24 Int. J. Electronic Marketing and Retailing, Vol. 11, No.

1, 2020

An exploration of online shopping convenience

dimensions and their associations with
customer satisfaction

Sergio Palacios*
Management and Marketing Department,
Greehey School of Business,
St. Mary’s University,
One Camino Santa Maria,
San Antonio, TX 78228, USA
Email: spalacios3@stmarytx.edu
*Corresponding author

Minjoon Jun
Department of Management (MSC 3DJ),
College of Business,
New Mexico State University,
Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
Email: minjun@nmsu.edu

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to extend our understanding of shopping

convenience and customer satisfaction in the context of online shopping.
Employing the critical incident technique, the authors content-analyse
1,134 customer-generated reviews regarding 31 US online retailers’ service
performance. This study uncovers 51 original categories and further refines
them into nine dimensions of online shopping convenience: access,
search, evaluation/selection, configuration/customisation, transaction, delivery,
possession/in-use, service recovery, and post-purchase communication
convenience. Our findings indicate that, of the nine service convenience
dimensions, four dimensions, such as delivery, service recovery, transaction,
and possession/in-use convenience, tend to be the main sources of customer
satisfaction/dissatisfaction.

Keywords: online shopping convenience; customer satisfaction; qualitative

research; content analysis; customer reviews; online retailers.

Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Palacios, S. and Jun, M.

(2020) ‘An exploration of online shopping convenience dimensions and their
associations with customer satisfaction’, Int. J. Electronic Marketing and
Retailing, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp.24–49.

Biographical notes: Sergio Palacios is an Assistant Professor from the

Greehey School of Business at the St. Mary’s University, USA. His research
interests include entrepreneurship, online customer convenience, and online
service quality management.

Copyright © 2020 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

 An exploration of online shopping convenience dimensions 25

Minjoon Jun is the John P. Loveland distinguished Professor of operations

management at the New Mexico State University, USA. He has written journal
articles in operations management, supply chain management, e-commerce,
and related fields.

This paper is a revised and expanded version of a paper entitled ‘Examining

e-shopping convenience and its key dimensions’ presented at Decisions
Science Institute 2016 Annual Meeting, Austin, TX, 19–21 November 2016.

1 Introduction

Online shopping convenience has become increasingly important as a principal

motivation underlying customers’ inclination to adopt online shopping (Beauchamp and
Ponder, 2010; Colwell et al., 2008). Recent reports indicate that shopping convenience
has surpassed price and selection, and become the number one reason why consumers
shop online (Kruh et al., 2017; Schiff, 2016). For instance, based on a survey of
18,430 online shoppers, KPMG’s 2017 Global Online Consumer Report reveals that time
flexibility (i.e., the ability to shop 24/7) is the most important reason consumers shop
online, followed by the ability to compare prices, online sales and better prices,
time-savings, eliminating the need to visit physical shops, greater variety/selection, free
shipping offers, and locating hard to find items (Kruh et al., 2017).
Shopping convenience can be defined as customers’ time and effort perceptions
related to buying products and services (Berry et al., 2002; Seiders et al., 2007). Thus, a
crucial point of departure for online retailers seeking to maximise the speed and ease of
shopping is to identify the salient online shopping convenience dimensions. The
extensive identification of key attributes of online shopping convenience can be achieved
by analysing online shoppers’ comments on their shopping experiences, ranging from
website log-in and log-out to the receipt of orders (Nielsen, 2016; Seiders et al., 2000).
Unfortunately, much of the existing literature pertaining to convenience has focused
on developing the multidimensional service convenience construct in a conventional,
offline retailing environment (Berry et al., 2002; Colwell et al., 2008; Seiders et al.,
2007). For example, Berry et al. (2002) integrate the ‘time’ and ‘effort’ dimensions into
the process of consumer decision-making and conceptually categorise the convenience
characteristics into five activity-based dimensions. These are: decision (consumers’
perceived time and effort expenditures to make service purchase or use deliberations),
access (…to initiate service delivery), transaction (…to effect a transaction), benefit (…to
experience the service’s core benefits, such as being transported in a taxi), and
post-benefit convenience (…when reinitiating contact with a firm for repairs or
maintenance after the benefit stage of the service). Later, Seiders et al. (2007) have
empirically validated the five offline service convenience dimensions suggested by Berry
et al. (2002).
However, these dimensions uncovered in the context of offline retailing do not
embrace the unique characteristics of online service convenience, such as
customer-to-website interactions. For example, as argued by Jiang et al. (2013), although
the access dimension is considered highly important by both offline and online
customers, the domain of this construct tends to be context-bounded: while offline access
26 S. Palacios and M. Jun

convenience refers to physical store locations, opening hours, and parking spaces, online
access convenience relates to website ubiquity and accessibility.
To date, very few studies have addressed the issue of what dimensions of
convenience customers experience in the setting of online retailing. Therefore, to fill this
research gap, we intend to address the following two research questions:
RQ1 What dimensions of convenience do customers experience in the setting of online
shopping?
RQ2 Which online shopping convenience dimensions are most significantly associated
with online shopping customers’ satisfaction/dissatisfaction?
To answer these questions, we attempt to empirically identify salient dimensions of
online shopping convenience by content analysing 1,238 online shopping customer
reviews regarding online shopping convenience rendered by 31 US online retailers. We
then examine the relationships between those identified dimensions and online shoppers’
satisfaction/dissatisfaction. Finally, we discuss the theoretical and practical implications
based on our research findings.

2 Literature review

2.1 Online shopping convenience and its dimensions

The construct of shopping convenience has been portrayed as a tool to reduce consumers’
time and effort required to shop offline (Beauchamp and Ponder, 2010; Berry et al., 2002;
Jarvenpaa and Todd, 1997). Consumers have long been interested in saving time and
effort while purchasing goods and services (Berry et al., 2002). Unfortunately, in the
context of online shopping, consumers’ perceptions of service convenience are not well
understood.
Online shopping convenience refers to customers’ perceived expenditure of time and
effort in conducting online shopping (Beauchamp and Ponder, 2010; Colwell et al., 2008;
Jiang et al., 2013; Jih, 2007). Research has emphasised the strategic importance of
shopping convenience to the success of online retailers (Bhatnagar et al., 2000; Childers
et al., 2002; Evanschitzky et al., 2004). For instance, Childers et al. (2002) have argued
that online shopping convenience is one of the four key factors that greatly motivate
customers to shop online. Similarly, Chiang and Dholakia (2003) have surveyed
160 online shoppers, and found that convenience, along with price, is a major predictor of
customers’ intention to shop online. In addition, Evanschitzky et al. (2004) have
uncovered empirical evidence that convenience is one of the major antecedents of online
customer satisfaction.
As a context-based concept, consumers’ perceptions of shopping convenience can
vary from one setting to another (Jiang et al., 2013; Seiders et al., 2007). For example,
Seiders et al.’s (2007) SERVCON measurement developed in the context of traditional,
offline retailing does not embrace the unique facets of online shopping convenience since
online retailers utilise the internet as a shopping platform. However, very little research
has offered an in-depth and explicit examination of online shopping convenience and its
component features. Jih (2007) has surveyed mobile internet service customers based on
Brown’s (1989) five dimensions of offline shopping convenience, such as time, place,
 An exploration of online shopping convenience dimensions 27

acquisition, use, and execution, and derived two dimensions, such as transaction
convenience and operational convenience, by factor analysing the collected data. Colwell
et al. (2008) have developed a 17-item shopping convenience measurement scale based
on Berry et al.’s (2002) five dimensions of shopping convenience, such as decision,
access, transaction, benefit, and post benefit. Colwell et al. (2008) have modelled
shopping convenience as a second-order construct, and statistically validated that the
shopping convenience construct consists of the aforementioned five dimensions. They
further find that three dimensions, such as decision, benefit, and post benefit, are
positively associated with customer satisfaction.
Later, Beauchamp and Ponder (2010) examine the key perceived differences between
offline and online customers in terms of the following four types of retail convenience:
access, search, transaction, and possession convenience. They conclude that, compared to
offline retail shopping, consumers consider online shopping as being more convenient for
purposes of access and search convenience, but not in the case of transaction
convenience. Recently, in their endeavour to develop a measurement instrument for
assessing online shopping convenience, Jiang et al. (2013) have empirically identified
and validated the following five major dimensions of shopping convenience: access,
search, evaluation, transaction, and possession/post-purchase. However, since they have
analysed data collected from the customers of a ‘click-and-mortar’ supermarket chain, the
generality of their research findings appears to be somewhat limited. A summary of
online shopping convenience dimensions identified in the literature is presented in
Table 1.
To survive and to expand a loyal customer base and in turn improve profitability, it is
essential for online retailers to offer superior service to customers. Online customers seek
rapid and convenient completion of an entire procurement transaction cycle, ranging from
sourcing, ordering, paying, and receiving, to handling requests for after-sales service.
Accordingly, sustaining a high level of online shopping convenience has increasingly
become a key driving force for online retailers with the aim of enlarging a loyal customer
base (Beauchamp and Ponder, 2010; Chang et al., 2010; Colwell et al., 2008; Seiders
et al., 2000).
However, most of the previous studies on shopping convenience have been restricted
to the following two areas:
1 Developing the multidimensional shopping convenience construct in an offline
retailing environment (Clulow and Reimers, 2009; Reimers and Clulow, 2009;
Seiders et al., 2007).
2 Identifying shopping convenience as one of the facets of online service quality, such
as accuracy and responsiveness (Hu et al., 2009; Kim and Park, 2012; Udo et al.,
2010).
Unfortunately, these studies have failed to offer an in-depth, systematic investigation into
the construct of online shopping convenience and its key ingredients, since, as a
context-bounded concept, consumers’ perceptions of shopping convenience in an online
setting could be different from those in an offline one. Specifically, the unique aspects of
the internet as a shopping platform, such as ease of use, interactivity, information search
and content, and system reliability, warrant further investigation into what online
shoppers perceive to be key online shopping convenience dimensions as well as into what
impacts these dimensions exert on customers’ satisfaction.
 28

Table 1

Source Type of convenience Dimensions of convenience Definition Empirical study Sample

Jih (2007) Mobile commerce Transaction convenience Transaction convenience perception based Yes, quantitative 400 college
convenience on Brown (1989). students in
Operational convenience Operational convenience perception based Taiwan
on Brown (1989).
Beauchamp In-store convenience Access Same as Seiders et al. (2000). Yes, mixed Open ended
and Ponder Search Same as Seiders et al. (2000). methods Survey 1:
(2010)
S. Palacios and M. Jun

196 students in
the USA
Transaction Same as Seiders et al. (2000). Survey 2:
Possession Same as Seiders et al. (2000). 515 consumers in
the USA
Jiang et al. Online shopping Access Consumers’ perceptions of time and place Yes, mixed Focus groups:
Online shopping convenience dimensions

(2013) convenience flexibility to conduct online shopping, and methods 15 consumers

online retailers’ website accessibility.
Search Consumers’ perceptions of the ease of Survey:
finding products and comparing costs 623 consumers in
Transaction Consumers’ perceptions of the availability Hong Kong
of simple and flexible payment methods.
Evaluation Consumers’ perceptions of the ease of
obtaining detailed yet easy-to-understand
product descriptions on the web site.
Possession/postpurchase Consumers’ perceptions of time and effort
expenditures to possess what they wish
and to experience the benefits.
 An exploration of online shopping convenience dimensions 29

3 Methodology

The critical incident technique (CIT) (Bitner et al., 1990) was employed to unveil key
dimensions of online shopping convenience as perceived by online customers. This
research method is considered appropriate for discovering and classifying underlying key
factors by employing content analysis of stories or critical incidents as data (Bitner et al.,
1990). Customers who volunteer to post their online shopping experiences on e-business
review websites are most likely those who have had extremely satisfying or dissatisfying
shopping experiences.
The CIT uses content analysis, which is described as a research method that allows
researchers to make “replicable and valid inferences from texts (or other meaningful
matter) to the contexts of their use” [Krippendorff, (2012), p.24], by “objectively and
systematically identifying specified characteristics of messages” [Holsti, (1968), p.601].
In conducting content analysis, researchers design lists and codes, which then are used to
analyse the textual data (Angus et al., 2013), manually or with the assistance of software.
Consequently, the researchers unveil particular concepts contained in the textual data
(Jose and Lee, 2007).

4 Data collection and analysis

For this research, the authors accessed the Consumer Affairs’ website
(http://www.consumeraffairs.com) which provides a bulletin board system for consumers
to express their feelings, attitudes, and perceptions about the products and services they
have received from online retailers, and is considered one of the leading web-based
consumer news and resource centres (Guillory et al., 2016). The authors collected
user-generated content a key source of qualitative consumer data for organisations
seeking to enhance their marketing efforts (Sethna et al., 2017), in the form of
appropriate reports of critical incidents relating to online retailers. The authors accessed
the Consumer Affairs’ website from July 27th, 2015 to July 30th, 2015 to collect critical
incidents related to 31 online retailers, which constituted the complete list of online
retailers posted on the website. These firms were Alibris Books, AJ Madison, Amazon,
Artscow, Brookstone, Crocs, Discount Book Sale, Drugstore, eBay, eCost, EVine Live,
FTD, Gevalia Coffee, HeartlandAmerica, HobbyTron, iOffer, ItisHot, Just Fab,
JustFlowers, Liquidation, Newegg, NFLshop, Nordstrom, Overstock, Rakuten, Sam
Stores, Shoebuy, Stamps, Tigerdirect, uBid, and Vista Print.
A total of 1,238 individual customer reviews were initially collected. To gain an
insight into online shopping convenience, the authors focused on only critical incidents,
or “specific interactions between customers and service firms that are especially
satisfying or especially dissatisfying” [Bitner et al., (1990), p.73]. In selecting appropriate
critical incident reports, the authors employed the four-step criteria proposed by Bitner
et al. (1990):
1 it involves online or offline interactions between the consumer and the online retailer
2 it relates to a consumer’s highly satisfying or highly dissatisfying shopping
experiences
3 it is a discrete episode
30 S. Palacios and M. Jun

4 it contains sufficient details.

After removing 104 unqualified customer comments, 1,134 critical incidents remained.
The selected 1,134 critical incidents were imported into NVivo for Mac version
10.2.2 qualitative analysis software (http://www.qsrinternational.com). The NVivo
software has been widely used by many researchers to manage and content-analyse
qualitative data (e.g., Cayla and Arnould, 2013; Coviello and Joseph, 2012; Korschun
et al., 2014; Nair et al., 2011; Rizal et al., 2016). An initial set of 100 critical incidents
was jointly coded by the authors. In this coding process, both of the researchers
identified, discussed, and resolved discrepancies until consensus had been achieved on
the derivation of categories (i.e., nodes). Next, one of the two authors coded the rest of
the critical incidents, while the other acted as an auditor of the coding process. A total of
303 single-spaced pages of original data of the critical incidents yielded 51 original
categories (or subdimensions) (see Table 2).
Table 2 Original categories

1 Accurate and easy-to-understand product classifications

2 Clear and customer-centred delivery policy
3 Click and collect (i.e., product pickup) options
4 Competing products comparisons
5 Comprehensive answers to frequently asked questions
6 Comprehensive price information
7 Convenient return/exchange policy and process
8 Correct/no-missing items received
9 Customer support
10 Customer-centred purchase order change/cancellation policy
11 Customer-centred warranty terms and conditions
12 Detailed information about delivery options
13 Detailed product information
14 Diverse payment methods
15 Diverse product configuration/customisation options
16 Diverse shipping method options
17 Easy access to a wide range of products/services
18 Easy access to the website
19 Easy mobile access
20 Easy-to-use configuration/customisation features
21 Easy-to-use discount coupon codes (e.g., promotional codes, rebates)
22 Efficient order/delivery tracking features
23 Fast download speed of web pages
24 Flexible and effective product search functions
25 Gift wrapping/personal notes options
26 Informing policy changes and service enhancements
27 Introducing new products and promotional programs
 An exploration of online shopping convenience dimensions 31

Table 2 Original categories (continued)

28 Maintaining accurate transaction records

29 No or reasonable return/exchange penalty charges
30 On-time delivery
31 Pricing and invoicing accurately
32 Product availability alerts
33 Product inventory status information
34 Product reviews, ratings and customer testimonials
35 Prompt delivery
36 Prompt notification on unexpected delivery schedule changes and problem solving
37 Prompt responses to customer post-purchase requests
38 Provisions of the detailed purchase order and confirmation
39 Quality delivery service
40 Quality products
41 Saving energy expenditure
42 Secure and risk-free online transactions
43 Sensible product categories
44 Soliciting customer feedback
45 Space flexibility
46 Streamlining checkout process
47 Tailored product recommendations
48 Technical assistance
49 Time flexibility
50 User-friendly references/manuals
51 Well-organised website structure/layout

The authors further classified these 51 online shopping convenience nodes into major
online shopping convenience dimensions. Some of the content-analysed incidents fit into
several nodes simultaneously and these nodes are not mutually exclusive. For example,
an online shopping customer reported the following critical incident:
“I placed an order (Nov. 15) that was coming in two separate packages (didn’t
know it wasn’t coming directly from [online retailer 3]). Got one of them, and
we’re now a solid month into trying to get me the other half. At least 8 phone
calls (once I realized I’d better start keeping a log), over 20 emails, completely
ineffective action on [online retailer 3]’s end to get me the other half of my
order. They say the vendor won’t respond to their communications. Said they’d
refund me the shipping costs (at my request), but it’s now well over a week,
still not in my account. They now say (Dec. 13) they’re re-submitting the whole
order, which means I’ll have a duplicate of one package – half a bed frame and
I’ll have to screw around with returning the one I don’t need. Even if that’s at
no cost to me, it’s one more inconvenience (besides the 6” long box that’s been
on my living room floor for 3 weeks and all the time I’ve spent on the phone
and writing emails and checking the order status...). Seems insane that such a
huge company doesn’t have a handle on shipping their orders. TONS of stories
like this about them online.” (Critical incident #68, online retailer 3)
32 S. Palacios and M. Jun

This customer review was initially classified into the following eight nodes: detailed
information about delivery options, prompt delivery, correct/no-missing items received,
customer-centred purchase order change/cancellation policy, prompt responses to
customer post-purchase requests, convenient return/exchange policy and process,
customer support, and efficient order/delivery tracking features.
Drawing on the shopping convenience literature (Berry et al., 2002; Colwell et al.,
2008; Jiang et al., 2013; Seiders et al., 2000, 2007, 2005), the authors uncovered four
online shopping convenience dimensions. These dimensions are
1 Evaluation/selection convenience (“I placed an order (Nov. 15) that was coming in
two separate packages (didn’t know it wasn’t coming directly from [online retailer
3]”).
2 Delivery convenience (“Got one of them, and we’re now a solid month into trying to
get me the other half”).
3 Service recovery convenience (“At least 8 phone calls (once I realized I’d better start
keeping a log), over 20 emails, completely ineffective action on [online retailer 3]’s
end to get me the other half of my order”, “They say the vendor won’t respond to
their communications”, and “seems insane that such a huge company doesn’t have a
handle on shipping their orders”).
4 Transaction convenience (“Said they’d refund me the shipping costs (at my request),
but it’s now well over a week, still not in my account” and “They now say (Dec. 13)
they’re re-submitting the whole order, which means I’ll have a duplicate of one
package-half a bed frame and I’ll have to screw around with returning the one I don’t
need […]”).

5 Analysis results and discussions

The content analysis of critical incidents revealed that the online shopping convenience
construct comprises nine key online shopping convenience dimensions and
51 subdimensions (see Table 3). The dimensions include:
1 access convenience
2 search convenience
3 evaluation/selection convenience
4 configuration/customisation convenience
5 transaction convenience
6 delivery convenience
7 possession/in-use convenience
8 service recovery convenience
9 post-purchase communication convenience.
 An exploration of online shopping convenience dimensions 33

Table 4 presents the definitions of the identified online shopping convenience

dimensions.
Table 3 Nine key dimensions of online shopping convenience

1 Access convenience
Easy access to a wide range of products/services
Easy access to the website
Easy mobile access
Saving energy expenditure
Space flexibility
Time flexibility
Customer support
2 Search convenience
Accurate and easy-to-understand product classifications
Fast download speed of web pages
Flexible and effective product search functions
Sensible product categories
Tailored product recommendations
Well-organised website structure/layout
Customer support
3 Evaluation/selection convenience
Competing products comparisons
Comprehensive answers to frequently asked questions
Comprehensive price information
Detailed information about delivery options
Detailed product information
Product reviews, ratings, and customer testimonials
Product inventory status information
Customer support
4 Configuration/customisation convenience
Easy-to-use configuration/customisation features
Gift wrapping/personal notes options
Diverse product configuration/customisation options
Customer support
5 Transaction convenience
Customer-centred purchase order change/cancellation policy
Diverse payment methods
34 S. Palacios and M. Jun

Table 3 Nine key dimensions of online shopping convenience (continued)

5 Transaction convenience
Easy-to-use discount coupon codes
Product availability alerts
Maintaining accurate transaction records
Pricing and invoicing accurately
Provision of the detailed purchase order and confirmation
Secure and risk-free online transactions
Streamlining checkout process
Customer support
6 Delivery convenience
Clear and customer-centred delivery policy
Click and collect (i.e., product pickup) options
Diverse shipping method options
Efficient order/delivery tracking features
On-time delivery
Prompt delivery
Prompt notification on unexpected delivery schedule changes
Quality delivery service
Customer support
7 Possession/in-use convenience
Correct/no-missing items received
Quality products
Technical assistance
User-friendly references/manuals
Customer support
8 Service recovery convenience
Customer-centred warranty terms and conditions
Convenient return/exchange policy and process
Prompt responses to customer post-purchase requests
No or reasonable return/exchange penalty charges
Customer support
9 Post-purchase communication convenience
Informing policy changes and service enhancements
Introducing new products and promotional programs
Soliciting customer feedback
Customer support
 An exploration of online shopping convenience dimensions 35

Table 4 Definitions of the identified online shopping convenience dimensions

Access convenience Consumers’ perceptions of the ease of locating appropriate

Search convenience
Evaluation/selection
convenience
Configuration/customisation
convenience
Transaction convenience
Delivery convenience
Possession/in-use
convenience
Service recovery
convenience
Post-purchase
communication convenience
online retailers.
Consumers’ perceived expenditure of time and effort in locating
desired products/services from the online retailer’s website.
Consumers’ perceptions of the ease of comparing competing
products/services and making a final purchasing decision.
Consumers’ perceptions of the availability and ease of
configuring and customising online products/services to meet
specific individual customer needs.
Reductions in consumers’ perceived expenditure of time and
effort to complete financial transactions online.
Consumers’ perceived savings of time and effort during the
product/service delivery process.
Consumers’ perceptions of savings in time and effort exerted in
acquiring possession and using the products purchased online.
Consumers’ perceptions of time and effort conservation when
the customers reinitiate contact with an e-retailer and solve their
problems and concerns after they received their orders.
Consumers’ perceptions of savings in time and effort exerted in
obtaining new information relevant to their future purchase
needs and decision-making.

5.1 Access convenience

The access convenience dimension refers to consumers’ perceptions of the ease of
locating appropriate online retailers. This dimension is associated with time and space
flexibility, website accessibility, and availability of a wide range of products/services. For
example, since online retailers offer their services on a 24/7/365 basis, customers can
shop at any time and from any place without making trips to physical stores. The
following episodes reflect some critical aspects of access convenience:
“[…] there were problems with ordering on their website, especially when
overseas (I live in Germany) [….] After unsuccessfully trying to place two
orders on their website on 3 different browsers and two chats with (admittedly
very professional and friendly) customer service reps, I finally placed the
orders with one of the reps via chat.” (Critical incident #662, online retailer 18)
“[…] I tried to log in and get into my account with the information she gave me
& to my surprise, no account. So I try logging in again, same thing. Now they
send me one e-mail a day. I cannot access my account and their password reset
button doesn’t ID me as a member. Complete joke […].” (Critical incident
#1,058, online retailer 29)
“I have been using Neutrogena products for some time […]. I go to [the] web
site and it sends me to [online retailer 6]’s website. They do not have product.
The same is true for other Neutrogena products I have used in the past. A
company that is supposed to be for informed and quality oriented users should
have reliable sources to find their products. I am not impressed by their
marketing or sales. I want to use Neutrogena products but I can’t find a reliable
place to buy them. Should I switch to another brand?” (Critical incident #193,
online retailer 6)
36 S. Palacios and M. Jun

“I don’t know if [online retailer 15]’s site isn’t mobile friendly or what but I do
all my online shopping from my mobile phone. They take a long time to load
and when it does finally load, it freezes for a while then it twitches. I try to
contact a seller or order an item, it pops off the site. I’ve ordered from [online
retailer 15] I think maybe 4 times, if I do get something from it because I’ve
gotten lucky [...] Something needs to be done about problem!” (Critical
incident #530, online retailer 15)

5.2 Search convenience

Search convenience is concerned with consumers’ perceived expenditure of time and
effort in locating desired products/services from the online retailer’s website. This
shopping convenience feature is heavily affected by performance levels on such areas as
download speed, website design, products/services search functions and products/services
classifications. Some illustrative comments are:
“I love shopping and the clothes I saw in [online retailer 17] were so cute. It is
easy to look for items since they had everything categorized.” (Critical incident
#596, online retailer 17)
“I’ve bought several items from [online retailer 25] online […] it’s easy to find
you’re looking for and complete the purchase.” (Critical incident #925, online
retailer 25)

5.3 Evaluation/selection convenience

Evaluation/selection convenience relates to consumers’ perceptions of the ease of
comparing competing products/services and making a final purchasing decision. To
facilitate choice decisions without viewing and examining physical products, online
customers need accurate and detailed information on product descriptions, product
availability, and price. In addition, the availability of various decision-making support
mechanisms can substantially influence customer perceived evaluation/selection
convenience. Such tools include multimedia presentations, experts’ product/service
reviews, and customer testimonials. The following episodes highlight the importance of
this convenience dimension:
“When I order from [online retailer 21], as long as I fully read the description,
reviews and make sure of what I order, I do fine.” (Critical incident #743,
online retailer 20)
“I have made several purchases with this website and have been completely
satisfied with my shopping experience. Their products and inventory are top-
notch.” (Critical incident #575, online retailer 16)
“In this day of web technologies, I expect businesses to provide ample
information to customers when items are back-ordered. This company showed
that they had an LG microwave which I have been shopping for, at a lower
price than elsewhere.” (Critical incident #1,124, online retailer 31)
“Look at the ACTUAL reviews on each seller. Some have stars but NO actual
review from a seller […] Check to see what was actually said about the buyer
and the DATE of the LATEST transaction. If the latest transaction was more
than 90 days I would consider looking for [another] seller.” (Critical incident
#550, online retailer 15)
 An exploration of online shopping convenience dimensions 37

“You cannot know what the price of shipping will be unless you click through
two links […].” (Critical incident #710, online retailer 19)

5.4 Configuration/customisation convenience

Configuration/customisation convenience is concerned with consumers’ perceptions of
the availability and ease of configuring and customising online products/services to meet
specific individual customer needs. This type of convenience can help conserve
customers’ time and effort in acquiring products/services that best fit their unique
requirements. The importance of this dimension to customer satisfaction/dissatisfaction is
well documented by the following four episodes.
“[…] very friendly customer service informed me about all specifications. They
offered also an option to customize it.” (Critical incident #562, online
retailer 16)
“I placed an order and contacted them to leave payment/price information out
of the box, as this was a gift, just to be told that they put an invoice in every
box. I asked them for a special request to leave it out, and also why can we put
an invoice address and then a different delivery address if they are giving the
recipient all the payment information. No joy, they said they would inform the
management, but with an attitude. If this box gets delivered with an invoice in
the box, I shall then take this further and seek legal advice.” (Critical incident
#377, online retailer 11)
“I was searching for shoes to wear for a special occasion and [online retailer
17] had the pair I liked. I signed up and liked that I had the ability to choose
what I want. The selections they suggest also fit to my liking.” (Critical
incident #607, online retailer 17)
“I ordered 500 cards from [online retailer 14] figuring given all their spotlight
in the media it would be a quality product. I found the design interface to be
confusing and never really could nail down the design I had in mind, but
eventually gave up and just ordered what was on my screen anyway.” (Critical
incident #498, online retailer 14)

5.5 Transaction convenience

Transaction convenience refers to reductions in consumers’ perceived expenditure of
time and effort to complete financial transactions online. Although online shoppers are
not compelled to stand in line at the virtual store, they still prefer a streamlined checkout
process as illustrated in the following two anecdotes:
“Each time when trying to order from [online retailer 24] and only after filling
in all the shipping and payment details, the system returns an error ‘insufficient
stock’. This has happened 6 times now. Although I’m probably not left out of
pocket, it’s a waste of my time and I would expect that once an item is in my
basket it’s not sold to another customer which is clearly happening over and
again. I did speak to customer service who confirmed the item was in my
basket but said it was no longer available.” (Critical incident #888, online
retailer 24)
“I tried to buy a pair of shoes and after putting my credit card info 3 times it
said no order but still took the money anyway and they are going to take up to a
week to give back my money. There was nothing wrong with my card either as
38 S. Palacios and M. Jun

5 minutes later I used on [competing online retailer] with success. I will never
use them ever again.” (Critical incident #940, online retailer 26)
Online retailers should take steps to ensure that all records of transactions are accurate, as
illustrated in the following two episodes:
“[…] I finally was told the balance on my account was $0. Well, nobody told
the billing department! So I got billed for the shipment. I called again and was
told that the person was putting a ‘note’ on my account and that I owed
nothing. A month rolled by and another bill for that shipment. Six months of
this! Today, I got a letter from a collection agency. I called [online retailer 11]
customer service today and said why did I receive an email from them saying
that they got the return when they are billing me for it? […].” (Critical incident
#370, online retailer 11)
“DO NOT buy anything from [online retailer 20]. They sent me an extra item. I
contacted them – they gave me a # RMA. I spent [$]3.50 to send back only for
them to tell me they never charged me for the second item (yeah right) – that
happens all the time. My credit card is billed twice for same item. When I
contacted them they kept using the words ‘Well I chose this or that’, ‘You were
never charged.’ Buying from [online retailer 20] was a very horrible experience
and their customer service seems to be set up to ** [language edited by
Consumer Affairs’ website] you and have devised a strategy to steal your
money.” (Critical incident #732, online retailer 20)
Further, they should provide customer-centred purchase order change/cancellation
policies as well as flexible payment options. The following episodes highlight the
importance of this dimension to online shopping convenience:
“I ordered a laptop on the 14th of May. Kept checking everyday for shipping
details... Never came. Woke up the morning of the 19th to an EMAIL that my
order has been cancelled because they overbooked the product.” […] (Critical
incident #294, online retailer 9)
“[…] I’ve noticed that [online retailer 15] is not accepting PayPal anymore. It’s
very simple, you either pay with PayPal or you get scammed, period... and even
with PayPal the last two transactions I’ve made were scams, and PayPal was
right there to refund me. I’m sorry [online retailer 15] but no PayPal no play.”
(Critical incident #532, online retailer 15)
In addition, online retailers should maintain customer-centric policies for gift cards,
discount coupons, and promotional codes, as well as for customer rewards programs.
“I got on the website, as I have done before and was able to order what I
wanted. Then I wanted to pay, and as long as you use your credit card to charge
the whole amount, it probably goes OK. I did however receive an Amex reward
card from [online retailer 13] for a previous purchase. You can’t use that
anywhere, nobody wants to accept those, so I thought I use that for a purchase
at [online retailer 13]. Should be the easiest thing! And they obviously should
accept their own reward cards [...].” (Critical incident #1,024, online
retailer 13)
“[...] Don’t know what’s going on at [online retailer 22] but seem to be
drastically changing their policies. Spend lots of money there. Supposedly get
rewarded with points to keep us shopping there. Notes never used to expire. All
of a sudden, they do. Had $40.00 reward note declined yesterday because it was
supposed to be used by last March [...].” (Critical incident #830, online retailer
22)
 An exploration of online shopping convenience dimensions 39

Moreover, customers frequently express frustration caused by online retailers’ inaccurate

invoices.
“I ordered a hydrangea plant. According to the website […] the order was to be
$49.99 for the plant plus $9.99 delivery fee. I was charged an additional $3.49
handling, plus a delivery fee of $18.98 […].” (Critical incident #641, online
retailer 18)
“I responded to one of the multi-scattered [online retailer 14] ads offering
100 cards for $10 + SH. I applied a $5 [online retailer 14] rebate coupon […]
When I received my business cards (very nice) I was shocked by the total on
the invoice. $32 had been applied to my charge card! I called [online retailer
14] right away, asking they deduct the mailing labels $15 […].” (Critical
incident #500, online retailer 14)
Finally, some online customers expressed their deep concern about online transaction
security issues as the following:
“[Online retailer 6] suffers from very lax security – I found a charge of almost
$100 on my debit card from them and then found that I was locked out of my
own account. Apparently, someone had gained access to my account, changed
the email address and my password and then used my debit card info to
purchase products. [Online retailer 6] failed to alert me about the email address
change – the sort of thing that one expects from a seller – and they also failed
to let me know about the password change – a very big red flag. I won’t use
them again.” (Critical incident #160, online retailer 6)
“I placed an order in mid-April 2013 for a hard disk drive. About a week
afterwards, strange charges started to appear on that Visa card. It was a new
Visa card and the only place it was used at was [online retailer 24]! I called my
Visa company and the rep said that he personally had received several calls
from other cardholders that had to do with suspicious transactions after an
[online retailer 24] order. There were also many false log-ins into my online
Visa account and an attempt to change my address by phone. I also called the
company that posted by charges and they said that other person’s name was
attached to those orders. Lastly, I searched [online retailer 24] credit card fraud
on the internet and I found hundreds of postings from people saying almost
identical things. This is absolutely crazy! [Online retailer 24] wants to be
considered like [online retailer 30] but I’ve had better security from little one-
person internet companies over the last 15 years. This has never happened to
me before. Absolutely terrible security exists for customers.” (Critical incident
#904, online retailer 24)

5.6 Delivery convenience

Delivery convenience is associated with consumers’ perceived savings of time and effort
during the product/service delivery process. Online customers desire to receive their
orders at the correct destination within the time frame promised by the online retailers
without undergoing product damage.
“They will promise you things have been shipped and then tell you two weeks
later it was on back order and then charge you a fee again to order something
different […].” (Critical incident #1,118, online retailer 31)
“I ordered a table from them and they said a certain delivery date at checkout.
Then it changed to 2 weeks later as soon as I made the purchase. They lie to get
your business. I am still waiting!” (Critical incident #840, online retailer 23)
40 S. Palacios and M. Jun

Next, many prefer to receive a shipping notice and track the delivery status of their orders
in a real time fashion as demonstrated in the following episodes:
“[…] The only way I found out [that the order was back ordered] was when I
noticed I never got a shipping notice, so I went back to the site to find out it
was still ‘processing.’ I clicked a button which then caused a customer
representative to send me an email with the status, which was that the item was
on a ‘slight back order’ and was ‘scheduled to be shipped within the next two
to three weeks […]” (Critical incident #1,124, online retailer 31)
“[…] the [online retailer 13 brand’s product] was ordered. I received a
confirmation of my order but then nothing no shipping confirmation no other
message from [online retailer 13] […]” (Critical incident #473, online
retailer 13)
Maintaining customer-centred delivery policies and, as was the case for payment
methods, offering alternative shipping options have a significant impact on customer
perceived delivery convenience.
“[…] I called them and asked what their explanation was for not delivering as
scheduled and promised. She said, ‘We are sorry for your inconvenience but we
will get it to you next Wednesday the 20th between 1:00 and 4:00’. I just
laughed and said, ‘You must be joking’. I said ‘I missed a half a day’s work
without pay and I have stressed a half dozen times I work full time. I get home
late. How about Saturday?’ They don’t deliver on Saturday. This week between
5-11-15 and 5-15-15 I have received 4 messages from the scheduler and 3 from
the delivery people saying they are coming today. They called Monday
Tuesday Thursday and Friday. Nobody called or showed up on the day I had
scheduled the appointment. As it stands now I will not get my bed until May
the 20th. I am extremely upset to say the least.” (Critical incident #852, online
retailer 23)
“I regret so much I didn’t come here to read the reviews before I ordered. My
order was very simple, a customized phone case, and it never arrived. After
almost 6 weeks, it counts as ‘shipped’. I lost hope that it will ever arrive and I
find it really hard to believe they will refund me. I work really hard for my
money and that was my boyfriend’s birthday gift (a $22 phone case; that’s how
poor we are) and it never happened. After all, I was told ‘to be patient’. They
don’t disclaim that the shipment comes from Hong Kong until you search for
contact information. NEVER, EVER, BUY FROM THIS COMPANY!”
(Critical incident #36, online retailer 2)
Further, some customers seek a ‘click and collect’ (i.e., in-store delivery) service as the
following:
“[…] now I am being told that local pick up does not apply […] I am required
to ship through [online retailer 19] even though I live a half hour away from the
merchandise. As you see below local pick up does apply because that is what
they advertised.” (Critical incident #709, online retailer 19)
“[…] Watch out for the shipping. If you can pick it up yourself, do it!” (Critical
incident #690, online retailer 19)
Finally, online retailers are well-advised to promptly offer satisfactory solutions in case
customers receive damaged products due to improper packaging or handling.
“When opened, found item broken and unusable. Cost to ship it back for
exchange would be far more that the original cost. So I’m stuck here with a
 An exploration of online shopping convenience dimensions 41

broken, unusable product and a charge against my credit card.” (Critical

incident #429, online retailer 12)

5.7 Possession/in-use convenience

Possession/in-use convenience is concerned with consumers’ perceptions of savings in
time and effort exerted in acquiring possession and using the products purchased online.
Importantly, customers expect to receive exact ordered products, along with other
auxiliary items such as warranty cards, manuals, and installation parts and tools.
“[…] I was frustrated when I purchased a GPS and received a less expensive
model with a smaller screen. I did not get timely assistance from (online retailer
7) […].” (Critical incident #221, online retailer 7)
“[…] I spend over $5,000 with this company for the past 3 years. Quality items
getting worse & worse. After several complaints on defect items they told me
it’s still ok for use! […] but in USA customers [are] very picky and picture
quality must be the same! [Online retailer 2] cutting your design for multiple
orders every time comes up with different color or defect and they refusing to
provide replacements.” (Critical incident #41, online retailer 2)
In addition, uninhibited access to competent technical assistants for solving technical
problems can enhance the level of possession/in-use convenience.
“[…] I contacted the 800 number for [online retailer 13] and selected tech
support. They said tech support is email only despite the phone gave the option.
I explained the situation and the response was to call customer service and buy
a new battery. I replied that I did not want to spend more for something that
didn’t work and this did not make sense. After a couple of emails they stopped
responding stating that they understood I wouldn’t want to pay more since it
never worked. After 2 calls I got through to customer service and using my
meter I tested the battery which showed proper voltage 8.4 v dc. She was
patient while I tested and stated that it sounds like it could be the motherboard
which I could purchase along with other parts […].” (Critical incident #441,
online retailer 13)
Finally, it is essential for online retailers to provide customers with detailed information
about product assembly, installation, and usage.
“I bought women’s cap toe flats recently [...] I wore them in the rain and I had a
massive fall down the stairs at the train station as the soles slipped on wet floor.
I have hurt my back pretty badly due to this fall. My question is, why there was
any warning on this box about these problematic slippery soles on wet
surface?” (Critical incident #97, online retailer 4)

5.8 Service recovery convenience

Service recovery convenience refers to consumers’ perceptions of time and effort
conservation when the customers reinitiate contact with an online retailer and solve their
problems and concerns after they receive their orders. Importantly, clearly specified
customer-centred return/exchange and warranty policies enable customers to undertake
this process with minimal difficulty.
“I ordered something from [online retailer 8] for a present. I ordered on
Nov. 30th and received it a couple of weeks later. My daughter received the
same gift for Christmas from a friend. I called [online retailer 8] today to
42 S. Palacios and M. Jun

return. They told me they don’t accept returns. I asked them if they could
accept the item and in exchange just credit my account for future purchases.
They said no and all sales were final. How can they do this knowing that there
will be exchanges and refunds after Christmas time? The cost was $87.”
(Critical incident #255, online retailer 8)
“[…] I contacted chat support about this and they gave me a return label...not
sure if it was a special circumstance or if they’ve changed their policy about not
supplying return labels. My review took quite a while to post so I have already
sent the item back and received my refund. I was pleased with the overall speed
of the process. Thanks.” [online retailer 20]! (Critical incident #751, online
retailer 20)
Obviously, online retailers’ prompt responses to customer after-sales requests can greatly
contribute to the enhancement of customer perceived service recovery convenience, as
demonstrated in the following episodes:
“[…] [Online retailer 20] eventually took back the drive and gave me a refund
in the form of a store credit, so I was then able to order a replacement. I
increased my rating to two stars because of this, however the fact remains that
it took far more time and effort than it should have to get simple warranty
support for a $70 drive. What should have taken days ended up requiring
weeks.” (Critical incident #748, online retailer 20)
“I purchased a pair of Clark Malia boots and received them in record time […]
I put them on to wear to work and had the right one rubbing my small toe. I
changed to another pair of boots and was going to send back the Clarks’ but my
label wouldn’t print. I called and Judy answered the phone and was
wonderfully helpful. She emailed me the label and I told her I wanted to try the
boots with a pair of socks and see if that resolves it, if not, I’ll return them.
Judy was super helpful and I appreciate a company that hires good CSR’s.”
(Critical incident #971, online retailer 26)
Particularly, reasonable or no return/exchange fees can assist consumers in selecting
desired products.
“[…] Customer service then told me that I would have to order the products all
over again, if they were still available. After telling me that they will not charge
me for return shipping, they charged me anyways. This company has some
idiotic employees working for them. Please review your refund and make sure
you aren’t being charged the $5.95 for returned shipping […].” (Critical
incident #801, online retailer 22)
“[…] I set up a return and they said the label will cost $11. No problem. Then, I
get refunded $210. That’s $40 short. About 20 emails back and forth. Here’s
[online retailer 23]’s stance: “Nothing is wrong, don’t worry, everything is as it
should be. Over and over and over […].” (Critical incident #851, online
retailer 23)

5.9 Post-purchase communication convenience

Finally, post-purchase communication convenience refers to consumers’ perceptions of
savings in time and effort expenditure to obtain new information relevant to their future
purchase needs and decision-making. Many online consumers want to keep informed of
new products/services, promotional programs, and policy changes.
 An exploration of online shopping convenience dimensions 43

“[…] always send emails containing discounts weekly. I used their

10% discount code to order a sofa […].” (Critical incident #861, online
retailer 23)
“After getting an e-mail from [online retailer 2] for Christmas ornaments
(porcelain) last year and reading the reviews, I ordered 4 for kids in my daycare
class. I ordered early as people said it takes longer than usual for delivery. I
couldn’t be more pleased. I’m hoping to get the same offer this year.” (Critical
incident #45, online retailer 2)
“This company sent me emails starting several months ago until yesterday.
They said they could beat the prices of [competing online retailer] and
[competing online retailer] […]. They also offer tempting promos to encourage
buyers to spend a certain amount.” (Critical incident #160, online retailer 6)

5.10 Frequencies of mention for online service convenience dimensions

The total frequency of mention for the nine dimensions, including satisfying and
dissatisfying incidents, was 2,147, and the total number of episodes content-analysed was
1,134. Thus, overall, there was an average of 1.89 factors per incident (2,147/1,134). It is
interesting to note that the total frequency of mention for dissatisfying factors (n = 1,892)
was approximately 7.4 times as many as that of satisfying factors (n = 255). This result
suggests that customers who purchased products at the 31 online retailers investigated
were more likely to share their negative purchasing experiences than positive ones, which
is in line with ‘conventional wisdom’, suggesting that consumers who are dissatisfied
with an experience will talk to more people than consumers who are satisfied (Drozdenko
and Coelho, 2016).
When combining satisfying and dissatisfying factors, four dimensions were the most
frequently mentioned, accounting for 93.3% of the total frequency. These four
predominant dimensions were transaction convenience, service recovery convenience,
delivery convenience, and possession/in-use convenience. Of these, the transaction
convenience dimension had the highest frequency of mention (n = 545) and appeared to
be the most influential factor affecting customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction, depending
on the performance level of the dimension. Next, the service recovery convenience
dimension had the second highest frequency of mention (n = 541), followed by delivery
(n = 511), and possession/in-use convenience (n = 406). These results are fairly supported
by prior research, which has revealed that transaction and possession/post-purchase
convenience are the main sources of online shoppers’ satisfaction or dissatisfaction
(Beauchamp and Ponder, 2010; Jiang et al., 2013; Jih, 2007).
Concerning the drivers of customer satisfaction, the most frequently mentioned four
dimensions were delivery convenience (n = 60), possession-in use convenience (n = 49),
service recovery convenience (n = 48), and transaction convenience (n = 26).
Importantly, these four dimensions were also found to be predominantly influencing
customer dissatisfaction: in order of descending frequency, transaction convenience
(n = 519), service recovery convenience (n = 493), delivery convenience (n = 451), and
possession-in use convenience (n = 357). Therefore, these findings indicate that online
retailers’ performance on the four dimensions tends to substantially impact customers’
perceived online shopping convenience and in turn their satisfaction/dissatisfaction.
Interestingly, the remaining five dimensions unveiled in our study, such
as access convenience, search convenience, evaluation/selection convenience,
configuration/customisation convenience, and post-purchase communication
44 S. Palacios and M. Jun

convenience, accounted for only 6.7% of the total frequency of dimensions. Although
these five dimensions appeared to have little impact on either customer satisfaction or
dissatisfaction, it should be noted that maintaining a high level of performance on these
attributes would be necessary for online retailers to meet the minimum standards on
‘order qualifiers’ and thus successfully compete with other retailers at the marketplace
(Hill, 2000). Table 5 sets forth frequencies of mention for each of the online shopping
convenience dimensions identified earlier, classified by the satisfied and dissatisfied
comments.
Table 5 Frequency of dimensions of online shopping convenience

Satisfaction Dissatisfaction Total

Dimensions
n P n P n P
Access 19 0.89 11 0.51 30 1.40
Search 14 0.65 6 0.28 20 0.93
Evaluation/selection 17 0.75 26 1.21 43 1.96
Configuration/customisation 13 0.61 9 0.42 22 1.03
Transaction 26 1.21 519 24.18 545 25.40
Delivery 60 2.80 451 21.02 511 23.81
Possession/in-use 49 2.28 357 16.64 406 18.92
Service recovery 48 2.24 493 22.97 541 25.21
Post-purchase communication 9 0.42 20 0.93 29 1.35
Total 255 11.84 1892 88.16 2147 100.00
Notes: n, number; P, percentage.

6 Conclusions and implications

6.1 Theoretical implications

Convenience has been one of the principal motivations underlying customer inclinations
to adopt online shopping and become a crucial ingredient for online retailers’ success.
Our extensive review of the literature on online retailing revealed a critical yet
unexplored research gap that calls for a systematic and in-depth investigation of the key
dimensions of online shopping convenience as perceived by online shoppers. To fill this
gap, the authors content-analysed 1,134 critical incidents (i.e., online shopping customer
reviews) regarding online retailers’ service performance.
The first research question related to the identification of key online shopping
convenience dimensions, as perceived by online customers. Our content analysis reveals
a total of nine dimensions of online shopping convenience, such as access convenience,
search convenience, evaluation/selection convenience, configuration/customisation
convenience, transaction convenience, delivery convenience, possession/in-use
convenience, service recovery convenience, and post-purchase communication
convenience. Theoretically, this study attempted to extend the body of knowledge about
shopping convenience by extensively and empirically identifying key shopping
convenience dimensions and their related features in the context of online retailing. All of
the nine dimensions have their own unique shopping convenience characteristics inherent
 An exploration of online shopping convenience dimensions 45

in the online retailing environment, and thus, in their meanings, differ from those
previously identified in the traditional, offline shopping convenience literature (Colwell
et al., 2008; Seiders et al., 2007). Particularly, three dimensions of online shopping
convenience, such as configuration/customisation convenience, delivery convenience,
and service recovery convenience, are newly identified in the present study, whereas the
remaining six dimensions share many common features of convenience with Jiang et al.’s
(2013) findings.
The second research question was concerned with the linkages between salient online
shopping convenience dimensions and online shoppers’ satisfaction/dissatisfaction. Of
the nine online shopping convenience dimensions identified, four dimensions, such as
transaction convenience, delivery convenience, possession/in-use convenience, and
service recovery convenience, tend to have very strong impacts on either shoppers’
satisfaction or dissatisfaction, depending on the performance levels of those dimensions.
However, it should be noted that, to maintain a high level of the overall online shopping
convenience as perceived by online shoppers, online retailers should also meet or exceed
the shoppers’ minimum acceptable level of performance across the remaining five
dimensions: access convenience, search convenience, evaluation/selection convenience,
configuration/customisation convenience, and post-purchase communication
convenience. Theoretically, the identified nine online shopping convenience dimensions
and their constituting features can serve as building blocks for further research in the
fields of service operations management and customer relationship management (CRM).
For instance, our findings provide an important starting point to develop a concise and
valid online shopping convenience measurement instrument.

6.2 Managerial implications

Online retailers are facing increased competition from offline, online, and omni-channel
retailers. Thus, to enhance customer satisfaction and expand a loyal customer base, it is
crucial for online retailers to offer various shopping convenience features, in addition to a
wide range of products with highly competitive prices. In planning and implementing
their online service convenience improvement initiatives, online retailers should begin
with listening to the voices of their customers and then foster organisation-wide
consensus on what convenience attributes their customers deem to be most important. As
discussed earlier, this study has empirically revealed nine online shopping convenience
dimensions by content analysing online shoppers’ reviews. These dimensions serve as an
appropriate set of guidelines for understanding what convenience dimensions online
shoppers value most, ascertaining areas of improvement, and effectively implementing
corrective action programs. Particularly, online retailers would be well advised to pay
much attention to their performance levels of the following four dimensions greatly
affecting customers’ satisfaction/dissatisfaction: transaction, delivery, possession/in-use,
and service recovery convenience.
First, to improve transaction convenience, online retailers should streamline the
checkout process by adopting a robust checkout system, such as Klarna
(http://www.klarna.com), which enables customers to expedite their purchasing
transactions, and save their time and effort in completing the transaction cycle (e.g.,
customer information is pre-filled and transactions are personalised). In addition, online
retailers are recommended to offer a one-click checkout option. This checkout option has
been exclusively used by Amazon.com but the patent for this technique is set to expire in
46 S. Palacios and M. Jun

2017 (BI Intelligence, 2017). Moreover, online retailers should offer diverse payment
methods, such as Apple Pay (https://www.apple.com/apple-pay), that are fully integrated
with customers’ preferred web browsing software. Given the recent advances in financial
technology (FinTech), online retailers may need to consider adopting ‘blockchain
technology’ and accepting cryptocurrencies (e.g., Bitcoin). Some online companies, such
as Overstock.com and Expedia, have been accepting Bitcoins as one of the payment
methods (Williams, 2017). Finally, it is important to provide shoppers with accurate and
detailed purchase order confirmation notifications by adopting a variety of notification
options, such as social media, instant messages, text messages, and e-mail.
Second, online retailers should focus on improving delivery convenience. The failures
of online retailers in delivering accurate services in a timely manner often result from the
lack of synchronising online (e.g., marketing and sales functions) with offline (e.g.,
inventory and logistics management functions) business processes. Therefore, it is
essential for online retailers to adopt advanced information systems that can fully
integrate their online and offline operations processes. Online retailers can also improve
customer perceived delivery convenience by offering a click-and-collect option, which is
the process in which the consumer orders online and collects his/her merchandise at a
local store, as well as by providing precise delivery windows (e.g., 30-minute intervals)
(Nielsen, 2017) and self-delivery options (i.e., establishing pick up points in ‘delivery
lockers’ located in convenient locations). Further, the use of Chatbots, or automated text
and audio computer programs that interact with customers, would enable customers to
receive real time information on their order status (Trotter, 2017).
Third, to maintain a high level of possession/in-use convenience, online retailers
should invest in order fulfilment automation technology to improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of their internal and external operations. In addition, as noted by Homburg
et al. (2015), it is recommended that online retailers adopt sentiment analysis tools to
assess in real time the performance of their customer support and technical assistance.
Finally, online retailers should strive to enhance service recovery convenience. It is
important to note that online retailers need to do their best to provide their customers with
personalised services including service recovery, even though they are mainly interacting
with customers through an impersonal medium, a website. It is recommended that online
retailers employ competent employees to effectively solve customers’ diverse complaints
and problems via phone, e-mail, text, or CM) software applications (Homburg et al.,
2015). Further, as argued by Kaur and Khanam (2015), online retailers should implement
a service guarantee program to reduce consumers’ perceived risk and differentiate a
service offering. By offering service guarantees, companies entitle online shoppers with
one or more forms of compensation, namely easy-to-claim replacement, refund, or credit,
under the circumstances of service delivery failures. Moreover, as argued by Vázquez
et al. (2017), it is important that once a service failure has occurred, online retailers
clearly communicate to their customers the specific service recovery actions that will take
place.

6.3 Limitations and future research

There are some limitations in this study. First, the use of data comprising
consumer-generated reviews regarding their online shopping experiences presents some
shortcomings. Although vague, incomplete, and inappropriate episodes were removed
from the content analysis, there might have been a higher probability of obtaining biased
 An exploration of online shopping convenience dimensions 47

results than those derived from data directly collected from the randomly selected online
shoppers (Wijnhoven and Bloemen, 2014). Another limitation relates to the CIT itself
employed in our study. This qualitative research method could affect the reliability and
validity of research findings, due to ambiguity in word meanings, themes, and coding
rules (Weber, 1985).
In regard to suggestions for future research, first, the nine dimensions of online
shopping convenience identified in this study should be further refined and validated by
analysing data directly collected from online shoppers via mail or online surveys. Second,
future research needs to empirically and statistically examine the relationships between
the nine dimensions and customer satisfaction and/or other consequences, such as
customer loyalty. Third, because of the rapid advancement of online shopping related
technologies, customers’ perceptions of online shopping convenience could be changed
over time (Jiang et al., 2013). Therefore, future research needs to conduct a longitudinal
study to investigate the evolutionary process of changing customer perceived online
shopping convenience over time.

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