How do consumers evaluate Internet retail service quality?

Abstract

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.

The role of product involvement in e-service evaluations

“…For instance, Janda, Trocchia and Gwinner (2002) stated that security, ease of use and navigation, quality and quantity of information were all specific to online service quality. More recently, Trocchia and Janda (2003) identified access and information as dimensions of online service quality unique to the Internet. Other researchers in this field (e.g., Long and McMellon, 2004;Sheehan and Hoy, 2000) are also reporting the need to adapt offline constructs to the online context.…”

“…The concept of service quality in online contexts has received most attention from academic researchers and business practitioners, with a variety of authors examining the concept (e.g., Collier and Bienstock, 2006;Parasuraman et al, 2005;Tsikriktsis, 2002;Trocchia and Janda, 2003;Yang and Fang, 2004;Gianni and Franceschini, 2003;Janda et al, 2002).…”

“…Distinctions in the measurement of concepts such as service quality in the offline and online environments (e.g., Janda et al, 2002;Trocchia and Janda, 2003;Long and McMellon, 2004;Parasuraman et al, 2005) and uncertainty regarding the dimensionality of service quality, and relationships between service related constructs, in the offline and online service encounter contexts, suggest the need for further empirical research into the relationships between service related constructs and the antecedents to consumers' behavioural intentions in the online setting (Bitner et al, 2000;Parasuraman and Grewal, 2000). Despite calls in the literature for such studies (Shankar et al, 2003), there is a paucity of studies that examine a wide set of antecedents to consumers' behavioural intentions and relationships amongst these constructs in the online setting.…”

Exploring Antecedents of Consumers' Willingness to Depend on E-Health Information

“…Some have studied online information quality as part of a service quality analysis of websites [25], [43] . Others have studied online information quality more specifically, attempting to develop universal online information quality model [16], [37].…”

Customer behavior toward online insurance services in India

“…Customers place high priority to security attributes, and ' technical safety of the network against fraud or hackers ' 49 is a high concern. Customers ' concerns can be categorized as fi nancial and non-fi nancial, 50 which affect their evaluations. The customer satisfaction in online fi nancial service depends on easy navigation, availability of information, graphics and security in transaction.…”