodology/approach – A proposed model is compared with three alternative models of the relationships among, and impact of, independent variables on purchase intentions. Data from South Korea and UK are used to examine the proposed relationship and select the best model among four alternative models. Findings – Results suggest that there are significant differences as well as similarities across consumers in South Korea and the UK. Customized information has a direct affect on both satisfaction and trust. The effect of satisfaction on purchase intentions is mediated by attitude toward web site only in the UK sample, while it has direct and indirect effects on purchase intentions in the South Korean sample. However, the relationship between trust and purchase intentions is n...