Web-store image dimensions and online retail customer loyalty: investigating mediators and moderators
ISSN: 1935-5181
Article publication date: 14 January 2021
Issue publication date: 2 April 2021
Abstract
Purpose
In an era of burgeoning activity in online retail in India, the role of web-store design is paramount. Web-store design elements such as website functionality, brand assortment and product quality are expected to generate customer loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach
Using data collected from 553 students from two universities in north India, the present study investigates the indirect effect of web-store dimensions (through website functionality, brand assortment and product quality) on online store loyalty via an enjoyment state (flow) and customer satisfaction. Serial mediation has been analysed through PROCESS macro developed by Hayes version 3.0. In addition to this, the moderating role of gender and purchase frequency has also been investigated.
Findings
The present study renders support to serial mediation between website functionality, flow, customer satisfaction and loyalty. However, the path between brand assortment and loyalty is more strongly mediated by customer satisfaction only. Males experience less flow as compared to females while handling brand assortment on websites. The three-way interaction between brand assortment, gender and purchase frequency is also statistically significant.
Originality/value
The study examines the manner in which online retailers can choose to build customer loyalty when they try to build retail image using web store functionality and /or product/brand assortments. The study offers insights to retailers about how and when to focus on hedonism versus customer satisfaction or both of them in conjunction to enhance customer loyalty. This study is important as it investigates the relationships in Indian scenario witnessing a high rate of growth in online retail which can tremendously affect these relationships.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This piece of research has been funded by grant received from University Grants Commission under the scheme ‘Research Award’.Declaration: The submitted manuscript is an original work of the author (s) and has not been submitted to any conference, journal or magazine. The similarity with other available works, if any, is below 15%.
Citation
Soni, P. (2021), "Web-store image dimensions and online retail customer loyalty: investigating mediators and moderators", American Journal of Business, Vol. 36 No. 1, pp. 20-34. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJB-08-2020-0133
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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