An examination of the effects of service quality

and satisfaction on customers’ behavioral

intentions in e-shopping
Spiros Gounaris, Sergios Dimitriadis and Vlasis Stathakopoulos
Department of Marketing and Communication, Athens University of Economics and Business, Athens, Greece

Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of service quality and satisfaction on three consumer behavioral intentions, namely
word-of-mouth, site revisit, and purchase intentions in the context of internet shopping.
Design/methodology/approach – To achieve this objective 240 online interviews were carried out (response rate 24 percent) from a randomly
generated sample of 1,052 online shoppers using the database of a leading Internet provider in Greece as the sample frame.
Findings – Data analysis involved the comparison of three rival models using structural equations modeling. The prevailed model reveals that e-service
quality has a positive effect on e-satisfaction, while it also influences, both directly and indirectly through e-satisfaction, the consumer’s behavioral
intentions, namely site revisit, word-of-mouth communication and repeat purchase.
Research limitations/implications – The results confirm that cognitive evaluations precede emotional responses and that quality is a strong
antecedent of satisfaction. However, the findings highlight the importance of the interaction experience with the e-shop on perceived quality. Moreover,
the study underlines the crucial impact of the four key e-service quality drivers on the entire cycle of buying, including post-purchase behavior,
confirming existing evidence in both off- and on-line context.
Practical implications – Practitioners should carefully consider their web site’s attributes. They should make their sites easy-to-use and easy-to-
navigate and place extra emphasis on providing fast, accurate, and uncluttered information through their web sites. Also they should direct marketing
activities with the aim to enhance satisfaction from e-shopping, particularly regarding the service encounter incidents.
Originality/value – The paper makes a scholar contribution by examining the notion of e-service quality and how it relates with e-satisfaction while
exploring unexamined consumers’ behavioral intentions and both their direct and indirect antecedents.

Keywords Customer services quality, Customer satisfaction, Consumer behaviour, Electronic commerce, Retailing

Paper type Research paper

An executive summary for managers and executive
readers can be found at the end of this article.
Introduction
In these days of web mania, everyone talks about the
e-commerce and e-business revolution and the Internet of the
new knowledge-based economy. The web allows e-businesses
to provide customers with increasingly accurate, timely, and
inexpensive information. As a result, customers can
immediately compare prices and choose the supplier with
the lowest price.
However, amount of information or internet presence and
price alone do not rule the web (Reichheld and Schefter,
2000; Zeithaml et al., 2002). To be successful in a fierce
competitive e-environment, e-companies need to insulate
themselves by developing an appropriate differentiating
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strategy. A key component of such a strategy needs to focus
on services and relationships that demonstrate a company’s
appreciation to its customers (Smith, 2000). E-companies
must deliver superior service experiences to their customers, if
they want to earn their businesses, their repeat patronage, and
eventually their loyalty. After all, poor service quality has been
shown to account for 80 percent customer complaints about
e-tailers (Dobie et al., 2001).
It is well recognized though that the web represents a
fundamentally different shopping environment than a
traditional shopping channel (Hoffman and Novak, 1996).
As such, classical marketing paradigms, theories, and
activities as well as consumer attitudes and behaviors need
to be re-evaluated in this new context, as several researchers
have called upon (e.g. Cox and Dale, 2001; Menon and
Kahn, 2002; Parasuraman and Grewal, 2000; Reichheld and
Schefter, 2000; Zeithaml et al., 2002). The reason is that
some recent empirical studies (e.g. Degaratu et al., 2000;
Keaveney and Parthasarathy, 2001; Lynch and Ariely, 2000;
Menon and Kahn, 2002; Szymanski and Hise, 2000) show
that there may exist differences in key marketing constructs

Journal of Services Marketing

24/2 (2010) 142– 156 Received: July 2007
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited [ISSN 0887-6045] Revised: March 2008
[DOI 10.1108/08876041011031118] Accepted: April 2008

142
 An examination of the effects of service quality
Spiros Gounaris, Sergios Dimitriadis and Vlasis Stathakopoulos
and associated relationships between traditional and
e-business contexts. This study is one more attempt to
answer this research call and help fill this gap in our
knowledge.
Against this backdrop, many important research topics have
not yet been fully explored and studied. Some of them
represent key marketing constructs, such as service quality
and customer satisfaction. Although the relationships among
service quality, customer satisfaction, and consumers’
behavioral intentions are well documented in the classical
service literature (e.g. Athanassopoulos et al., 2001; Boulding
et al., 1993; Cronin and Taylor, 1992, 1994; Keaveney, 1995;
Parasuraman et al., 1985; Spreng et al., 1996; Zeithaml et al.,
1996), such relationships have not been fully subjected to
conceptual and empirical investigation in the e-business
context. In fact, Zeithaml et al. (2002) have urgent future
researchers to pay particular attention to the concept of
electronic service quality and its associated consequences.
Studying such relationships will provide both academics and
practitioners with a more comprehensive understanding of the
relevant phenomena.
In light of the preceding discussion, the objective of this
research is to contribute to the marketing literature in a
number of ways. First, it examines the notion of e-service
quality. Second, it studies the topic of e-satisfaction. Third,
this study goes beyond e-service quality and e-satisfaction to
explore unexamined consumers’ behavioral intentions.
Fourth, this research investigates which variables lead
directly and indirectly to behavioral intentions.
The rest of this paper is organized as follows. We first
develop our conceptual model and associated research
hypotheses that address the relationships among e-service
quality, e-satisfaction, and behavioral intentions. We then
describe the sample and measures employed in the study. We
follow by reporting the empirical research results. Finally, we
conclude by discussing managerial implications, study
limitations and future research directions.
Conceptual framework and research hypotheses
Figure 1 depicts our proposed conceptual model. This model
emanates from the literature that examines the relationships
among service quality, customer satisfaction, and behavioral
consequences, within the online and the offline service
paradigms (e.g. Anderson and Sullivan, 1993; Cristobal et al.,
2007; Cronin et al., 2000; Gotlieb et al., 1994; Hackman et al.,
2006; Parasuraman et al., 2005; Roest and Pieters, 1997;
Shamdasani et al., 2008). As it can be seen, the major
constructs in the model are e-service quality, e-satisfaction,
and consumers’ behavioral intentions. Our model suggests
that behavioral intentions are influenced by e-service quality
both directly and indirectly through e-satisfaction.
Figure 1 The conceptual model
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Volume 24 · Number 2 · 2010 · 142 –156
E-service quality
The notion of service quality is considered as one of the most
important research topics in marketing, since it relates to
costs (Crosby, 1979), financial performance (Buzzell and
Gale, 1987), customer satisfaction (Spreng et al., 1996),
customer retention and loyalty (Reichheld and Sasser, 1990),
and competitive advantage (Iacobucci et al., 1994). This
recognition of the important role service quality plays in
business success has led to the development of alternative
schools of thought regarding its conceptualization (e.g.
Parasuraman et al., 1985; Gronroos, 1990; Reeves and
Bednar, 1994).
In general, service quality is defined as the perceived
discrepancy between customers’ expectations and their
evaluation of what they get (Gronroos, 1990; Parasuraman
et al., 1988). More specifically, Zeithaml et al. (2000, 2002)
defined e-service quality as the extent to which a web site
facilitates efficient and effective shopping, purchasing and
delivery of product and services. In fact, a review of the
relevant e-commerce literature indicates that the research
efforts on the subject parallel those in the traditional context
(Hackman et al., 2006). Thus, the principal focus of e-service
quality research has been twofold.
First, the identification of e-service quality dimensions was
of primary interest to internet service marketing researchers.
Early research on how consumers form expectations on
technology-based self-service quality suggested five attributes:
speed of delivery, ease of use, reliability, enjoyment and
control (Dabholkar, 1996). In a more recent study, designed
to explain price dispersion across online stores by differences
in e-tailers service quality, Pan et al. (2002) used the web site
evaluation scale of BizRate.com to assess e-tailers’ service
quality. BizRate.com is a well-known price comparison site
which surveys e-tailers’ customers and asks them to evaluate
e-tailers services. Using evaluation data from 105 e-tailers, the
authors extracted five quality factors out of the ten initial
attributes: reliability, shopping convenience, product
information, shipping/handling and pricing.
Trocchia and Janda (2003) using in-depth interviews
identified five dimensions of e-service quality: performance,
access (product variety from all over the world), security,
sensation (aesthetics) and information. Wolfinbarger and
Gilly (2001) conducted an extensive study, including focus
groups and online panel survey of 1,013 consumers, in order
to establish a valid scale of e-tail quality. Of the initial 40 items
tested, 14 were finally retained which factored on four quality
dimensions: customer service (responsiveness, answering
inquiries and customer problems), privacy/security, web site
design (information, personalization, navigation, product
selection) and fulfillment/reliability (on time and no errors
delivery, accurate description of products).
Finally, based on an extensive state-of-the-art review of
existing research on e-service quality, Zeithaml et al. (2002),
summarized previous work in five main dimensions:
information availability and content, ease of use, privacy/
security, graphic style and fulfillment/reliability. They also
mentioned other, less researched, criteria such as
responsiveness and personalization (Griffith and Krampf,
1998).
Second, the development of measurement instruments of
e-service quality was of equal interest. More specifically, an
attempt to adapt the widely cited SERVQUAL instrument
(Parasuraman et al., 1985, 1988, 1991) to the web context has
 An examination of the effects of service quality
Spiros Gounaris, Sergios Dimitriadis and Vlasis Stathakopoulos
led to the WEBQUAL, an instrument for measuring the
quality of a web site (Barnes and Vidgen, 2000, 2001a, b).
Starting by testing the model on business schools web sites,
the authors refined, adjusted and completed the scales as they
applied it to auctions sites and to e-bookstores. In a first
empirical validation (Barnes and Vidgen, 2001a), the 22
initial items were grouped in three quality elements, usability
(appearance, ease of use, navigation), information (accuracy,
relevancy) and interaction (security, personalization,
communication). However, in their more recent work, the
authors revised their initial instrument and included ten out
of the original 22 items grouped to the five SERVQUAL
elements (Barnes and Vidgen, 2001b): tangibles (aesthetics
and navigation), reliability (reliability and competence),
responsiveness (responsiveness and access), assurance
(credibility and security), empathy (communication to and
understanding the individual).
In a study of e-service quality of web portals, Gounaris and
Dimitriadis (2003) used a 14 items scale combining measures
of the SERVQUAL and the WEBQUAL instruments. Their
results confirmed three quality dimensions: customer care and
risk reduction (security, delivery, communication),
information (believable, relevant information) and
interaction (easy of use, navigation, design), converging with
and completing the findings of WEBQUAL. Yet, web portals
differ from e-tailing sites since typically they do not sell
products, need no personal contact and have no payment and
order fulfillment issues to handle.
More recently, Parasuraman et al. (2005) used a means-end
framework in order to develop a scale for measuring e-service
quality. Through a two-stage empirical data collection the
authors identified two different scales for capturing electronic
service quality: the basic e-quality scale developed consisted
of four dimensions: efficiency, fulfillment, system availability,
and privacy. Because recovery was considered as a critical
aspect of service, a separate scale concerned specifically the
aspects of e-service recovery and contained three dimensions:
responsiveness, compensation, and contact. Building on this
work, Collier and Bienstock (2006) made a further distinction
among:
.
process or interactive quality (encompassing privacy,
design, information accuracy, ease of use, and
functionality);
.
outcome quality (order timeliness, order accuracy, and
order condition); and
.
recovery (interactive fairness, procedural fairness, and
outcome fairness).
Finally, Cristobal et al. (2007) suggested a multiple-item scale
consisting of four perceived e-service quality dimensions, web
design, customer service, assurance and order management.
In general, the common thrust of these emerging research
efforts remains disparate, heterogeneous in both methodology
and results, with no definite conclusions.
E-satisfaction
The agenda of the traditional service quality research was
further enhanced through work in the domain of customer
satisfaction (e.g. Hallowell, 1996; Oliver, 1997; Spreng et al.,
1996). In fact, developing a thorough understanding of the
conceptual relationships between service quality and
customer satisfaction was of primary concern to service
researchers (e.g. Athanassopoulos, 2000; Iacobucci et al.,
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Volume 24 · Number 2 · 2010 · 142 –156
1995; Gotlieb et al., 1994; Rust and Oliver, 1994; Sivadas and
Prewitt, 2000).
The preceding literature supports the notion that favorable
service quality perceptions lead to improved customer
satisfaction. In other words, service quality is an antecedent
of satisfaction with services. The justification for this link is
that customer satisfaction is an affective reaction, which
emerges as a response to a single or prolonged set of cognitive
service encounters. Hence, customer satisfaction is a “post
consumption” experience, which compares perceived quality
with expected quality (e.g. Anderson et al., 1994; Andesron
and Sallivan, 1993; Chenet et al., 1999; Cronin et al., 2000;
Ennew and Binks, 1999; Hallowell, 1996; Sivadas and
Prewitt, 2000). In fact, according to Dawson et al. (1990) a
consumer is thought to make a cognitive appraisal of previous
retail experience, which leads to an affective reaction reflected
by satisfaction.
In the e-context, recent research has also confirmed the
impact of e-quality on satisfaction (Lee and Lin, 2005; Collier
and Bienstock, 2006; Fassnacht and Kose, 2007; Cristobal
et al., 2007; Shamdasani et al., 2008). For instance,
Szymanski and Hise’s (2000) viewed e-satisfaction as an
overall construct reflecting the cumulative effect of a set of
discrete experiences with the service provider over a period of
time. As such, one measures the degree to which overall a
customer is both satisfied/dissatisfied and pleased/displeased
with online shopping.
However, several researchers make a distinction between
satisfaction with service encounters (e.g. Bitner et al., 1990;
Shankar et al., 2002) and satisfaction with service processes
(e.g. Dube and Morgan, 1998; Tse et al., 1990). Service
encounters refers to the interactions between the customer
and the company, whiles service processes describes the
consumer’s experiences during all phases of a buying process
decision.
In the e-shopping environment, whereas online shopping is
a different experience from traditional off-line shopping in
many ways, service encounter, on one hand, is considered as
the interaction experience with the electronic store (e.g. site
navigation, information availability and content, graphics).
On the other hand, service process is viewed as the experience
with services after an electronic sale has occurred (e.g.
product delivery, product operation). In fact, the importance
of satisfaction with the service process was highlighted in a
study by Boston Consulting Group (2001), which indicated
that electronic consumers are more dissatisfied with services
they receive after they have placed an order. Such services
include product delivery, customer service, and product
return.
Cho and Park (2001), in their study of developing an
electronic commerce user-consumer satisfaction index,
included factors that were relating to both service
encounters (e.g. product information, site design, product
merchandising) and service processes (e.g. consumer service,
purchase delivery, delivery time and charge). However, in
their analysis the authors computed a composite index
including all factors, without attempting to separate the two
dimensions of e-satisfaction based on its content validity.
Further, Liang and Lai (2002), based on the results of their
empirical study of the factors that determine the quality of an
e-store design, argued that on-line stores must provide
adequate post-sales services to support the customers’ needs
in the entire buying process.
 An examination of the effects of service quality
Spiros Gounaris, Sergios Dimitriadis and Vlasis Stathakopoulos
Similar, then, to the classical literature cited above, we view
e-service quality as an antecedent to e-satisfaction (with both
the service encounter and the service process), and therefore,
we advance the following hypothesis:
H1. E-service quality has a positive effect on e-satisfaction.
Behavioral intentions
The real value of service quality stems from its decision-
making implications. Several researchers (e.g. Fornell and
Wernerfelt, 1987; Rust and Zahorik, 1993) distinguish
between offensive and defensive marketing policies and
tactics. Offensive marketing actions refer to capturing new
customers by investing in service quality. However, service
quality is only one of many other marketing variables (e.g.
price, image) that influence a customer’s decision to consume
the service. Therefore, investing on service quality alone does
not guarantee winning new customers.
Defensive marketing actions, on the other hand, focus on
retaining existing customers rather than attracting new ones.
There exist compelling arguments for such strategic actions.
The main thrust of these arguments is economic necessity.
For example, lowering customer defections has a strong
impact on company’s profits both in a traditional setting
(Reichheld and Sasser, 1990) and in an e-context (Reicheheld
and Schefter, 2000). This is due to the fact that, capturing
new consumers to replace lost ones is rather expensive for two
main reasons. First, promotional outlays to capture new
consumers are high and are “considerably higher in
e-commerce than in traditional retail channels” (Reicheheld
and Schefter, 2000, p. 106). Second, new customers need a
“grace” period until they become profitable. In fact, in the
web setting it is estimated that this period is at least two to
three years (Reicheheld and Schefter, 2000). Moreover,
customers who remain loyal to the company produce higher
revenues than “casual” ones, because the company may be
able to cross-sell to them. It is no surprise then that Fornell
and Wernerfelt (1987) concluded that is better for a company
to spend resources to retain existing customers than to attract
new ones.
Regardless though of whether a company follows offensive
or defensive methods, consumers’ reactions to service quality
are unavoidable. As indicated in Figure 1, a customer’s
assessment of both the e-service quality and e-satisfaction
determines the actions the consumer will engage in. More
specifically, three types of consumers’ intentions are studied
in this research: word-of-mouth communication, revisit of the
site, and purchase intentions.
Following the developments in the classical marketing
service literature (see Cronin et al., 2000), we argue that
consumer decision-making is a complex and comprehensive
process. That is, consumers do not evaluate only the quality
they receive. They also respond to the satisfaction felt by the
services received. Hence, we put forward the proposition that
e-service quality has twofold effects on consumers’ behavioral
intentions.
The first effect is a direct one. That is, service quality is a
direct antecedent of behavioral intentions. This effect is based
on the service quality literature, where quality is suggested to
lead directly to favorable outcomes (e.g. Chang and Wildt,
1994; Cronin et al., 1997; Sweeney et al., 1999). The second
effect is an indirect one (e.g. Anderson and Sullivan, 1993;
Hackman et al., 2006; Lee and Lin, 2005; Patterson and
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Volume 24 · Number 2 · 2010 · 142 –156
Spreng, 1997; Roest and Pieters, 1997; Shamdasani et al.,
2008). In other words, studies have indicated that service
quality have an indirect effect on consumers’ behavioral
intentions (i.e. service quality through customer satisfaction).
Regarding the specific types of behavioral intentions
affected by e-quality and satisfaction, word-of-mouth is one
of the most commonly variables used, Parasuraman et al.
(1988, 1991) found that when consumers’ perceptions of
service quality are high, consumers are inclined to
recommend the company to others. Similarly, Reichheld
and Sasser (1990) indicated that retained customers attract
new customers through positive word-of-mouth. In addition,
Zeithaml (2000) advanced the notion that continuing
customers may validate the firm’s good reputation to new
customers. Keaveney and Parthasarathy (2001), in their study
of customer switching behavior in online services, found that
switchers of online services were relying on word-of-mouth
sources when making their subscription decisions. Moreover,
Srinivasan et al. (2002) results indicated that when consumers
are loyal to an e-retailer then they are willing to say positive
things about the e-retailer to others.
Other researchers (e.g. Richins, 1983; Scaglione, 1988;
Singh, 1988) have indicated that when consumers perceive to
have experienced worse service performance than expected
they are likely to complain to third parties (i.e. engage in
negative word-of-mouth). In fact, in the e-context, word-of
mouth is much more accentuated than in a physical setting,
since according to Poleretsky (1999) unhappy customers tell
their negative experiences to five friends, while on the Internet
tell to 5,000. In general, this negative word-of-mouth is the
result of dissatisfaction felt by consumers due to inferior
service quality. A study by Boston Consulting Group (2001)
found an almost perfect correlation between e-satisfaction and
likelihood to recommend a site.
Another key issue for online service companies is a
consumer’s decision to return or not to an internet site. The
decision to revisit a site resembles customer service switching
behavior (Keaveney, 1995), where a customer keeps on using
the online service category but switches from one service
provider to another. In general, consumers tend to use their
past retail service experience as decision making heuristics in
order to formulate strategies for repeat behavior.
A large number of classical research has substantiated the
relationship between service quality, satisfaction and service
switching. For example, Cronin and Taylor (1992) suggest
that convenience, good value for money, and availability
might enhance customer satisfaction and subsequently reduce
switching behavior. Similarly, Bitner (1990) advocates the
effects of time, access to information, money constraints, and
lack of credible alternatives, which may affect service loyalty.
In addition, Zeithaml et al. (1996) concluded that service
quality is associated negatively with propensity to leave. In
addition, Keaveney (1995) proposed several factors for
switching services, some of them (e.g. core service failures,
failed service encounters, poor service recoveries) associated
with feelings of dissatisfaction. Athanassopoulos et al. (2001)
substantiated this basic suggestion with empirical results,
which indicated that customer dissatisfaction leads to
switching behavior.
Research on the topic in the e-context suggests that an
internet consumer has a greater tendency to switch that does a
non-internet shopper (Donthu and Garcia, 1999). This is due
to the fact that an internet consumer has unparalleled
 An examination of the effects of service quality
Spiros Gounaris, Sergios Dimitriadis and Vlasis Stathakopoulos
opportunities to compare products, services, and prices in this
medium. Keaveney and Parthasarathy’s (2001) results
indicated that Internet switchers had significantly lower
online usage of a particular service. Rice (1997) found that
the factors that drive a consumer to return to an internet site
are content, enjoyment, layout, and uniqueness. Hence, a
consumer’s motivation to return to a particular site is based
upon his/her interaction with the site (Smith and Sivakumar,
2002). The more positive the consumer is and feels about a
particular site after an interaction, the more likely the
consumer is to return to that site.
Finally, purchase intentions refer to the consumer’s
willingness to buy more through the internet. In general, a
large number of classical research has substantiated the
relationship between service quality, satisfaction and service
switching. For example, Cronin and Taylor (1992) suggest
that convenience, good value for money, and product
availability may enhance customer satisfaction and
subsequently decrease switching behavior. Similarly, Bitner
(1990) advocates the effects of time, access to information,
money constraints, and lack of credible alternatives, which
may affect service loyalty. In addition, Zeithaml et al. (1996)
concluded that poor service quality is associated positively
with propensity to leave. In addition, Keaveney (1995)
proposed several factors for switching services, some of them
(e.g. core service failures, failed service encounters, poor
service recoveries) associated with feelings of dissatisfaction.
Athanassopoulos et al. (2001) substantiated this basic
suggestion with empirical results, which indicated that
customer dissatisfaction leads to switching behavior.
Nevertheless, despite the importance of the topic, the only
empirical evidence reporting on consumer’s decision to buy
more from an online retail store comes from the Boston
Consulting Group’s study (2001), which showed that satisfied
customers intend to make more on line purchases. We,
therefore, suggest that:
H2. E-service quality has a positive: (a) direct effect and (b)
indirect effect through e-satisfaction on consumers’
behavioral intentions, expressed in terms of word-of
mouth, site revisit, and purchase intentions.
Research methodology
Sample and data collection
The data reported here were derived from 240 online
interviews. Following Szymanski and Hise (2000), an online
methodology was preferred rather than traditional
administration methods (e.g. mail survey, random digit
dialing, or mall intercept) for several reasons that the
authors explicitly and thoroughly discuss in their study.
More specifically, the leading internet provider in Greece
allowed access to a randomly drawn representative sample of
internet users, as derived from its database. This process
generated a sample of 1,052 online shoppers who were
qualified to participate in the survey. To these individuals, we
e-mailed the main survey’s instrument as attachment. A total
of 240 fully completed questionnaires were received, a
response rate of around 24 percent, which is very close to
similar online research efforts (e.g. Gounaris and Dimitriadis,
2003; Srinivasan et al., 2002).
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Volume 24 · Number 2 · 2010 · 142 –156
Development of the research instrument and variables
measurement
In developing the survey instrument, we used appropriate
existing scales where possible. For the constructs for which
validated measures were not available, new ones were
developed, following the guidelines suggested by Churchill
(1979).
In doing so, first an original pool of items was developed
based on extensive literature review. This first pool was sent to
12 colleagues (four from marketing and/or business
administration departments from two universities in Greece
and eight from IT departments again in Greece) along with a
cover letter detailing the scope of the study and what each
scale attempted to measure. The purpose of this phase was to
have experts evaluate the ability of each item to actually
measure what we intended to measure (content validity). The
result was a slightly modified battery of items. Nine items
were dropped, (two were replaced as suggested by the
experts), while four other items were rephrased. Upon
completion, the new pool of items was then sent to the
marketing director of four internet providers in Greece and
the same process was repeated. During this phase, another
seven items were also added and eight items (two from the
original version and six that were rephrased during the
previous phase) were reworded. This process resulted in a
preliminary survey questionnaire.
The preliminary questionnaire was pre-tested in a pilot
study. The sample for this pilot was drawn from part-time
(executives) post-graduate students, since their profile in
terms of age (ranging from 27 to 39 years) resembled closer to
the profile of the targeted population from which the data
would be collected. Research studies have shown that the
heaviest Greek internet users fall in the 24-35 age group
(Observatory for the Greek Information Society, 2007).
This pilot study revealed the need to make only some minor
fine-tuning on some of the items. No concerns were raised
regarding the content validity of each scale. Then, the main
study followed. Respondents were invited to recall the most
recent purchase they had made and answer the questions
asked in the questionnaire with that particular site in mind.
The variables employed are discussed in the following section
(see appendix for the items of all study measures).
E-service quality
The measurement was based on the WEBQUAL scale
suggested by Barnes and Vidgen (2001a, b). It comprises
three quality elements, namely, usability, information, and
interaction. However, based on the literature review we
considered two additional parameters, Aesthetics and After-
Sales Service, since recent empirical studies (Lee and Lin,
2005; Trocchia and Janda, 2003; Zeithaml at al., 2000;
Boston Consulting Group, 2001; Collier and Bienstock,
2006) provide compelling evidence that both these two
parameters are significant components of perceived e-service
quality.
In order to examine the psychometric attributes of the
measure, the sample was randomly split in two halves. Using
the first half an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was ran
resulting in four factors namely information, usability-user
friendliness, adaptation-user interaction and site’s aesthetics.
These four factors accounted for approximately 66 percent of
total variance in the original variables. Interestingly enough,
the items intended to measure after-sales-service loaded in
 An examination of the effects of service quality
Spiros Gounaris, Sergios Dimitriadis and Vlasis Stathakopoulos
multiple factors and, one-by-one, they were all eventually
eliminated before the four factors solution could be derived.
Then, using the second half of the sample, confirmatory
factor analysis (CFA) was employed in order to test for
discriminant and convergent validity of the measure. In doing
so two alternative models were considered, as suggested by
Bollen and Long (1992): the original one consisting of the five
elements and the one that the EFA had derived. Table I is
informative of the two solutions.
As can be seen from Table I, the four factor solution is
superior in representing the data. Therefore, discriminant as
well as convergent validity was assessed only for this solution.
In doing so we calculated the average variance extracted
(AVE) for each factor (Fornell and Larcker, 1981). Then,
convergent validity is established if the shared variance
accounts for 0.50 or more of total variance. Discriminant
validity, on the other hand, is evident when AVE for each
construct is greater than the squared correlation between that
construct and any other construct in the model. Table I is also
informative of the results regarding this assessment. As it can
be seen from Table I, the four factor solution exhibits both
convergent and discriminant validity. Finally, internal
consistency was assessed by means of the Cronbach’s alpha
coefficient (Nunnally, 1988). That is, the ability of the
measure to yield consistent results, since even a highly
unidimensional scale would be of very little use if the resultant
aggregate score is ascertained basically by measurement error.
Again, from Table I it can be seen that all four dimensions
well exceeded the minimum acceptable threshold (0.75).
Thus, we proceeded to derive the four aggregated scales for
e-service quality, namely information, user friendliness,
adaptation-user interaction and site’s aesthetics as well as
the overall measurement (e-service quality), the latter being
the aggregation of the four elements that the measure
purification process had evidenced.
E-satisfaction
As explained in the conceptual background section, two
aspects of satisfaction were investigated: satisfaction with the
e-encounter and satisfaction with the process. As far as the
satisfaction with the encounter, four items were employed and
respondents were asked to use a ten-point scale (anchored
1 ¼ totally dissatisfied, 10 ¼ totally satisfied) to indicate their
degree of agreement with each item. CFA was employed in
order to examine the dimensionality of the measure. The
Table I Psychometric properties of the scales measuring perceived service quality
Originally hypothesized dimensions of
perceived e-service quality
AVE (Corr)2
Information 0.54 0.52
Usability – user friendliness 0.53 0.48
Interaction – adaptation 0.61 0.40
Aesthetics 0.62 0.44
After-sales service 0.52 0.53
GFI 0.844
CFI 0.885
RMSEA 0.070
Notes: Alpha ¼ Cronbach’s alpha coefficient; AVE ¼ Sl2/(Sl2+S1ij) ¼ average variance extracted; (Corr)2: the highest squared correlation between the
factor of interest and all remaining factors; convergent validity is evident if AVE . 0.50; discriminant validity is evident when AVE/(Corr)2 . 1
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Volume 24 · Number 2 · 2010 · 142 –156
results of this analysis are presented in Table II. With regard
to the satisfaction from the process with the e-store
experience, again, four items were employed to
conceptualize the notion and a ten-point measurement was
used. Results from CFA prove that the measure is both
unidimensional and reliable (see Table II).
Behavioral intentions
Three behavioral intentions were considered in this study,
namely word-of-mouth (WOM), site revisit and purchase
intentions.
With regard to WOM, a four items, five-point degree of
agreement, scale was employed. Intention to revisit the
particular site for which the respondent was filling the
questionnaire in order to make electronic purchases, was
measured with a three items, on a five-point degree of
agreement, scale. Finally, the intention of the respondent to
direct more of his/her purchases through e-stores rather than
traditional “brick and mortar” outlets was assessed using a
three items, five-point degree of agreement, scale. For each of
the three measures, CFA was employed to assess their
dimensionality. The results of this analysis are presented in
Table II.
Data analysis
Table III shows means, standard deviations, intercorrelations,
variances and covariances for the summated scales. Note that
the standard deviations range from 0.77 to 1.73, indicating a
substantial amount of variance in the responses for most of
the variables measured in the study.
Table III is also informative of the correlations between the
investigated constructs, which in turn provides a preliminary
way to test the hypotheses.
Based on the correlation coefficients, the hypotheses put
forward are supported. However, for a much more robust
examination of the hypotheses a path model was developed
(see Figure 2) which was examined using structural equation
modeling techniques. More specifically, the model presented
in Figure 2 (proposed model) was examined using path
analysis with AMOS. Yet, an emerging consensus in structural
equations modeling is that researchers should compare rival
models, not just test a proposed model (Bollen and Long,
1992).
Model prognosticated by the EFA
Alpha AVE (Corr)2 Alpha
0.88 0.70 0.42 0.88
0.88 0.68 0.42 0.88
0.84 0.72 0.35 0.84
0.89 0.69 0.36 0.89
0.76
0.921
0.948
0.050
 An examination of the effects of service quality Journal of Services Marketing
Spiros Gounaris, Sergios Dimitriadis and Vlasis Stathakopoulos Volume 24 · Number 2 · 2010 · 142 –156

Table II Assessment of dimensionality and internal consistency for behavioral intentions and customer satisfaction measures
Behavioral intentions E-satisfaction
AVE (Corr)2 Alpha AVE (Corr)2 Alpha
Word-of-mouth 0.58 0.53 0.80
Purchase intentions 0.61 0.50 0.79
Site revisit 0.55 0.53 0.78
Encounter satisfaction 0.59 0.06 0.861
Process satisfaction 0.78 0.06 0.903
GFI 0.94 0.96
CFI 0.96 0.98
RMSEA 0.07 0.06
Notes: Alpha ¼ Cronbach’s alpha coefficient; AVE ¼ Sl2/(Sl2+S1ij) ¼ average variance extracted; (Corr)2: the highest squared correlation between the
factor of interest and all remaining factors; convergent validity is evident if AVE . 0,50; discriminant validity is evident when AVE/(Corr)2 .1

Table III Correlation/covariance matrix

Mean SD SE SP I UF A Ae WOM PI SR
Satisfaction with encounter (SE) 7.15 1.73 2.90 * 0.25 0.58 0.51 0.54 0.50 0.47 0.32 0.11þ
Satisfaction with process (SP) 4.01 0.73 0.32 0.53 * 0.45 0.39 0.34 0.25 0.35 0.33 0.30
e-QUAL: information (I) 4.67 0.96 0.97 0.32 0.93 * 0.56 0.55 0.55 0.55 0.42 0.20
e-QUAL: user friendliness (UF) 4.20 0.77 0.68 0.22 0.42 0.59 * 0.51 0.55 0.45 0.36 0.18
e-QUAL: adaptation (A) 4.11 1.21 1.12 0.29 0.63 0.47 1.44 * 0.49 0.57 0.51 0.21
e-QUAL: aesthetics (Ae) 4.52 1.00 0.86 0.18 0.54 0.42 0.59 0.10 * 0.47 0.39 0.18
Word-of-mouth (WOM) 4.03 1.68 1.36 0.43 0.89 0.58 1.15 0.79 2.82 * 0.62 0.30
Purchase intentions (PI) 3.99 1.30 0.73 0.31 0.52 0.36 0.80 0.50 1.35 1.70 * 0.34
Site revisit (SR) 2.82 1.03 0.20 0.15 0.20 0.14 0.26 0.19 0.52 0.45 1.06 *
Notes: *Correlations are above the diagonal, variances are on the diagonal and covariances are below the diagonal; +Indicates non significant correlation. All
other correlations are significant at 0.010 or better

Note, that our model posits that e-service quality and e-
satisfaction influence behavioral intentions, with e-service
quality having both a direct and an indirect (through
satisfaction) effect. Thus, a central nomological status for e-
service quality is implied. A first rival view is one that implies
no direct effects from e-service quality to behavioral
intentions. This model (model B) is implied in the quality
literature (e.g. Baker and Crompton, 2000), since it has been
evidenced that increased levels of quality lead to increased
levels of satisfaction which, in turn, influences behavioral
intentions. A second alternative view (model C) would be one
suggesting only direct paths from the antecedents to the
outcomes, thereby making e-satisfaction nomologically
similar to e-service quality. This view is based on the fact
that quality is a totally different notion from satisfaction,
which is also well documented in the literature (e.g. Oliver,
1997). The two rival models are also presented in Figure 2.
Table IV summarizes the comparison between the proposed
and the rival models. The comparison between the three
models is done on a pair basis comparing the proposed model
vis-à-vis each alternative shown in Figure 2. To do this we
nested models B and C within the proposed model and use
the Dx2 statistic as well as the Akaike Information Criterion
(AIC), an alternative to the conventional x2 test (Burnham
and Anderson, 1998), which adjusts model chi-square to
penalize for model complexity (that is, for lack of parsimony
and over-parameterization).
As can be seen in Table IV, both alternative models result in
a statistically significant worsening of fit and, thus, we reject
them both while accepting the superiority of the one we had
originally conceptualized.
Having established the superiority of the proposed model,
the focus was shifted on the investigation of the hypotheses.
H1 stated that e-service quality has a positive effect on e-
satisfaction. According to the findings of this study that are
presented in Table V, customer satisfaction with the
encounter and with the process is directly and positively
influenced by e-service quality (0.69), supporting thus H1.
H2 investigated the direct and indirect (through
satisfaction) effects of e-service quality on the consumer’s
behavioral intentions. Again, according to Table V, this
hypothesis is also supported since e-service quality appears to
influence behavioral intentions both directly (0.70) and
indirectly through satisfaction (indirect effect 0.69; total
effect 0.90). Interestingly enough, the behavioral intentions
reflect significantly all three parameters investigated in the
study, namely site revisit (0.75), word-of-mouth
communication (0.57), and repeat purchase (0.52).
Conclusion
The development of e-commerce and the challenge of
building sustainable competitive advantage on the net create
the necessity to better understand how consumers perceive
and react to e-companies’ offerings. In this context,

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Spiros Gounaris, Sergios Dimitriadis and Vlasis Stathakopoulos Volume 24 · Number 2 · 2010 · 142 –156

Figure 2 Proposed and rival models of the study

Table IV Examination of competing models Table V Results of the hypothesized model (proposed model)
Proposed model Model B Model C Proposed model
CFI 0.97 0.89 0.86 Path Estimatea
GFI 0.95 0.91 0.89 E-satisfaction N Perceived e-service quality 0.69
AGFI 0.91 0.83 0.80
Behavioral intentions N Perceived e-service quality 0.70
RMSEA 0.07 0.12 0.14
Behavioral intentions N E-satisfaction 0.21
x2/df 52.9/23 117.63/24 145.3/25
Interaction/adaptation N Perceived e-service quality 0.72
Dx2/Dd.f./sign 64.68/1/0.000 97.41/2/0.000
AIC 96.95 159.63 325.49 Aesthetics N Perceived e-service quality 0.66
Information N Perceived e-service quality 0.78
User friendliness N Perceived e-service quality 0.71
Word-of-mouth communication N Behavioral intentions 0.57
constructs such as perceived service quality, satisfaction and Site revisit N Behavioral intentions 0.75
their consequences need to be re-examined, as the web
Purchase intentions N Behavioral intentions 0.52
constitutes a different shopping environment compared to
traditional bricks-and-mortar sales outlets (Hoffman and Satisfaction with process N E-satisfaction 0.51
Novak, 1996). Satisfaction with encounter N E-satisfaction 0.72
Existing research has mainly focused on e-service quality Notes: GFI: 0.95; AGFI: 0.91; CFI: 0.96; PCFI: 0.61; TLI: 0.95; RMSEA: 0.07;
and much less on satisfaction and behavioral intentions. a
Values represent standardized regression values; all estimates have a
Furthermore, in most of the existing research the effects of critical ratio . 1,96 suggesting that they all are significantly different from
service quality and satisfaction on behavioral intensions have zero at the 0.05 level or better
been tested separately. However, some evidence supports the

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 An examination of the effects of service quality
Spiros Gounaris, Sergios Dimitriadis and Vlasis Stathakopoulos
existence of more complex relationships among these
variables and the benefits of accounting for both direct and
indirect affects of service quality and satisfaction on behavior
(Cronin et al., 2000; Iacobucci et al., 1994; Shamdasani et al.,
2008; Lee and Lin, 2005). Hence, the objectives of the
present study were to investigate the constructs of service
quality and satisfaction in online shopping context and to
establish causal direct and indirect relationships between
them and specific behavioral intentions of e-shoppers. Our
findings both support and extend existing knowledge on these
issues leading to several managerial implications and opening
new directions for future research.
Concerning the direct effects of service quality, the study
identified four key drivers of e-service quality, namely user
friendliness, information, adaptation and aesthetics that
impact significantly satisfaction from e-shopping. This result
confirms consumer behavior literature suggesting that
cognitive evaluations precede emotional responses and that
quality is a strong antecedent of satisfaction
(Athanassopoulos, 2000; Sivadas and Prewitt, 2000; Rust
and Oliver, 1994). More specifically, satisfaction with the
encounter (i.e. the interaction experience with the e-shop),
appeared to be more strongly linked to quality than did
satisfaction with the process. These relationships add to the
understanding of satisfaction with electronic encounters as
they allow for a more analytical and comprehensive
measurement and monitoring of satisfaction. At the same
time they underline the importance of the interaction between
the company and the customer for the later to get a positive
experience.
Furthermore, the direct relationship between e-service
quality and behavioral intentions showed to be stronger than
that between e-satisfaction and behavioral intentions. This
finding underlines the crucial impact of the four key e-service
quality drivers on the entire cycle of buying, including post-
purchase behavior, confirming existing evidence in both off
and on line context (Parasuraman et al., 1988, 1991;
Zeithaml, 2000; Keaveney and Parthasarathy, 2001; Smith
and Sivakumar, 2002). Moreover it demonstrates that quality
and satisfaction impact behavioral intentions collectively and
that their effect should be assessed simultaneously.
In addition to the direct effects, our findings indicate the
indirect effects of e-service quality on behavioral intentions,
through the two components of satisfaction. The
identification of such effects allows for a more complex but
also more holistic view of how these constructs interact. It also
suggests that models of online consumer behavior, which do
not account for such effects, may capture only a part of the
e-shopping reality (Hackman et al., 2006).
Focusing on the results concerning the behavioral
intentions we investigated, our study indicates that by
ensuring a high level of e-service quality managers will be
able to trigger positive consumers’ reactions that are key for
e-shops’ sustainable development. In fact, it has been widely
suggested that key success factors for online companies are
based on developing brand awareness, building customer
loyalty and reducing operating costs (Porter, 2001; Zeithaml
et al., 2002).
More specifically, the findings showed that high quality and
satisfaction result in revisiting the web site. This means that
not only the identified e-service quality drivers built loyalty
but that they may convert traditional shoppers to electronic
shoppers, thus allowing for potential operational cost
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Volume 24 · Number 2 · 2010 · 142 –156
reductions. In fact, in their search of cost reduction and
efficiency most brick-and-mortar companies seek to shift
transactions online.
In addition, the findings of the present study showed that
word-of-mouth, a powerful mean to create awareness, positive
image and thus to attract new customers, was also a strong
consequence of e-quality and satisfaction. This is important
news for managers since satisfied customers do become, in
the online markets, advocates of the company. As they are a
very credible communication source to other customers, their
recommendation will have a strong effect on bringing more
visitors to the site.
Finally, our findings suggest that ensuring high quality of
the online presence of the company and positive experiences
with the encounter and process of buying online may
constitute a fundamental way to motivate customers to buy
more online. Traffic and online sales development seem thus
to be a function of how easy, pleasant and efficient (in terms
of accomplishing quickly all they need to do on-line)
customers perceive the e-shopping experience.
Managerial implications
The results of the current research study provide several
implications for individuals managing e-retail operations.
First, marketers should carefully consider their web site’s
attributes. For example, if marketers want consumers to have
a positive experience with their sites, they may want to adorn
their sites with pleasant and enjoyable stimuli to make them
attractive. In addition, they should make their sites easy-to-
use and easy-to-navigate. Furthermore, marketers should
place extra emphasis on providing fast, accurate, and
uncluttered information through their web sites. Finally,
marketers rather then designing static web sites, they should
design sites that interact with the consumers and adjust to
their needs.
Second, managers should develop customer-oriented
strategies at the post-purchase stage of the consumer’s
decision process. That is, marketing activities should be
designed to increase customer satisfaction. In particular, to
enhance satisfaction from e-shopping, managers should pay
close attention to the service encounter incidents (e.g. form
and content information, customization possibilities). For
instance, an e-retailer of clothing merchandise could enable a
customer to custom fit a product to a simulated image of his/
her body. This type of customization could be proven very
effective of enhancing customer satisfaction.
Third, e-managers can induce consumers to visit their sites
more often. This objective can be achieved by different types
of actions. For example, e-consumers can receive price
incentives, exclusive offers, special promotions, and product/
service advantages.
Forth, companies should reinforce WOM activities from
satisfied customers. More specifically, companies could
enhance its impact and effectiveness by facilitating or even
rewarding such behavior. For instance, they can make
available on their sites possibilities such as “tell a friend”
e-mailing, “share your opinion” sections, “send a discount
coupon to a friend” or “let a friend know about a special
offer” actions, and “get a premium service for sending us a
new customer”.
Finally, e-marketers should measure, track, and benchmark
overtime their e-retailing activities vis-à-vis their competitors,
 An examination of the effects of service quality
Spiros Gounaris, Sergios Dimitriadis and Vlasis Stathakopoulos
in order to identify their competitive strengths and weaknesses
from the consumers’ standpoint in the areas of e-service
quality and e-satisfaction. This information will help
managers make the necessary improvements in their online
presence.
Limitations and future research
As in the case with any research effort, this study is not free of
limitations. However, these limitations serve as avenues for
future research. First, despite the fact that the results were
based on a relatively large, randomly selected, real
e-customers sample, a potential bias may come from the
single source data collection procedure. In fact, common
method biases are likely to occur in studies in which the data
for both the predictor and criterion variable are obtained from
the same person, in the same measurement context, using
the same item context and similar item characteristics
(Podsakoff et al., 2003). However, given the objectives of
the study were to measure perceptions, behaviors and
intentions of e-customers, it was not possible to collect
measures from different sources, as it is often the case in
behavioral research. Therefore, future studies should try to
collect data from multiple sources.
A second issue that needs further investigation is the
process and encounter dimensions of e-satisfaction. How
those two interact and what their relative importance is
according to different products or services are key questions
in better understanding how satisfaction is formed as well as
in designing on-line customer satisfaction programs. Although
previous studies have suggested after sale service as an
important factor of e-service quality and satisfaction (Cho
and Park, 2001; Liang and Lai, 2002; Parasuraman et al.,
2005), we found no evidence supporting these affirmations.
Also, the behavioral consequences of e-quality and
e-satisfaction can be investigated in more detail, focusing for
instance on the important issue of word-of-mouth
communication on the Internet. The ways internet users
share their opinions and experiences with other consumers
and the means for the company to influence this
communication process are topics of high interest of both
marketing academics and practitioners. Additionally, it would
be useful to explore different post-purchase behaviors
according to variables such as personal characteristics and
degree of involvement in order to better target marketing
actions, such as those mentioned in the preceding paragraph,
to specific customer profiles.
Another issue that deserves more attention is consumer’s
purchase intention. As a matter of fact, different types of
relationships may exist amongst alternative channels: in some
cases these channels may complement each other and/or be
used to target specific target groups or buying situations.
Many authors have suggested that a mix of traditional and on-
line distribution channels seems a wining strategy (Porter,
2001).
Finally, the observed relationships have to be tested more
extensively accounting for the moderating role of context
variables, such as maturity of the e-market, the type of
product, and personal characteristics of e-shoppers. For
instance, it could be expected that innovativeness, degree of
familiarity with the e-commerce, degree and nature of
previous experience with the company will impact both
perception of e-quality and e-satisfaction, as well as their
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consequences. Future research should try to replicate this
study in other national and cultural contexts, in order to be
able to generalize its results.
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 An examination of the effects of service quality
Spiros Gounaris, Sergios Dimitriadis and Vlasis Stathakopoulos
About the authors
Spiros Gounaris is Associate Professor of Marketing at the
Department of Marketing and Communication of the Athens
University of Economics and Business. His research interests
pivot around the areas of services marketing, satisfaction and
loyalty, service quality, tourist marketing, B2B marketing and
market orientation development. His work has appeared into
various journals including the Industrial Marketing
Management, the European Journal of Marketing, the Journal
of Product Innovation Management, the Journal of Services
Marketing, the Journal of Business Research and others. He is a
member of the editorial board of the Journal of Service
Research and the Industrial Marketing Management. Spiros
Gounaris is the corresponding author and can be contacted
at: sgounar@aueb.gr
Sergios Dimitriadis is Assistant Professor of Marketing at
the Department of Marketing and Communication of the
Athens University of Economics and Business. His research
interests pivot around the areas of e-marketing, branding and
services. His work has appeared both in English and French
marketing journals, such as Recherche et Applications en
Marketing, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Business
Research, and Journal of Services Marketing.
Vlasis Stathakopoulos is Associate Professor of
Marketing at the Department of Marketing &
Communication at the Athens University of Economics
and Business. He has published in the Journal of
Marketing, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales
Management, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of
Marketing Management and various research proceedings.
His research interests include marketing management and
strategy, sales management, services marketing and
consumer satisfaction and loyalty.
Executive summary and implications for
managers and executives
This summary has been provided to allow managers and executives
a rapid appreciation of the content of the article. Those with a
particular interest in the topic covered may then read the article in
toto to take advantage of the more comprehensive description of the
research undertaken and its results to get the full benefit of the
material present.
Shopping in the virtual world seems to have been around so
long it hardly merits the description “new” technology. Yet
compared with the bricks-and-mortar shops it is still in its
infancy. The benefits of shopping around at the click of a
mouse, and ordering and paying for goods without getting
out of your chair is welcome but e-retailers need to better
understand how customers perceive and react to their
offerings if they are to build sustainable competitive
advantage – getting e-shoppers to come back for more
and give favorable reports of the business to relatives and
friends.
To be successful in a fiercely competitive e-environment,
e-companies need to develop an appropriate differentiating
strategy. A key component of such a strategy needs to focus
on services and relationships that demonstrate a company’s
appreciation of its customers. E-companies must deliver
superior service experiences to their customers if they want
to earn their businesses, their repeat patronage, and
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Volume 24 · Number 2 · 2010 · 142 –156
eventually their loyalty. After all, poor service quality has
been shown to account for 80 percent customer complaints
about e-tailers.
In “An examination of the effects of service quality and
satisfaction on customers’ behavioral intentions in
e-shopping” Spiros Gounaris, Sergios Dimitriadis and Vlasis
Stathakopoulos say constructs such as perceived service
quality, satisfaction and their consequences need to be re-
examined as the internet constitutes a different shopping
environment compared with traditional bricks-and-mortar
sales outlets.
The study, which demonstrates that quality and satisfaction
impact on behavioral intentions collectively and that their
effect should be assessed simultaneously, identified four key
drivers of e-service quality, namely user friendliness,
information, adaptation and aesthetics that impact
significantly satisfaction from e-shopping. This confirms the
view that cognitive evaluations precede emotional responses
and that quality is a strong antecedent of satisfaction. More
specifically, satisfaction with the encounter (i.e. the
interaction experience with the e-shop), appeared to be
more strongly linked to quality than did satisfaction with
the process. These relationships underline the importance of
the interaction between the company and the customer for the
latter to get a positive experience.
By ensuring a high level of e-service quality managers will
be able to trigger positive consumers’ reactions that are key
for e-shops’ sustainable development. In fact, it has been
widely suggested that key success factors for online
companies are based on developing brand awareness,
building customer loyalty and reducing operating costs.
More specifically, the findings showed that high quality and
satisfaction result in revisiting the web site. This means that
not only do the identified e-service quality drivers build
loyalty but they may convert traditional shoppers to
electronic shoppers, thus allowing for potential operational
cost reductions. In fact, in their search of cost reduction
and efficiency, most brick-and-mortar companies seek to
shift transactions online.
Word-of-mouth was also a strong consequence of e-quality
and satisfaction. This is important news for managers since
satisfied customers do become, in the online markets,
advocates of the company. As they are a very credible
communication source to other customers, their
recommendation will have a strong effect on bringing more
visitors to the site.
Marketers should carefully consider their web site’s
attributes. For example, if they want consumers to have a
positive experience, they may want to adorn their sites with
pleasant and enjoyable stimuli. In addition, they should
make their sites easy-to-use and easy-to-navigate.
Furthermore, marketers should place extra emphasis on
providing fast, accurate, and uncluttered information – and
rather then designing static web sites, they should design
sites that interact with the consumers and adjust to their
needs.
Managers should develop customer-oriented strategies at
the post-purchase stage of the consumer’s decision process.
That is, marketing activities should be designed to increase
customer satisfaction. In particular managers should pay
close attention to the service encounter incidents (e.g. form
and content information, customization possibilities). For
instance, an e-retailer of clothing merchandise could enable
 An examination of the effects of service quality
Spiros Gounaris, Sergios Dimitriadis and Vlasis Stathakopoulos
a customer to custom fit a product to a simulated image of
his/her body. This type of customization could be a very
effective way of enhancing customer satisfaction.
E-managers can induce consumers to visit their sites more
often. E-consumers can receive price incentives, exclusive
offers, special promotions, and product/service advantages.
Companies should reinforce WOM activities from satisfied
customers. More specifically, companies could enhance their
impact and effectiveness by facilitating or even rewarding such
behavior. For instance, they can make available on their sites
possibilities such as “tell a friend” e-mailing, “share your
opinion” sections, “send a discount coupon to a friend” or
To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: reprints@emeraldinsight.com
Or visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints
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Journal of Services Marketing
Volume 24 · Number 2 · 2010 · 142 –156
“let a friend know about a special offer” actions, and “get a
premium service for sending us a new customer”.
Finally, e-marketers should measure, track, and benchmark
over time their e-retailing activities vis-à-vis their competitors,
in order to identify their competitive strengths and weaknesses
from the consumers’ standpoint in the areas of e-service
quality and e-satisfaction. This information will help
managers make the necessary improvements in their online
presence.
(A précis of the article “An examination of the effects of service
quality and satisfaction on customers’ behavioral intentions in
e-shopping”. Supplied by Marketing Consultants for Emerald.)