Editorial

Citation

Towers, N. (2010), "Editorial", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 38 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijrdm.2010.08938gaa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Volume 38, Issue 7

For this edition, we have three papers that address different activities of web site characteristics that affect customer evaluations and satisfaction, measurement of online retail service quality and virtual store atmosphere customization and control. The fourth paper examines the main factors that explained the shopping motivations among Portuguese consumers.

The first contribution by Ruby Roy Dholakia and Miao Zhao identifies web site characteristics that affect customer evaluation and satisfaction with online stores at two interaction points – when the order is placed and after the order has been fulfilled. They analyze customer ratings of real-world online stores from data collected by bizrate.com. In addition, the secondary data separate the contribution of web site attributes at the time of placing an order from after receiving delivery of the ordered merchandise. This is particularly relevant for e-tailing where there is a temporal separation of the service encounters and this separation is likely to affect consumer judgments. Furthermore, because of the dynamic nature of attribute-satisfaction relationship, they examine data for two years to identify changes and stability in the observed relationships. The findings identified that order fulfilment variables, particularly on-time delivery, dominate the effects on overall customer evaluations and satisfaction. The statistical significance of other online store attributes, however, changes as differences were observed between 2003 and 2004. The online environment is dynamic and the study captures some of the changes in the relationships between web site attributes and customer satisfaction. This requires continuous monitoring of the online environment. Online retailers must be strategic about fulfilment variables. When online stores compete with each other, it is easier to copy certain attributes like “shipping options” than other attributes such as “on-time delivery”. This suggests that the most creative, interactive, vivid online site will not compensate for weak fulfillment and customer support capabilities.

The second paper by Sylvie Rolland and Ina Freeman aims to design, develop and evaluate a reliable and valid scale for the measurement of online retail service quality, specifically in the French context. They first define e-service quality and examine the specificities of the French marketplace and consumers. After identifying the components of e-service quality, as defined in the literature and also as perceived by French consumers via a qualitative survey, they describe a quantitative study designed to develop and refine a specifically French measurement scale, and evaluate its psychometric properties. The paper concludes by identifying the managerial implications of the findings, and offering recommendations that may assist online retailers in expanding their customer base and improving their profitability. From a managerial point of view, their E-tail SQ measuring scale will allow firms trading online in France to assess their perceived service quality and thereby improve their customer relationships in the French marketplace. More than 60 per cent of French internet users do not purchase online with almost half of those citing security or privacy as the reason. This distinctive online behaviour pattern is a crucial consideration for managers seeking to improve quality management of their local web sites and to boost their share of e-commerce in France.

The third paper by Adam P. Vrechopoulos summarizes the research challenges presented by virtual store atmosphere customization and control and to formulate specific research propositions. E-tailing store atmosphere customization capabilities at the individual level revolutionise the established relevant theory from conventional retailing. However, the control of the customization process is a quite complex issue and should be treated as that by e-tailers. The study provides direct managerial implications for effectively placing online store atmosphere customization in the hands of the consumer-user. Store atmosphere manipulation should not have as a single objective the influence of customer behaviour towards meeting business objectives. Rather, it is suggested that it should also support the customer within the store in meeting his or her goals – the essence of a win-win relationship.

The fourth paper by Paulo Ribeiro Cardoso and Sara Carvalho Pinto examined the main factors that explained the shopping motivations among Portuguese consumers and categorized possible groups based on those dimensions. They reviewed the results obtained in previous studies carried out in the USA, applying their measure instruments to a sample of young adult Portuguese consumers. They identified seven shopping dimensions: “Pleasure and gratification shopping”, “Idea Shopping”, “Social Shopping”, “Role shopping”, “Value Shopping”, “Achievement” and “Efficiency”. Based on these factors, they found five groups of consumers: “Social shopper”, “Dynamic Shopper”, “Pragmatic Shopper”, “Moderate shopper” and “Involved Shopper”. Generally, they confirmed the results obtained in previous studies carried out in the USA which contributes to the validation of the motivations framework showing its application on different contexts. The understanding of distinctive shopper groups is important for retailers in the development of their marketing communication strategies. The retailer’s awareness of the different costumers’ profiles can improve the choice of the product offer, the improvement of store environment and the communication approach.

Neil Towers