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Most Cited Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services Articles
The most cited articles published since 2010, extracted from Scopus.
Volume 17, Issue 6, November 2010, Pages 464-477
This study reviews the literature on e-service quality (e-SQ), with an emphasis on the methodological issues involved in developing measurement scales and issues related to the dimensionality of the e-SQ construct. We selected numerous studies on e-SQ from well-known databases and subjected them to a thorough content analysis. The review shows that dimensions of e-service quality tend to be contingent on the service industry. Despite the common dimensions often used in evaluating e-SQ, regardless of the type of service on the internet ('reliability/fulfilment', 'responsiveness', 'web design', 'ease of use/usability', 'privacy/security', and 'information quality/benefit'), other dimensions are specific to e-service contexts. The study also identifies several conceptual and methodological limitations associated with developing e-SQ measurement such as the lack of a rigorous validation process, the problematic sample size and composition, the focus on functional aspects, and the use of a data-driven approach. This is the first study to undertake an extensive literature review of research on the development of e-SQ scales. The findings should be valuable to academics and practitioners alike. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.
Volume 17, Issue 2, March 2010, Pages 130-142
Gianfranco Walsh | Thorsten Hennig-Thurau | Thorsten Hennig-Thurau | Kai Sassenberg | Daniel Bornemann
The quality of the relationship between customers and service firms has been found to be a major driver of customer loyalty in traditional (i.e., offline) service contexts. The increasing use of electronic services, or e-services, raises questions concerning the extent to which the relationship quality-customer loyalty link holds in an e-service context. Based on an extended model of relationship quality and by applying the social information processing perspective, this research tests the relevance of relationship quality for online relationships and explores differences of the relationship quality-loyalty link between online and offline retailers. To test the model, a large-scale study is conducted on both online and offline relationships for two service contexts (media and travel retailing). Using multi-group structural equation modeling, the authors identify differences between the online and offline environment in both service contexts. Results show that (1) relationship quality is similarly important for retaining customers online and offline and (2) differences in the impact of relationship-quality dimensions strongly depends on the service context. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Volume 17, Issue 2, March 2010, Pages 89-96
Weon Sang Yoo | Yunjung Lee | JungKun Park
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between three dimensions of interactivity (controllability, synchronicity, and bi-directionality) and consumers' perceived value composed of utilitarian and hedonic values on e-shopping, finally determining the level of overall satisfaction on using interactivity features in e-tailing service. A total of 451 respondents participated and the usable sample size was 427 after the screening process. The results indicate that bi-directionality is a key interactivity feature for consumers' hedonic value creation in e-tailing service settings while synchronicity is a key for utilitarian value.
Volume 17, Issue 3, May 2010, Pages 205-215
Charles Dennis | Andrew Newman | Richard Michon | J. Josko Brakus | Len Tiu Wright
Digital signage (DS), public screens showing video, is an important, little-researched topic. The "direct" route in the elaboration likelihood model suggests that DS influences cognition, which then influences emotions whereas the "peripheral" route is emotion→cognition. We predict that these operate in parallel and report a survey of mall consumers (n=315). DS has a significant, positive, total effect on approach behaviors, mediated by positive affect and (arguably) perception of mall environment. Results extend the limited capacity model of mediated message processing from television to DS, which predicts the effectiveness of vivid moving visual images as atmospheric stimuli. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.
Volume 17, Issue 3, May 2010, Pages 200-204
Eleonora Pantano | Giuseppe Naccarato
In recent years, the importance of an enjoyable experience during the shopping activity increased. As a consequence, many researchers are focusing on the best application of enjoyable elements in the points of sale in order to maintain existing consumers and attract new ones. The aim of this paper is to analyze how the introduction of advanced technologies modifies the retailing context and affects consumers shopping experience. In particular, three aspects of our results emerge from a theoretical standpoint: new advantages for retailers (the possibility to achieve fast information on consumer behavior and preferences); the improvement of the point of sale; and the positive influences on consumers shopping experience. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.
Cultural influence on consumers' usage of social networks and its' impact on online purchase intentions
Volume 18, Issue 4, July 2011, Pages 348-354
Sanjukta Pookulangara | Kristian Koesler
Information technology has created an innovative way in which people communicate and interact. Particularly, social networking websites have become a popular virtual meeting place for consumers to converge and share information. Social networks allow consumers to voluntarily post personal information, upload photographs, send and receive messages, join groups, and blog at their leisure. Consumers now have the means to communicate their opinions about products and companies to other consumers "like themselves" at a critical point in the sales cycle-the beginning.Retailers have a lot to gain by utilizing and harnessing the power of social networking to enhance their overall marketing strategy. Social networking provides the opportunity to learn about their consumers' needs, and then respond proactively and offers creative and effective ways tio obtain insights not previously available. Additionally, social networking has moved from the fringes, become more mainstream and started influencing culture. Even though cross-cultural differences may exist and have an impact on the way people use social networking, at the end of the day it is all about being connected to each other and sharing information. It is imperative for retailers to incorporate social networking in their marketing strategy, as in today's business having social networking as a part of the business model is the rule rather than the exception. This conceptual paper puts forth a research model using Hofstede's cultural dimensions and Technology Acceptance Model 3 to examine the cultural influence on social networking and its influence on purchase intention. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.
Volume 18, Issue 1, January 2011, Pages 1-9
Vanessa Jackson | Leslie Stoel | Aquia Brantley
Shopping value is a two-dimensional concept that captures the hedonic and utilitarian benefits derived from a consumer visit to a retail store. Extending the concept to the context of a shopping mall provides a measure of the benefits derived from experiencing a set of mall attributes. A number of studies have looked at antecedents and outcomes of shopping value for retail stores. But only one study has examined shopping value in the context of a mall and no studies could be located that examine the moderating effects of gender and generational cohort on mall attribute importance and shopping value. The current study investigates the extent to which attitudes toward mall attributes and shopping value derived from a mall visit differ across gender and generational cohorts. Analysis of survey results show no differences in hedonic and utilitarian shopping values by generational cohort, but generational differences in attitude toward mall hygiene factors, locational convenience and entertainment features did exist. Results also show that females derive greater levels of hedonic shopping value from a trip to the mall and also show more positive attitudes toward mall hygiene factors and entertainment options in comparison to males. No difference in utilitarian shopping value and attitude toward locational convenience were found between males and females. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.
Fashion retailing and the bottom line: The effects of generational cohorts, gender, fashion fanship, attitudes and impulse buying on fashion expenditure
Volume 17, Issue 1, January 2010, Pages 43-52
Robin Pentecost | Lynda Andrews
This study examines the influence of demographic (e.g. gender and generational cohort) and psychographic (e.g. fashion fanship, attitudes and impulse buying) drivers on frequency and levels of expenditure on fashion purchases. Using regression analysis, the results suggest that for weekly and monthly expenditure, gender and fashion fanship were significant influences, while for yearly expenditure, gender and impulse buying were significant. Attitudes towards fashion had no significant influence on expenditure. Females purchase more often and were significantly different from males on yearly expenditure, fashion fanship, attitudes and impulse buying. Generation Y is higher on purchase frequency, fashion fanship, attitudes and impulse buying compared with other cohorts under investigation. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Volume 17, Issue 1, January 2010, Pages 29-42
Jose A. Martínez | Laura Martínez
We discuss past work in the conceptualization and measurement of perceived service quality and describe the most important models proposed in the last 25 years. We infer the general equations that can be derived from each conceptualization. Finally, we summarize the shortcomings and contradictions of each model as well as conclusions reached so far by a certain consensus of researchers using different models. In order to provide a framework for understanding service quality models, we discuss the service quality paradigm from the realist and constructivist perspective along with the multidimensional nature of service quality implicit in the reflective versus formative debate. We conclude by recommending the development of more creative models of service quality, proposing three different options for quantitative analysis that minimize the various limitations that characterize the most widely used models. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Volume 18, Issue 1, January 2011, Pages 27-37
The literature on service quality initially focused on identifying the service attributes that drive overall measures of customer satisfaction. More recently, the assumption that attribute-level performance is linearly related to customer satisfaction has been challenged. Inspired by Kano's work on product quality, service researchers have used questionable methods to classify service attributes as attractive, one-dimensional, or a must-be, based on the observed shape of their satisfaction response functions. Valid assessment of the shape of satisfaction response functions for services requires crossed service by respondent ratings data to control for differences in respondent's scale use in service assessment. Application of a recommended approach identifies download speed as a must-be performance dimension that interacts negatively with site functionality as the only non-linearity for online retailers. Currently used methods produce quite different results. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.
Volume 17, Issue 4, July 2010, Pages 241-250
Luisa Andreu | Isabel Sánchez | Cristina Mele
This paper aims to examine the applicability of a value co-creation framework that integrates the process view (customer, supplier and encounter value-creating processes), the actors' view (the value facilitator and the value co-creator) and the role of customer knowledge in furniture retail stores using service-dominant (S-D) logic. We conducted multiple case studies to analyse retailers' points of view and in-depth interviews to explore customers' perspectives. Our research findings suggest that the proposed model can be effectively used to analyse value co-creation management in furniture firms, allowing researchers to identify the actions of retailers and customers and evaluate their matching. Even more importantly, this framework helps to foster value co-creation to increase the benefits for each participant during each stage of the relationship. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.
Volume 19, Issue 1, January 2012, Pages 150-158
Yue Pan | Simon Sheng | Frank T. Xie
Despite the importance of customer loyalty, no comprehensive, empirical work has attempted to assess the general findings across academic studies. The study intends to fill that void by conducting a meta-analysis of empirical findings on the predictors of customer loyalty. Although findings of this study support all the hypothesized main effects, they indicate stronger effect size for trust than for other determinants of loyalty. The study also tests the robustness of previous findings across various research and measurement contexts. The analysis of moderating effects reveals several interesting findings. For instance, attitudinal loyalty measures seem to be a plausible surrogate for behavioral loyalty measures. The effects of customer satisfaction and trust on loyalty are less prominent when products are purchased on a regular and relatively short (as opposed to an irregular and relatively long) purchase cycle. Factors that largely relate to product performance (e.g., satisfaction, quality) have a weaker impact on loyalty in B2B than in B2C settings. Some relationships (e.g., the effect of quality on loyalty) become stronger over time. Furthermore, our results detect consistently weaker effects from studies using single-item (relative to multi-item) loyalty measures. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.
Volume 18, Issue 1, January 2011, Pages 38-45
Silke Bambauer-Sachse | Sabrina Mangold
In this paper, we examine effects of negative online product reviews, a specific type of word-of-mouth communication, on consumer-based brand equity in terms of brand equity dilution. The results of our empirical study provide support for the assumed detrimental effect of negative online product reviews on consumer-based brand equity. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.
Volume 17, Issue 5, September 2010, Pages 415-429
Tillmann Wagner | Thomas Rudolph
Shopping motivation is one of the key concepts in research on consumer shopping behavior and continues to be vividly discussed. Providing a revised theoretical perspective on this issue, the authors propose three hierarchical levels including purpose-specific, activity-specific, and demand-specific shopping motivation. A hierarchical model of shopping motivation is developed based on the theoretical properties introduced by corresponding research in the areas of social and organizational psychology and tested by means of a cross-contextual survey design. Evidence for the mediating nature of the established framework is provided and the findings reveal the dynamics of how purpose-specific shopping motivation predicts activity-specific motivation, which, in turn, determines demand-specific motivation. The moderating impact of the shopping context is tested, demonstrating in which way the relationship between activity and demand-specific motivation is more idiosyncratic in nature than the interrelation of purpose and activity-specific motivation. The utility of the study for future research and its managerial implications are discussed. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.
Volume 18, Issue 6, November 2011, Pages 521-533
Johanna Gummerus | Minna Pihlström | Minna Pihlström
Context is an inherent part of service use experiences that helps to understand when mobile services generate superior value-in-use for customers and are preferred to other services, but little research exists on the subject. In order to fill this void, a theoretical value framework incorporating context is proposed. The findings of 85 mobile service use situations indicate strong evidence for two types of value: context value and value-in-use. Furthermore, the paper identifies new context value categories such as uncertain conditions, refines the meanings of other context and value-in-use categories, and concludes that conditional value enhances the value of mobile services. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.
Volume 17, Issue 4, July 2010, Pages 294-299
Adilson Borges | Jean Charles Chebat | Jean Charles Chebat | Barry J. Babin | Barry J. Babin
Shopping is inherently a social experience. Extant research has shown that shopping with someone enhances the overall shopping experience. Interestingly, little research qualifies the shopping companion effect. Here, we take into account just who the other person is as well as the level of identification that a shopper has with the shopping environment (high vs. low identification). This study shows limits to the classical effects (shopping with somebody is better) because the improved reactions when shopping with a family member are evident only when the consumer has a low level of identification. However, when the consumer identifies highly with a shopping environment, s/he finds more enjoyment and value shopping alone than with a family member. The results are consistent with theory suggesting consumers will act to protect a preferred experience. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.
Volume 17, Issue 6, November 2010, Pages 512-520
Kyle B. Murray | Fabrizio Di Muro | Adam Finn | Peter Popkowski Leszczyc
There has been a great deal of anecdotal evidence to suggest that weather affects consumer decision making. In this paper, we provide empirical evidence to explain how the weather affects consumer spending and we detail the psychological mechanism that underlies this phenomenon. Specifically, we propose that the effect of weather - and, in particular, sunlight - on consumer spending is mediated by negative affect. That is, as exposure to sunlight increases, negative affect decreases and consumer spending tends to increase. We find strong support for this prediction across a series of three mixed methods studies in both the lab and the field. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.
Consumption dynamics and demographics of Canadian wine consumers: Retailing insights from the tasting room channel
Volume 19, Issue 1, January 2012, Pages 45-58
Johan Bruwer | Isabelle Lesschaeve | Isabelle Lesschaeve | Benjamin L. Campbell | Benjamin L. Campbell
This study facilitates a better understanding of the socio-demographics and consumption dynamics of wine consumers using the retailing 'platform' of the winery tasting room with them as visitors to it in a wine region environment. The overall aim was to gain some insights on gender and age generation-related consumer behaviour, wine type preferences, and their link to retail channel behaviour. Systematic random sampling yielded a total of 659 useable surveys collected at various tasting rooms in the Niagara Peninsula Wine Region in Ontario, Canada. Specific differences exist in the wine consumption behaviour and wine type preferences of males and females and between generational cohorts, specifically Millennial and older consumers. Whereas females and males do not differ much in quantity consumed and spend on wine, they do differ greatly in wine type consumption with females drinking significantly more white and males more red wine. Wine type consumption was shown to be moderated by not only classical demographic variables, but also by the retail outlets preferred for wine purchase. Females buy more of their wine from foodservice on-trade retail outlets such as restaurants, while Millennials frequent the tasting room channel much less than older consumers. There are strong indications that the higher the wine tourism activity level, the higher the wine consumption (usage) level of the consumers. It is possible to direct marketing strategies at wine consumers in accordance with their gender and lifecycle stage as far as certain behavioural and sensory aspects of the product is concerned. The winery tasting room is the most obvious retail channel vehicle to reach people with high tourism activity factor levels who also happen to be the high usage consumers in the wine market. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.
The relationship between store image and store brand equity: A conceptual framework and evidence from hypermarkets
Volume 18, Issue 6, November 2011, Pages 562-574
Jose Juan Beristain | Pilar Zorrilla
Retailers are making considerable efforts to improve their brand management. The challenge they face, however, is how best to integrate coherently their stores, as brands, and their various distributor brands (store brands, private labels, etc.), in order to increase their brand equity and offer the market differential value that will stimulate customer loyalty. From this perspective, it is crucial for retailers to investigate the relationship between the store and their own brands. This study proposes two theoretical models showing the mechanism whereby store image helps increase the equity of a specific type of distributor brand (the store brand). The approach used in this analysis is based, on the one hand, on defining brand equity through its components, using the model in Aaker (1991), and on the other, on including (social and strategic) corporate dimensions in measuring store image. The empirical research made in the hypermarket sector in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa backs the majority of the proposed hypotheses. The results show that store image can be used by retailers to influence all components of store brand equity, essentially through its commercial and strategic dimension. This research is intended to address the clear lack of research on store brand equity. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.
Volume 17, Issue 3, May 2010, Pages 173-180
Daniel Baier | Eva Stüber
Nowadays, many online shops try to improve their customer service by personalization. Personal welcomings, individual assistance as well as recommendations to inform and buy are getting an integral part of the customer communication. These new elements are assumed to increase the retailer's share of wallet and - ideally at the same time - the customer's satisfaction with the online shop. However, till date only few studies have analyzed which external factors influence the customer's acceptance of such assistance. This paper closes this gap by an experiment, where a modified Technology Acceptance Model is used for measuring the customer's acceptance. Volunteers are offered an online shopping experience with individually generated recommendations to buy. The results show a high acceptance of the generated recommendations and how close this acceptance is connected to the quality and shopping relevance of the recommendations. Even though the results are limited to the specific recommendation types used, they give important implications for an adequate design of modern online shops. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.
Volume 18, Issue 1, January 2011, Pages 92-100
This paper examines the extent to which advocacy is a consequence of marketing relationships in service organizations. The paper borrows a three-component model of employee commitment from the organizational behaviour literature and applies it in the context of consumer-organization service relationships. The theoretical model has been applied in three service settings. It was found that all three components of commitment have the potential to drive customer willingness to give favorable recommendations about the service provider. Affective commitment is the most significant determinant of customer advocacy, but normative commitment also plays a supporting and positive role. Continuance commitment undermines customer willingness to be an advocate. The conclusion is that the forces that create strong service provider-customer relationships can provide the additional benefit of customer advocacy of the service provider. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.
Choosing self-service technologies or interpersonal services-The impact of situational factors and technology-related attitudes
Volume 18, Issue 5, September 2011, Pages 414-421
Cees J. Gelderman | Paul W Th Ghijsen | Ronnie van Diemen
Many companies have introduced self-service technologies (SSTs) although not every customer wants to use or is able to use new technologies. This study aims to explain the actual use of SSTs by analysing a framework based on antecedents derived from the social cognitive theory, such as role clarity, perceived crowdedness, and need for interaction, and technology readiness dimensions.Survey data were collected from 525 passengers (40% response rate) at a European airport. The passengers choose between a self-service check-in and an interpersonal check-in counter. Perceived crowdedness appears to have the strongest impact on the customers' decision to use SSTs. In addition, need for interaction and role clarity seem to have a significant impact on the actual use of SSTs. The results indicate that technology readiness does not have a significant impact on the use of SSTs. These findings contribute to the domain of knowledge concerning the implementation of SSTs and consumer behaviour, providing important implications for academia and practice. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.
Effects of store image and store brand price-image on store brand purchase intention: Application to an emerging market
Volume 19, Issue 3, May 2012, Pages 360-367
Mbaye Fall Diallo
Several factors have been underlined to explain store brands' (SBs) purchase behavior. This research investigates jointly the effect of store image perceptions, SB price-image and perceived risk toward SBs on SB purchase intention in the context of an emerging market (Brazil). Data were collected from a consumer survey with 379 respondents randomly selected. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships. Our results show that store image perceptions and SB price-image influence significantly SB purchase intention directly or indirectly via the effect of perceived risk toward SBs. These findings are discussed and their theoretical and managerial implications are provided. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.
Volume 19, Issue 1, January 2012, Pages 140-149
Magali Jara | Gérard Cliquet
This article focuses on retail brand equity to understand where this retail brand value stems from and how to measure it. A conceptual framework is defined based on Keller's contributions about brand equity. A qualitative methodology and a confirmatory analysis enable the conception of a model. This one is tested through structural equation modeling with Path-PLS. Results show that retail brand awareness and perceived quality explain the most significantly retail brand equity. Retail brand personalities and retailers with particular managerial values have also a significant influence. Hence, the performance of retail brands depends on the same factors as those of other brands. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.
Volume 20, Issue 1, January 2013, Pages 68-79
Bopeng Zhang | Jung Hwan Kim
This study examined influencing factors that affect Chinese consumers' attitude towards purchasing luxury fashion goods and purchase intent. Data was collected in three major cities in China (i.e., Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou). A total of 161 respondents were included. Using regression analyses, the results indicated that brand consciousness, social comparison and fashion innovativeness have significant impact on attitude towards purchasing luxury fashion goods among Chinese consumers. In addition, Chinese consumers' purchasing intention for luxury fashion goods was affected by their attitude towards buying luxury fashion goods. Practical and managerial implications are further discussed. © 2012.