Effects of Level of Internet Retailer’s Service Quality on Perceived Apparel Quality,Perceived Service Quality,Perceived Value,Satisfaction,and Behavioral Intentions Toward an Internet Retailer
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online January, 2010
Effects of Level of Internet Retailer’s Service Quality on Perceived Apparel Quality,Perceived Service Quality,Perceived Value,Satisfaction,and Behavioral Intentions Toward an Internet Retailer
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the level of Internet retailer’s service quality (IRSQ) on perceived apparel quality, perceived service quality, consumer value perception of apparel shopping, satisfaction with apparel shopping experience, and future behavioral intentions regarding apparel shopping with the Internet retailer. We also investigated interrelationships among these variables in both IRSQ levels. The quality-value-satisfaction model (Cronin, Brady, & Hult, 2000) was adopted and expanded to serve as a theoretical framework for this study. A convenience sample of 361 female college students in two U.S. regions participated in and provided usable responses to this experimental study. Multi-group analysis via a structural equation modeling technique revealed positive interrelationships between perceived apparel quality, perceived service quality, perceived value, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions. In addition, these interrelationships were stronger in higher IRSQ level, compared to the lower level. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Baker, J., Levy, M., & Grewal, D. ( 1992). An experimental approach to making retail store environmental decisions. Journal of Retailing, 68(4), 445-460.
6.
Baker, J., Parasuraman, A., Grewal, D., & Voss, G.B. ( 2002, April). The influence of multiple store environment cues on perceived merchandise value and patronage intention. Journal of Marketing, 66, 120-141.
7.
Balabanis, G., Reynolds, N., & Simintiras, A. (2006). Bases of e-store loyalty: Perceived switching barriers and satisfaction. Journal of Business Research, 59(2), 214-224.
8.
Bitner, M.J. ( 1990). Evaluating service encounters: The effects of physical surroundings and employee responses. Journal of Marketing , 54(2), 69-82.
Bolton, R.N., & Drew, J.H. ( 1991). A multistage model of customer’s assessments of service quality and value. Journal of Consumer Research, 17(4), 375-384.
11.
Brady, M.K., Cronin, J.J., Jr., & Brand, R.R. ( 2002). Performance-only measurement of service qualities: A replication and extension. Journal of Business Research, 55, 17-31.
12.
Brady, M.K., & Robertson, C.J. (2001). Searching for a consensus on the antecedent role of service quality and satisfaction: An exploratory cross-national study. Journal of Business Research, 51(1), 53-60.
13.
Calder, B.J., Philips, L.W., & Tybout, A.M. ( 1981, September). Designing research for application. Journal of Consumer Research, 8, 197-207.
14.
Chen, Z., & Dubinsky, A.J. (2003). A conceptual model of perceived customer value in e-commerce: A preliminary investigation. Psychology & Marketing, 20(4), 323-347.
15.
Chiou, J.-S. ( 2004). The antecedents of consumers’ loyalty toward Internet service providers. Information & Management, 41(6), 685-695.
16.
Cronin, J.J., Jr., Brady, M.K., Brand, R.R., Hightower, R., Jr., & Shemwell, D.J. (1997). A cross-sectional test of the effect and conceptualization of service value. Journal of Services Marketing, 11(6), 375-391.
17.
Cronin, J.J., Jr., Brady, M.K., & Hult, G.T.M. ( 2000). Assessing the effects of quality, value, and customer satisfaction on consumer behavioral intentions in service environments. Journal of Retailing, 76(2), 193-218.
18.
Dodds, W.B., & Monroe, K.B. ( 1985, August). Effects of price, brand, and store information on buyers’ product evaluations. Journal of Marketing Research, 28, 307-319.
19.
Dodds, W.B., Monroe, K.B., & Grewal, D. ( 1991). Effects of price, brand, and store information on buyers’ product evaluations. Journal of Marketing Research, 28(3), 307-319.
20.
Donovan, R.J., & Rossiter, J.R. (1982). Store atmosphere: The environmental psychology approach. Journal of Retailing, 58(1), 34-57.
21.
Eroglu, S.A., Machleit, K.A., & Davis, L.M. ( 2003). Empirical testing of a model of online store atmospherics and shopper responses. Psychology & Marketing, 20(2), 139-50.
22.
Fiore, A.M., & Kim, J. ( 2007). An integrative framework capturing experiential and utilitarian shopping experience. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, 35(6), 421-442.
23.
Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. ( 1975). Belief, attitude, intention, and behavior: An introduction to theory and research. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
24.
Fornell, C., Johnson, M.D., Anderson, E.W., Cha, J., & Bryant, B.E. ( 1996, October). The American customer satisfaction index: Nature, purpose, and findings. Journal of Marketing, 60, 7-18.
25.
Fornell, C.R., & Lacker, D.F. ( 1981). Two structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39-50.
26.
Forsythe, S., Liu, C., Shannon, D., & Gardner, L.C. ( 2006). Development of a scale to measure the perceived benefits and risks of online shopping. Journal of Interactive Marketing , 20(2), 55-75.
27.
Grewal, D., Krishnan, R., Baker, J., & Borin, N. ( 1998). The effects of store name, brand name and price discounts on consumers’ evaluations and purchase intentions. Journal of Retailing, 74(3), 331-352.
28.
Heinonen, K. ( 2004). Reconceptualizing customer perceived value: The value of time and place. Managing Service Quality, 14(2-3), 205-215.
29.
Holbrook, M.B. ( 1986). Emotions in the consumption experience: Toward a new model of consumer behavior. In R. A. Peterson , W. D. Hoyer, & W. R. Wilson (Eds.), The role of affect in consumer behavior: Emerging theories and applications (pp. 17-52). Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
30.
Hu, L.-T., & Bentler, P.M. ( 1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6, 1-55.
31.
Janda, S., Trocchia, P.J., & Gwinner, K.P. ( 2002). Consumer perceptions of Internet retail service quality . International Journal of Service Industry Management, 13(5), 412-431.
32.
Kim, J. ( 2007). Perceived apparel quality revisited. Manuscript submitted for publication.
33.
Kim, J., Fiore, A.M., & Lee, H.-H. (2007). Influences of online store perception, shopping enjoyment, and shopping involvement on consumer patronage behavior toward an online retailer. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 14(2), 95-107.
34.
Kim, J., & Park, J. ( 2005). A consumer shopping channel extension model: Attitude shift toward the online retailer. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 9(1), 106-121.
35.
Kim, Y.-K. ( 2001). Experiential retailing: An interdisciplinary approach to success in domestic and international retailing. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 8(5), 287-289.
36.
Kotler, P. ( 2000). Marketing management: Analysis, planning, implementation, and control (Millennium ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
37.
Lee, G.-G., & Lin, H.-F. (2005). Customer perceptions of e-service quality in online shopping. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 33(2), 161-176.
38.
Li, N., & Zhang, P. ( 2002). Consumer online shopping attitudes and behavior: An assessment of research. In Proceedings of the Americas conference on information systems. Retrieved February 4, 2004, from http://www.melody.syr.edu/pzhang/publications/AMCIS02_Li_Zhang.pdf
39.
Lichtenstein, D.R., & Burton, S. ( 1989, November). The relationship between perceived and objective price-quality. Journal of Marketing Research, 26, 429-443.
40.
McKnight, D.H., Chudhury, V., & Kacmar, C. ( 2002). The impact of initial customer trust on intentions to transact with a Web site: A trust building model. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 11(4), 297-323.
41.
Mehrabian, A., & Russell, J.A. ( 1974). An approach to environmental psychology. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
42.
Monroe, K.B., & Krishnan, R. ( 1985). The effect of price on subjective product evaluations . In J. Jacoby & J. C. Olson (Eds.), Perceived quality: How consumers view stores and merchandise (pp. 209-232). Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
43.
Mui, Y.Q. ( 2007, May 14). Online sales shift: Apparel outpaced computers in ’06. Retrieved April 25, 2008, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/13/AR2007051301263.html
44.
National Retail Federation. (2008, April 8). Online sales to climb despite struggling economy. Retrieved April 27, 2008, from http://www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=499
Oliver, R.L. ( 1980, November). A cognitive model of the antecedents and consequences of satisfaction decisions. Journal of Marketing Research, 17, 460-469.
47.
Oliver, R.L. ( 1997). Satisfaction: A behavioral perspective on the consumer . Boston: Irwin, McGraw-Hill.
48.
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V.A., & Berry, L.L. ( 1994, January). Reassessment of expectations as a comparison standard in measuring service quality: Implications for further research. Journal of Marketing, 58, 111-124.
49.
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V.A., & Malhortra, A. ( 2005). E-S-QUAL: A multiple-item scale for assessing electronic service quality. Journal of Service Research, 7(3), 213-233.
50.
Park, J., & Stoel, L. ( 2005). Effects of brand familiarity, experience and information on online apparel purchase. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 33(2), 148-160.
51.
Porter, M.E. ( 1990). The competitive advantage of nations. New York: Macmillan.
52.
Rust, R.T., & Oliver, R.L. ( 1994). Service quality: New directions in theory and practice . Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
53.
Schumacker, R.E., & Lomax, R.G. ( 2004). A beginner’s guide to structural equation modeling (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
54.
Sheth, J.N., Newman, B.I., & Gross, B.L. ( 1991a). Consumption values and market choice: Theory and application . Cincinnati, OH: South-Western .
55.
Sheth, J.N., Newman, B.I., & Gross, B.L. ( 1991b). Why we buy what we buy: A theory of consumption values . Journal of Business Research, 22(2), 159-170.
56.
Sirohi, N., McLaughlin, E.W., & Wittink, D.R. ( 1998). A model of consumer perceptions and store loyalty intentions for a supermarket retailer. Journal of Retailing, 74(2), 223-245.
57.
Spreng, R.A., Dixon, A.L., & Olshavsky, R.W. (1993). The impact of perceived value on consumer satisfaction. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction, and Complaining Behavior, 6, 50-55.
58.
Sweeney, J.C., & Soutar, G.N. ( 2001). Consumer perceived value: The development of a multiple item scale. Journal of Retailing, 77(2), 203-220.
59.
Teas, R.K., & Agarwal, A. ( 2000). The effects of extrinsic product cues on consumers’ perceptions of quality, sacrifice, and value. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 28(2), 278-290.
60.
Tsai, H.-T., Huang, H.-C., Jaw, Y.-L., & Chen, W.-K. ( 2006). Why on-line customers remain with a particular e-retailer: An integrative model and empirical evidence. Psychology & Marketing, 23(5), 447-464.
61.
Tse, D.K., & Wilton, P.C. ( 1988). Models of consumer satisfaction formation: An extension . Journal of Marketing Research, 25(2), 204-212.
62.
Wolfinbarger, M., & Gilly, M.C. ( 2003). eTailQ: Dimensionalizing, measuring and predicting etail quality. Journal of Retailing, 79(3), 183-198.
63.
Woodruff, R.B. ( 1997). Customer value: The next source for competitive advantage . Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 25(2), 139-153.
64.
Yang, Z., & Peterson, R.T. (2004) Customer perceived value, satisfaction, and loyalty: The role of switching costs. Psychology & Marketing, 21(10), 799-822.
65.
Yavas, U. ( 1994). Student as subjects in advertising and marketing research . International Marketing Review, 11(4), 35-43.
66.
Zeithaml, V.A. ( 1988, July). Consumer perceptions of price, quality, and value: A means-end model and synthesis of evidence. Journal of Marketing , 52, 2-22.
67.
Zeithaml, V.A., Berry, L.L., & Parasuraman, A. (1996, April). The behavioral consequences of service quality. Journal of Marketing, 60, 31-46.
