Building loyalty in e-commerce: Impact of business and customer characteristics. Issue 1 (3rd April 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Swaminathan, Srinivasan; Anderson, Rolph; Song, Lei
• Is Part Of: Journal of marketing channels. Volume 25:Issue 1/2(2018)
• Page Start: 22
• Page End: 35
• Publication Date: 2018-04-03
• Subjects: E-loyalty -- e-satisfaction -- business factors in e-loyalty -- customer characteristics for e-loyalty; Marketing channels -- United States -- Periodicals; Physical distribution of goods -- United States -- Periodicals; Business logistics -- United States -- Periodicals; 658.87
• DOI: 10.1080/1046669X.2019.1646184
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1046-669X

Abstract

Abstract: Understanding, building, and predicting customer loyalty in e-commerce are critical activities for long-run profitability. Successfully carrying out these activities is challenging due to the complex mix of both business organization and customer factors that may influence and drive e-loyalty. We demonstrate that business factors, such as credibility, e-satisfaction and site knowledge, and customer factors, such as inertia, innovativeness, and aggressiveness, influence e-loyalty. Our analyses show that business credibility is affected by the reputation of the e-business and its congruence with the customers' self-image; e-satisfaction by the customers' value perception, care, and choice; and site knowledge by customer experience, involvement, and expertise. Business factors account for about 75% of the explained variation in e-loyalty and customer factors for the rest. Understanding the controllable business and uncontrollable customer factors that drive customer loyalty should enable e-commerce retailers to continually assess these factors and make appropriate changes in marketing strategy.