Timeliness– the speed of digital communications has raised customer expectations in
terms of response times and they expect a speedy shopping experience. It is no longer
acceptable to take three or four days to respond to an online customer enquiry; an
online customer expects the response will be instantaneous or at least within a couple
of hours. Additionally, they expect to be able to order goods and services at any time.
Availability– the Internet creates a sales environment, which is not restricted by space
constraints, therefore there is an increased expectation that not only will there be a
wider range of goods for sale online but also the goods will be readily available for
immediate delivery.
Convenience– it should be easier and quicker to compare prices online; there should
be easy access to a wide range of retailers without the inconvenience of having to
travel to a number of different locations.
Customer service– customer value is the foremost driver of competitive advantage in
the Internet shopping environment and customer service can be measured by the
consumer in terms of price savings, service excellence, time savings and experiential
values such as entertainment, visual stimulation/reward, levels of interaction. Positive
response to such factors can lead to heightened loyalty (Lee and Overby, 2004).
The increase in customer expectations can have quite wide-reaching organisational
implications. The gap between customer expectations of the online offer and the actual
performance can have a significant impact on online performance. Mini Case Study 10.2
explores the relationship between experiences and online success. Following your read-
ing of this case study, you can go on to try Activity 10.2.ONLINE CUSTOMERSThere has been a great deal of academic research looking at the relationship between quality and online
success in consumer markets. Wolfinbarger and Gilly (2003) used the premise that quality is related to
customer satisfaction and retention in both product and service settings as a basis for their work. In
doing so they established the dimensions of etailing and developed a scale for the measurement of etail
quality (eTailQ). They identified four key factors, which they found to affect levels of online customer sat-
isfaction, and these in rank order are:
1 Web site design:
(a) Easy navigation
(b) Appropriate levels of information
(c) Effective information search facility
(d) Straightforward ordering
(e) Appropriate personalisation
(f) Appropriate product selection
2 Fulfilment/reliability:
(a) Accurate display aimed at ensuring alignment between customer expectations and realisation
(b) Delivery of the right product within promised time frame
3 Customer service:
(a) Responsiveness to enquiries
(b) Helpful
(c) Willing service
(d) Immediacy of response
4 Privacy/security:
(a) Secure payment facilities
(b) Secure and private personal information.Mini Case Study 10.2 eTailQ