Guest editorial

Citation

Dennis, C. and Merrilees, B. (2009), "Guest editorial", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 43 No. 9/10. https://doi.org/10.1108/ejm.2009.00743iaa.001

Guest editorial

Article Type: Guest editorial From: European Journal of Marketing, Volume 43, Issue 9/10

About the Guest Editors

Charles DennisSenior Lecturer at Brunel University, London, UK. His teaching and research area is (e-)retail and consumer behaviour – the vital final link of the Marketing process – satisfying the end consumer. Charles is a Chartered Marketer and has been elected as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing for work helping to modernise the teaching of the discipline. Charles was awarded the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence for improving the interactive student learning experience. Charles’s publications include Marketing the e-Business (1st and 2nd editions) (joint-authored with Dr Lisa Harris), the research-based e-Retailing (joint-authored with Professor Bill Merrilees and Dr Tino Fenech), and the research monograph Objects of Desire: Consumer Behaviour in Shopping Centre Choice. His research into shopping styles has received extensive coverage in the popular media.

Bill MerrileesisProfessor of Marketing and Deputy Head of the Department of Marketing at Griffit Business School, based on the Gold Coast campus. Bill is also associated with the Tourism, Sport and Service Innovation Research Centre. He has worked in both academia and the government. He has a Bachelor of Commerce (HonsI) from the University of Newcastle, Australia and an MA and PhD from the University of Toronto, Canada. He has consulted with companies like Shell, Westpac, Jones Lang La Salle at the large end, down to middle-sized companies like accountants and even very small firm like florists Bill particularly enjoys conducting case research as it builds a bridge to the real world. He has published more than 100 refereed journal articles or book chapters. Six of his articles have been in the e-commerce fieldi ncluding the Journal of Relationship Marketing, Journal of Business Strategies, Corporate Reputation Review and Marketing Intelligence & Planning. This work includes innovative scale development in the areas of e-interactivity, e-branding, e-strategy and e-trust.

The joint Guest Editors, Charles Dennis and Bill Merrilees, have previously engaged in a collaboration (with the late Tino Fenech) that led to a research-based monograph entitled e-Retailing (Dennis et al., 2004). Published by Routledge in 2004, that book was the first academic-sourced major international book (research and textbook combined) on e-retailing. Although that book has helped to stimulate the e-shopping and e-retailing literature, until this special issue, recent work had yet to be drawn together in the marketing discipline. The joint Guest Editors therefore determined that it was time to consolidate and further stimulate current knowledge on e-shopping and e-retailing. Thus the idea for this special issue of European Journal of Marketing was born.

As e-retail grows quickly beyond a tenth of all retail in the USA and some European countries (Harris and Dennis, 2008), this topic represents key challenges and changes currently facing almost all of those European and North American marketers who are actively targeting the consumer end of the distribution chain. This special issue aims to draw together recent work in e-shopping and e-retailing to disseminate a coherent body of research that provides insight into how the sector is responding (or should respond) to the challenges of change. Both empirical and conceptual studies are included and all contributions address the practical implications.

The Editors appreciate all of the submissions made and thank all of the authors, regardless of whether their work was accepted. Achieving the greatest impact for the special issue depends on the total quantum of contributions. Unfortunately, a number of quality papers could not be included because reviewers and editors considered that they did not quite match all of the very stringent parameters required for European Journal of Marketing.

The Editors decided that it was useful to lead with a “best paper” from all of the accepted papers. The paper by Kim and Forsythe was judged the best for both content and process reasons. The content is crisp, uses a rigorous methodology, is well presented, and makes an important contribution to the literature. By way of process, the paper sailed through with excellent reviews and the authors addressed minor changes quickly and effectively. In their paper, entitled “Adoption of sensory enabling technology for online apparel shopping”, Kim and Forsythe explore in detail the interaction of online shoppers with enabling technology. Shopper attitudes were analysed in relation to three different enabling technologies:

1. 1.

   2D larger view;

2. 2.

   3D rotation views; and

3. 3.

   virtual try-on.

The benefits of usefulness and entertainment apply to all three technologies. Consumer innovativeness facilitated use of 3D rotation view, while technological anxiety inhibited virtual try-on.

The remaining papers have been ordered, not by merit but by research approach, (conceptual versus empirical) and subject matter (e-consumer behaviour versus e-retailer) types. Most of the accepted papers were in the e-consumer category.

The paper by Dennis, Merrilees, Jayawardhena and Wright fronts the list because of its conceptual and comprehensive nature in the e-consumer domain. The paper, entitled “E-consumer behaviour”, presents a unifying framework aiming to explain e-consumer behaviour. The first stage of their model links functional web attributes with attitude to the e-retailer, intention to purchase and actual purchase, supported by trust and past experience. A more refined model then adds the special influences of web atmospherics, navigation, e-interactivity, emotional states, consumer traits and situational factors.

Manganari, Siomkos and Vrechopoulos present a second conceptual paper, this one focusing on a sub-set of the total e-retailing e-consumer system, namely web atmospherics. Their paper, entitled, “Store atmosphere in web retailing”, provides a conceptual model of consumer responses to virtual layout and design, atmospherics, theatrics and social presence, with moderation from consumer navigation strategy and atmospheric responsiveness.

The remaining e-consumer behaviour papers focus empirically on sub-sets of the first mentioned conceptual model (by Dennis, Merrilees, Jayawardhena and Wright).

Hansen and Jensen, in their paper entitled “Shopping orientation and online clothing purchases: the role of gender and purchase situation”, focus on one consumer trait and one situation influence. Using multi-group, structural equation modelling, the authors find that women are more “shopping for fun” orientated when purchasing clothes online and men are more “quick shoppers”. These gender-related shopping orientations are even more significant when women and men are buying clothes for themselves compared to buying for their partner.

Jayawardhena and Wright, in their paper entitled “An empirical investigation into e-shopping excitement: antecedents and effects”, empirically model the paths from functional attributes to excitement, intention to return and to word of mouth. Their paper thus elaborately incorporates emotional considerations into e-consumer behaviour, making a major contribution to the literature.

Kim, Kim and Kandampully, in their paper entitled “Buying environment characteristics in the context of e-service”, model functional and emotional influences on e-satisfaction and, in turn, e-loyalty. Their study finds that convenience and Web appearance have the major influences on e-satisfaction. Interestingly, the authors find that entertainment has a negative influence on e-satisfaction, suggesting that it may distract serious buyers from the buying task.

Situational factors feature in the paper by Hand, Dall’Olmo Riley, Harris, Singh and Rettie, entitled “Online grocery shopping: the influence of situational factors”. Qualitative research analysed by computer-assisted data analysis software informed the subsequent quantitative research. Breaking an arm was a typical trigger from the focus groups. The quantitative study (cluster analysis) results were broadly similar. Situational factors and life events in particular (e.g. health problems, having a baby) were important triggers for starting online shopping. Adoption of online grocery may be erratic because it is driven by circumstances rather than by a cognitive elaboration process. Generally, dissatisfaction with the service or cessation of the initial circumstances triggers stopping the online purchasing.

The paper by Herington and Weaven, entitled “E-retailing by banks: the importance of e-service quality to customer outcomes”, focuses on the differential role of service quality components influencing customer satisfaction in online banking. The most influential service quality components were personal needs, site organisation and user-friendliness. Efficiency had limited influence on overall satisfaction, despite being highly important to customers. This paradox is explained by the authors by describing efficiency as a “hygiene” factor, in that it is an expected requirement that might lead to no dissatisfaction (if met) rather than to satisfaction.

The final e-consumer behaviour paper, by Hernandez, Jimenez and Martin, focuses on the end phase of consumer behaviour, namely the influence of online shopping experience on electronic purchase decisions. Their paper, entitled “Adoption versus acceptance of e-commerce: two different decisions”, compares the differences that exist between the adoption of e-commerce by potential purchasers and the acceptance of the channel (repurchase decisions) by experienced e-customers. As e-customers become more experienced, their determinants of attitudes are stronger for perceived usefulness and weaker for perceived ease of use. Additionally, perceived self-efficacy becomes more influential for experienced users compared to new adopters.

The previous nine papers are in the e-consumer domain. Despite the ambit of the call for papers inviting submission from the e-retailer or management perspective, only one such paper made the final cut. The sole accepted paper in this domain was that by Doherty and Ellis-Chadwick. Their paper, entitled “Exploring the drivers, scope and perceived success of e-commerce strategies in the UK retail sector”, explains types of e-commerce activity and different success outcomes. Strategic fit was the most important driver of adopting an online selling function, although logistic cost concerns acted to restrain adoption. Management support was important for a broader online marketing function. Customer relationship potential and resource/capabilities mostly drove marketing benefits of e-commerce.

Collectively, the ten papers provide a state-of-the-art picture of e-retailing in the twenty-first century. A clearer perspective now pertains to both the conceptual and empirical basis for e-consumer behaviour. Notwithstanding, there are some aspects of the comprehensive model proposed by Dennis, Merrilees, Jayawardhena and Wright that are yet to be empirically tested. That is the challenge for future research. More forcibly, the e-retailer or management perspective requires much more future research work.

Finally, the editors thank the reviewers and acknowledge their special role. Without them, nothing is possible. Everyone approached took on the job humbly and expeditiously. The reviews were excellent and constructive. It is clear that the reviews provided a basis for substantially improving those papers that were finally accepted. Additionally, the reviews tagged papers that did not fit the demanding requirements of the European Journal of Marketing. In such cases, the reviewers provided feedback that would help authors in future revisions for other journals. Often, there was consistency across reviewers. Where there was ambiguity, the editors became more actively involved in detailed reviewing and also brought in extra reviewers where appropriate. Thus, the editors extend a very big “thank you” to all of the reviewers.

Charles DennisBrunel University, Uxbridge, UK

Bill MerrileesDepartment of Marketing, Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia