Purpose The purpose of this paper is to suggest a model for predicting antecedents and consequences of relationship quality in online purchase of physical goods. Design/methodology/approach A total of 462 online buyers in Iran participated in the research by completing questionnaires. The research hypotheses were tested using structural modeling technique. Findings The results showed that website quality, online relationship bonds and reputation of seller have positive effect on online relationship quality. The results also showed that online relationship quality has positive effect on electronic word of mouth, online customer share, online customer loyalty and online customer reviews. Research limitations/implications In this research, online relationship quality was considered as a higher-order construct including trust, commitment and satisfaction with the relationship. However, to achieve more accurate results, future researchers can investigate the separate impact of each of the relationship quality dimensions (commitment, trust and satisfaction) on the consequences of online relationship quality. Practical implications This research provides a wide series of antecedents and consequences of online relationship quality for online stores community so that, through being aware of them, internet stores could choose a suitable guideline to sustain their relationship with online customers and, ultimately, obtain customers’ participation in creating value and strengthening their competitive status. Originality/value This paper proposes a more comprehensive model of the antecedents and consequences of relationship quality in online purchases for the first time, and it demonstrates which factors strengthen online relationship quality as well as indicates which customer reactions online relationship quality can reinforce and which consequences it can provide for internet shops.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of service quality and relationship quality on customer loyalty in different stages of the relationship life cycle in online banking services. Design/methodology/approach A total of 651 Iranian online banking customers participated in the research by completing questionnaires. The research hypotheses were tested using structural modeling technique. Findings The results showed that the relationship quality on customer loyalty in online banking services is affected by the relationship life cycle. The results also showed that online service quality, in the form of Utilitarian quality and Hedonic quality, has a positive effect both directly and indirectly on customer loyalty through online relationship quality. Research limitations/implications In this paper, the relationship dynamics was achieved through adding the relationship life cycle variable to the model. However, the study was a cross-sectional research and different results might be obtained if data was collected longitudinally. Practical implications In an online banking service, the role of relationship quality in the prediction of customer loyalty is reduced as the relationship ages. Therefore, marketers need to consider other marketing actions to continue their relationship with the customer in the long run. Originality/value This paper examines customer loyalty to online banking services from dynamic perspective by introducing relationship life cycle as a moderating variable for the first time. Therefore, the main contribution of this paper is to develop the relationship marketing literature in the field of relationship dynamics and to challenge the effectiveness of relationship marketing in the long run.

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Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to show the dynamics of relationship marketing in e-banking by examining the association between relationship quality and online customer loyalty at different stages of the relationship lifecycle. Design/methodology/approach-A sample of 651 customers of Iranian banks in East Azerbaijan Province who had used online banking services was selected for the study after completing a questionnaire. The research hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling and the AMOS23 software. Findings-The results showed that the level of the customer relationship determines the effect of relationship quality on customer loyalty in e-banking. Specifically, the effect of online commitment on customer loyalty decreases over time. In addition, as the relationship develops between the customer and the business, the influence of online trust on loyalty increases. Originality/value-The main contribution of this paper is it enriches the relationship marketing literature with respect to the dynamics of relationships by challenging the effectiveness of relationship marketing, especially the use of the same relational constructs (online satisfaction, trust, and commitment) for customers at different stages of the relationship lifecycle.