International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management

Purpose – This work seeks to contribute a series of reflections and conclusions in response to the following questions: what variables determine satisfaction in the pre-sale phase and post-sale phase of B2C electronic commerce? How are the variables of the pre-sale phase related to those of the post-sale phase of B2C electronic commerce?

Design/methodology/approach – The authors develop a theoretical scale that includes the important variables of quality in the pre-sale and post-sale phases of B2C electronic commerce. After the empirical validation of the theoretical scale, we measure the impact of the pre-sale dimensions on the post-sale dimensions.

Findings – The results confirm the principal hypotheses of the study, that is to say, the dimensions of the pre-sale phase have a significant impact on the dimensions of the post-sale phase of B2C electronic commerce.

Research limitations/implications – This research shows that, in B2C electronic commerce, the organisation's actions in the pre-sale phase will, to a great extent, condition its actions in the post-sale phase.

Practical implications – This paper highlights the importance of high-performance in the pre-sale phase in order to achieve success.

Originality/value – This paper bridges a gap in the empirical works in the field of quality in electronic commerce by studying the importance and implications of the different phases in the electronic purchase.