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E-Satisfaction and
E-Loyalty: A Contingency
Framework
Rolph E. Anderson and Srini S. Srinivasan
Drexel University

ABSTRACT

The authors investigate the impact of satisfaction on loyalty in the

context of electronic commerce. Findings of this research indicate
that although e-satisfaction has an impact on e-loyalty, this
relationship is moderated by (a) consumers’ individual level factors
and (b) firms’ business level factors. Among consumer level factors,
convenience motivation and purchase size were found to accentuate
the impact of e-satisfaction on e-loyalty, whereas inertia suppresses
the impact of e-satisfaction on e-loyalty. With respect to business
level factors, both trust and perceived value, as developed by the
company, significantly accentuate the impact of e-satisfaction on
e-loyalty. 䉷 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The collapse of large numbers of dot-com companies has required man-

agers, who felt that the Internet had changed everything, to relearn that
profits indeed do matter (Rosenbloom, 2002) and that the traditional
laws of marketing were not rescinded with the arrival of the e-commerce
era. Additionally, it has been reinforced that organizations not only need
to attract new customers, but also must retain them to ensure profitable
repeat business. In several industries, the high cost of acquiring cus-
tomers renders many customer relationships unprofitable during early
years. Even the individual stores of highly successful warehouse clubs
like Sam’s Club, Costco, and BJ’s are typically not profitable until the
second or third year after opening. Base of text
Psychology & Marketing, Vol. 20(2): 123–138 (February 2003)
Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com)
䉷 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. DOI: 10.1002/mar.10063
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Over their buying lifetimes, customers’ loyal to a given seller may be Base of text
worth up to 10 times as much as its average customer (Health, 1997;
Newell, 1997). Without customer loyalty, even the best-designed e-busi-
ness model will soon fall apart. In their quest to develop a loyal customer
base, most companies try their best to continually satisfy their custom-
ers and develop long-run relationships with them. Although satisfaction
measures seem to be an important barometer of how customers are
likely to behave in the future, there are two issues to consider:

1. Satisfaction measures are likely to be positively biased (Peterson

& Wilson, 1992).
2. Establishing the relationship between satisfaction and repurchase
behavior has been elusive for many firms (Mittal & Kamakura,
2001).

The relationship between satisfaction and loyalty seems almost in-

tuitive, and several researchers have attempted to confirm this in their
research (Cronin & Taylor, 1992; Newman & Werbel, 1973; Woodside,
Frey, & Daley, 1989). Despite the intuitive appeal, however, the
strength of the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty has been
found to vary significantly under different conditions. For example,
Jones and Sasser (1995) discovered that the strength of the relationship
between satisfaction and loyalty depends upon the competitive struc-
ture of the industry. In a more recent study, Oliver (1999) found that
satisfaction leads to loyalty, but true loyalty can only be achieved when
other factors such as an embedded social network are present.
Competing businesses are only a mouse click away in e-commerce
settings, so it is critical that companies understand how to build cus-
tomer loyalty in online markets. The present study investigates the im-
pact of individual and business level factors, which may either accen-
tuate or reduce the impact of e-satisfaction on e-loyalty. Specifically, the
focus is on three individual level variables (inertia, convenience moti-
vation, and purchase size) and two firm specific variables (trust and
perceived value offered by the firm).

E-Loyalty and E-Satisfaction

Early views of brand loyalty focused on repeat purchase behavior. For
example, Brown (1952) classified loyalty into four categories, (a) undi-
vided loyalty, (b) divided loyalty, (c) unstable loyalty, and (d) no loyalty,
as revealed by the purchase patterns of consumers. Lipstein (1959) and
Kuehn (1962) measured loyalty by the probability of product repur-
chase. Some researchers (Day, 1969; Jacoby & Chestnut, 1978) have
suggested that these behavioral-based definitions are not sufficient be-
cause they do not distinguish between true loyalty and spurious loyalty, short
due to factors such as lack of consumer choice. For example, a consumer standard

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may appear to be loyal to a particular store or brand but, in reality, may Base of text
have no other choice because he or she lacks convenient transportation
to travel to another store and the preferred brand is not carried by the
nearby store. In response to these criticisms, researchers have proposed
measuring both the attitudinal component and the behavioral compo-
nent.

Loyalty. Engel, Kollat, and Blackwell (1982) defined brand loyalty as

“the preferential, attitudinal and behavioral response toward one or
more brands in a product category expressed over a period of time by a
consumer.” Jacoby (1971) expressed the view that loyalty is a biased
behavioral purchase process that results from a psychological process.
Other researchers have defined loyalty as “a favorable attitude toward
a brand resulting in consistent purchase of the brand over time” (Assael,
1992; Keller, 1993). Keller suggested that loyalty is present when fa-
vorable attitudes for the brand are manifested in repeat buying behav-
ior. Gremler (1995) suggested that both attitudinal and behavioral di-
mensions needed to be incorporated in measuring loyalty. Therefore, for
present research purposes, e-loyalty is defined as the customer’s favor-
able attitude toward an electronic business resulting in repeat buying
behavior.

Satisfaction. Satisfaction, according to Oliver (1997) is “the summary

psychological state resulting when the emotion surrounding discon-
firmed expectations is coupled with a consumer’s prior feelings about
the consumer experience.” From his perspective, “satisfaction may be
best understood as an ongoing evaluation of the surprise inherent in a
product acquisition and/or consumption experience.” In this research,
e-satisfaction is defined as the contentment of the customer with respect
to his or her prior purchasing experience with a given electronic com-
merce firm.
A dissatisfied customer is more likely to search for information on
alternatives and more likely to yield to competitor overtures than is a
satisfied customer. Also, a dissatisfied customer is more likely to resist
attempts by his or her current retailer to develop a closer relationship
and more likely to take steps to reduce dependence on that retailer.
Moreover, the dissatisfied member may wish to redefine the relation-
ship. Because these variables are expected to apply in the electronic
marketplace as well, it is hypothesized that:
H1: The higher the level of e-satisfaction, the higher the level of
e-loyalty.

Moderating Role of Individual Level Variables

This research focuses on inertia, convenience motivation, and purchase short
size as the individual customer moderating variables that tend to either standard

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accentuate or reduce the impact of e-satisfaction on e-loyalty of custom- Base of text
ers.

Moderating Role of Inertia. Campbell (1997) defines inertia as a con-

dition where “repeat purchases occur on the basis of situational cues
rather than on strong partner commitment.” According to Beatty and
Smith (1987), around 40% to 60% of customers visit the same store for
purchasing out of habit. In a similar fashion, a considerable proportion
of customers bookmark their favorite electronic commerce Web sites and
are more likely to visit them than other sites. These customers visit the
sites out of habit rather than by conscious determination on the basis
of perceived benefits and costs offered by the e-business. When a cus-
tomer has a high level of inertia the sensitivity of e-loyalty to e-satis-
faction is likely to be lower. On the other hand, when the inertia of a
customer is low, the impact of e-satisfaction on e-loyalty is likely to be
higher.

Moderating Role of Convenience Motivation. The motivations of

consumers vary widely. Although some customers are driven by the
need to gather information and save money, others are driven more by
the need for convenience. Jarvenpaa and Todd (1997) found that con-
venience was perceived as one of the major benefits of shopping over the
Internet. Comparing Internet shoppers with non-Internet shoppers,
Donthu and Garcia (1999) found that the former group was more con-
venience seeking than the latter. According to Burke (1997), Internet
shoppers appreciate the ability to conduct business with any firm at any
time while performing other activities such as exercising, cooking, or
taking care of children. A survey conducted by Visa showed that 60% of
Internet shoppers conducted their transactions in their pajamas (Ro-
mani, 1999). Several writers have discussed the importance of conve-
nience as a contributing factor to the growth of electronic commerce
(Harrington & Reed, 1996; Romani, 1999; Rowley, 1996). Customers
driven by the need for convenience are less likely to inconvenience them-
selves by repeatedly searching for new providers for their products and
services. Hence, they are more likely to exhibit higher levels of loyalty.
In addition to contributing directly to customer loyalty, convenience
orientation is also expected to indirectly affect the relationship between
customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. For customers who are mo-
tivated somewhat by convenience, but more so by other factors such as
price seeking or information seeking, satisfaction will not have as much
of an impact on loyalty because they are constantly exploring alterna-
tive service providers. However, the relationship between e-satisfaction
and e-loyalty is expected to be stronger for customers with a high con-
venience orientation relative to customers with low convenience orien-
tation. short
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Moderating Role of Purchase Size. Past researchers have found a Base of text
positive relationship between purchase size (dollar amount spent by the
customer) and loyalty. Kuehn (1962) and Day (1969) found heavy pur-
chasers of a product to be more brand loyal than light purchasers. Be-
cause the consequences for consumers who spend less is smaller, they
tend to be less loyal and more likely to shop around among vendors than
those consumers who spend more. Therefore, it is expected that e-sat-
isfaction will have a stronger impact on e-loyalty for heavy spenders
than for light spenders. Higher-spending customers are expected also
to be more emotionally involved with their purchasing decisions (due to
the increased financial and social risk of making a wrong decision) than
low-spending customers. As noted by Kim, Scott, and Crompton (1997),
there is a positive relationship between involvement and loyalty. Be-
cause high-spending customers are likely to be more personally involved
in their decision making, the relationship between e-satisfaction and
e-loyalty is expected to be stronger for consumers who are heavy spend-
ers. Conversely, because low spenders are likely to be less involved, the
impact of e-satisfaction on e-loyalty is expected to be lower for them
than for high-spending customers.
Hence it is posited that

H2: The impact of customer e-satisfaction on e-loyalty is moderated

by (a) inertia, (b) convenience motivation, and (c) purchase size.

Moderating Role of Business Level Variables

In addition to the above-cited individual level variables, the impact of
e-satisfaction on e-loyalty is also likely to be affected by business level
variables such as trust and perceived value offered by the e-business.

Moderating Role of Trust. Morgan and Hunt (1994) define trust as

the “confidence in the exchange partner’s reliability and integrity.” In a
similar vein, Doney and Cannon (1997) defined trust as “the perceived
credibility and benevolence of a target.” One of the main reasons for the
importance of trust or confidence in an online business is the perceived
level of risk associated with online purchasing. According to Medintz
(1998), customer concerns about security, privacy, and protection
against business scams are very high and have created a market for
rating agencies and seals. Providing credit card information to an online
business that has no physical location increases the perception of risk
for certain customers (Shannon, 1998). Many electronic commerce cus-
tomers do not trust the online businesses they are dealing with to keep
their purchase data confidential (Wang, Lee, & Wang, 1998). According
to Singh and Sirdeshmukh (2000) “trust is a crucial variable that de- short
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termines outcomes at different points in the process and serves as a Base of text
glue that holds the relationship together.” In the electronic commerce
context, customers who do not trust an e-business will not be loyal to it
even though they are generally satisfied with the e-business. Therefore,
it seems apparent that e-satisfaction is likely to result in stronger
e-loyalty when customers have a higher level of trust in the e-business.

Moderating Role of Perceived Value. Zeithaml (1988) defines value

as “the consumer’s overall assessment of the utility of a product based
on perceptions of what is received and what is given.” The importance
of perceived value in electronic commerce stems from the fact that it is
easy to compare product features as well as prices online. According to
Bakos (1991), the search costs in electronic marketplaces are lower, re-
sulting in more competitive prices to the consumer. The reduction in
search costs not only increases the likelihood that customers will com-
pare prices, but also enables the customers to compare the array of ben-
efits that they will derive from the products and services that they buy.
According to Parasuraman and Grewal (2000), perceived value is a func-
tion of “a ‘get’ component — i.e., the benefits a buyer derives from a
seller’s offering — and a ‘give’ component — i.e., the buyer’s monetary
and nonmonetary costs in acquiring the offering.” A number of research-
ers have concluded that a significant number of electronic commerce
customers are motivated by low prices (Goldberg, 1998; McCune, 1999;
Tanaka, 1999).
Researchers have also established a positive relationship between
perceived value and intention to purchase/repurchase (Dodds, Monroe,
& Grewal, 1991; Parasuraman & Grewal, 2000). Perceived value con-
tributes to the loyalty of an electronic business by reducing an individ-
ual’s need to seek alternative service providers. When the perceived
value is low, customers will be more inclined to switch to competing
businesses in order to increase perceived value, thus contributing to a
decline in loyalty. Even satisfied customers are unlikely to patronize an
e-business, if they feel that they are not getting the best value for their
money. Instead, they will seek out other sellers in an ongoing effort to
find a better value. The relationship between e-satisfaction and e-loyalty
appears strongest when the customers feel that their current e-business
vendor provides higher overall value than that offered by competitors.
Hence, it is posited that
H3: The relationship between e-satisfaction and e-loyalty is moder-
ated by (a) trust and (b) perceived value.

METHODOLOGY

An instrument with multiple scaled items for the constructs of interest short
was developed and pretested. Then a random sample of 5000 consumers standard

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was drawn from a large list of e-retailing customers maintained by an Base of text
online marketing research firm. An e-mail invitation was sent to each
of the 5000 potential respondents, containing an embedded URL link to
the site hosting the survey and informing them that those who com-
pleted the questionnaire would be automatically entered in a drawing
for a $500 prize. A summary of survey results was also offered for those
respondents who chose to request it. This e-mail campaign produced
1211 complete and usable responses, an overall effective response rate
of 24%. The respondents, representative of online customers across nu-
merous e-retailers, were requested to respond to the questionnaire
based upon their latest online purchase. To assess the representative-
ness of the sample, demographic data about the respondents, similar to
that which was reported in a national study conducted by Greenfield
Online, were also collected. Results show the demographic character-
istics of the sample closely resemble those of the Greenfield Online
study.
To measure the various constructs, validated items used by other re-
searchers1 were adapted. E-satisfaction was assessed by adapting the
scale developed by Oliver (1980). Trust was measured with the use of a
4-point scale, and perceived value was determined by scale items
adapted from Dodds et al. (1991) and Sirohi, McLaughlin, and Wittink
(1998). Purchase size was calculated as the amount of money the cus-
tomer spent on the particular e-business in the previous 6 months. The
concept of inertia was evaluated on a 3-point scale adapted from Grem-
ler (1995). Convenience motivation was gauged by a five-item scale
adapted from Moorman (1998). Lastly, e-loyalty was evaluated by using
scale items adapted from Gremler (1995) and Zeithaml, Berry, and Par-
asuraman (1996). The conceptual model for the study is presented in
Figure 1.

Analysis and Results

To avoid the bias from using the same set of responses for refining and
testing the scale items, then evaluating the hypotheses, the responses
(total sample size of 1211) were split into two separate data sets (a) an
exploratory data set of 360 observations and (b) the model estimation
data set of 851 observations. The exploratory data set was used to es-
tablish the reliability and unidimensionality of the scale items. Initially,
an exploratory factor analysis and internal consistency estimates were
conducted on the exploratory data set. Scale items loaded as expected
and were found to have high internal consistency estimates. The hy-
potheses were tested with the set of responses used for refining/testing
the scale items excluded. To estimate the model, the model estimation
data set was used, the results of which are reported in the following
short
1
Items used in the final instrument are given in Appendix A. standard

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Base of text

Figure 1. Moderated effect of e-satisfaction on e-loyalty.

section. Table 1 reports the coefficient alphas, means, and standard de-
viations for the various constructs calculated based upon the model es-
timation data set. All the reliability estimates are greater than the sug-
gested cutoff point of 0.70 (Nunnally, 1978).
To test the hypotheses, the following regression model was run:
LT ⫽ ␥0 ⫹ ␥1SA ⫹ ␥2TR ⫹ ␥3PV ⫹ ␥3PS ⫹ ␥4IN ⫹ ␥5CM ⫹ ␥SA * TR
⫹ ␥7SA * PV ⫹ ␥8SA * PS ⫹ ␥9SA * IN ⫹ ␥10SA * CM ⫹ ␧ (1)

where
LT ⫽ e-loyalty
SA ⫽ e-satisfaction
TR ⫽ trust in the e-business
PV ⫽ perceived value
PS ⫽ purchase size
IN ⫽ inertia
CM ⫽ convenience orientation

Table 1. Reliability and Dimensionality of Variables Used in Analysis

Number of Standard
Variables Items Alpha Mean Deviation
E-satisfaction 6 0.8947 6.1949 1.1214
E-loyalty 7 0.9144 4.8214 1.4858
Trust 4 0.9546 4.3362 0.8230
Perceived value 4 0.9549 5.8756 1.1250
Inertia 3 0.8388 3.6309 1.7716
Convenience motivation 4 0.9534 6.3965 0.9399 short
Purchase size 1 NA 307.0 969.6
standard

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The overall model was found to be significant (p ⬍ . 05) with an Base of text
adjusted R2 of 0.5856. Regression results of Eq. (1) are provided in
Table 2.
H1 posits that e-satisfaction is positively related to e-loyalty. As the
impact of satisfaction on loyalty is moderated by a number of individual
level and business level factors, the positive and significant parameter
estimate for ␥1 alone does not fully support this hypothesis. To evaluate
the impact of satisfaction on loyalty Eq. (1) is partially differentiated
with respect to satisfaction.

␦LT
⫽ ␥1 ⫹ ␥6* TR ⫹ ␥7 * PV ⫹ ␥8 * PS ⫹ ␥9 * IN ⫹ ␥10 * CM (2)
␦SA

As seen by the preceding equation, the impact of satisfaction on loyalty

is a function of trust, perceived value, inertia, convenience motivation,
and purchase size. The main effect of satisfaction on loyalty (for an av-
erage firm) can be evaluated from Eq. (2) by using the average values
of trust, perceived value, inertia, convenience motivation, and purchase
size. Substituting the parameter estimates from Table 2, and the av-
erage values from Table 1, results in ␦LT/␦SA ⫽ 1.03, thus supporting
Hypothesis 1.
H2(a) posits that at lower levels of inertia increasing customer sat-
isfaction will lead to an increased e-loyalty. In other words, ␦LT/␦SA

Table 2. Results of Regression Analysis Examining the Moderators of the

Relationship Between E-Satisfaction and E-Loyalty
Parameter
Variables Estimate Standard Error T Value*
Constant 4.7272 0.0397 119.152
Satisfaction (SA) 0.2804 0.0545 5.143
Trust (TR) 0.4149 0.0716 5.795
Perceived value (PV) 0.3345 0.0427 7.826
Purchase Size (PS) 8.3745e-5 3.737e-5 2.241
Inertia (IN) 0.3732 0.0205 18.177
Convenience motivation (CM) ⫺0.0054 0.0447 0.121ns
SAⴱTR 0.0764 0.0391 1.955
SAⴱPV 0.0572 0.0252 2.268
SAⴱPS 8.6301e-5 4.112e-5 2.099
SAⴱIN ⫺0.0864 0.0225 ⫺3.844
SAⴱCM 0.0575 0.0309 1.857 short
*All the results are significant at p ⬍ .05. standard

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will be higher for lower levels of inertia than for higher levels of inertia. Base of text
Partially differentiating Eq. (1) with respect to satisfaction gives2

⭸LT/⭸SA ⫽ ␥1 ⫹ ␥9IN (3)

Because ␥9 is expected to be negative, e-satisfaction will have a higher

impact on e-loyalty at lower values of inertia than at higher values of
inertia. Consistent with expectations, the main effect of inertia is posi-
tive and significant and the interaction effect of inertia with satisfaction
is negative (⫺0.0864) and significant (p ⬍ .05). H2(b) predicts that the
impact of e-satisfaction on e-loyalty is moderated by convenience moti-
vation. The parameter estimate for the main effect of convenience mo-
tivation on e-loyalty is insignificant, but the parameter estimate for the
interaction term (e-satisfaction with convenience motivation) is 0.0575
(p ⬍ .05). This confirms the hypothesis that convenience motivation in-
deed positively moderates the impact of e-satisfaction on e-loyalty. H2(c)
posits that purchase size moderates the impact of e-satisfaction on
e-loyalty. Parameter estimates of both the main effect of purchase size
and the interaction of purchase size with e-satisfaction are significant,
supporting this hypothesis.
H3(a) posits that the impact of e-satisfaction on e-loyalty is moderated
by trust. The parameter estimate of the main effect of trust on e-loyalty
is 0.4149 (p ⬍ .05) and the parameter for the interaction effect is 0.0764
(p ⬍ .05). H3(b) predicts that the level of perceived value will moderate
the impact of e-satisfaction on e-loyalty. The parameter estimate for the
main effect of perceived value on e-loyalty is 0.3345 (p ⬍ .05) and the
parameter estimate for the interaction effect is 0.0572 (p ⬍ .05). This
result shows that the perceived value of a Web site moderates the im-
pact of e-satisfaction on e-loyalty, supporting Hypothesis 3(b).

Managerial Implications
In the face of severe competition and continually rising customer ex-
pectations, e-commerce companies have necessarily become increas-
ingly interested in identifying, understanding, nurturing, and keeping
their profitable existing customers. In particular, there is a strong and
growing interest in pushing beyond the technological factors of con-
ducting an online business to a better understanding of the behavioral
dimensions. Typically, e-satisfaction has been assumed to be a natural
antecedent to e-loyalty. This research reveals that the impact of e-sat-
isfaction on e-loyalty can be significantly moderated by individual level
variables (inertia, convenience motivation, and purchase size) and com-

2
For the sake of simplicity, trust, perceived value, purchase size, and convenience motivation are short
held at a theoretical zero value. standard

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pany level variables (trust and perceived value). Companies can provide Base of text
loyalty discounts and incentives to influence purchase size over the
short run. But individual customer variables, such as inertia or conve-
nience motivation, and the resultant customer switching behavior are
largely beyond the control of company management. However, trust and
perceived value may be somewhat controllable by management. Per-
ceived value is believed to be calculated either consciously or subcon-
sciously by customers each time they consider a purchase transaction.
Apparently, many customers compare the array of benefits to be ob-
tained from a particular transaction versus the perceived costs of that
transaction to arrive at an overall perceived value. Over the longer run,
customers may also look at the perceived value of continuing a business
relationship with their current vendor versus the perceived benefits and
costs of switching to another seller. Thus, to remain competitive, a com-
pany must continuously work at enhancing perceived value for custom-
ers to discourage their switching to competitors. Customer expectations
continue to rise and, in fact, may be virtually infinitely elastic, so no
company can rest on its laurels for long in offering the highest perceived
value to customers.
Building trusting relationships is an even more difficult challenge
that may require e-commerce companies to go beyond bottom-line profit
thinking to differentiate themselves from competitors. Two companies
who have been leaders in developing trusting relationships with their
customers, resulting in retention rates of over 90%, are the Vanguard
Group and USAA — both giants in their respective fields of financial
services and insurance. Vanguard Group, the second largest mutual-
fund seller in the world, does no selling whatsoever on its Web site. The
site is devoted solely to continually educating both current and potential
investors and informing them about such things as tax laws and finan-
cial planning. For example, Vanguard warns its customers about up-
coming dividend and capital gains distribution dates so that they do not
innocently “buy the dividend,” that is, purchase a mutual fund just be-
fore this date and thereby wind up seeing their fund value reduced by
the distribution amount and having to pay taxes on the dividend, too.
USAA also went beyond profit before the Persian Gulf War when it
sent notifications to its mostly active and reserve military customers to
advise them that they could increase the amount of their life insurance
policies on short notice if they wished. It also suggested to its customers
that they might want to review their automobile insurance policies if
their cars would be driven fewer miles or not at all during the next
several months, helping them to reduce expenses. In contrast to these
two beyond the bottom line notifications made by USAA, many other
insurance company policies retained clauses stating that there would
be no payoff if an insured was killed in war. Few, if any, other companies
told their customers to review their automobile policies to see whether short
they might qualify for a lower rate. These kinds of actions show savvy, standard

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long-run orientation to customer relationships that most companies talk Base of text
about but few actually practice. Demonstrating to customers that you
care about them and want to assist them irrespective of the short-run
profit consequences helps to create and/or strengthen the kind of trust-
ing relationship that garners customer loyalty.

Limitations
There are a few limitations of this research that should be considered
when interpreting its findings. In this research, not all of the diverse
business level and individual level factors that may drive e-loyalty were
included. In addition, a more comprehensive model of e-loyalty might
be developed. Replication of this research in different business and prod-
uct settings in both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies could also
help extend the validity of these findings. Learning more about the crit-
ical relationship between e-satisfaction and e-loyalty should be a top
priority for scholars and practitioners as domestic and world competi-
tion for loyal customers and profits increase in relatively slow growth
markets.

APPENDIX A — SCALE ITEMS

Scale Items
Satisfaction The items in this scale use a 7-point Likert-type measure.
(a) I am satisfied with my decision to purchase from this Web
site.
(b) If I had to purchase again, I would feel differently about
buying from this Web site.a
(c) My choice to purchase from this Web site was a wise one.
(d) I feel badly regarding my decision to buy from this Web
site.a
(e) I think I did the right thing by buying from this Web site.
(f) I am unhappy that I purchased from this Web site.a
(Based on Oliver, 1980)
E-Loyalty The items in this scale also use a 7-point Likert-type measure.
(a) I seldom consider switching to another Web site.
(b) As long as the present service continues, I doubt that I
would switch Web sites.
(c) I try to use the Web site whenever I need to make a pur-
chase.
(d) When I need to make a purchase, this Web site is my first
choice.
(e) I like using this Web site.
(f) To me this site is the best retail Web site to do business
with.
(g) I believe that this is my favorite retail Web site.
(Based on Gremler, 1995; Zeithaml, Berry, & Parasuraman, 1996) short
Continued on following page standard

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APPENDIX A — Continued Base of text
Scale Items

Inertia The items in this scale use a 7-point Likert-type measure.

(a) Unless I became very dissatisfied with this Web site, chang-
ing to a new one would be a bother.
(b) I would find it difficult to stop using this Web site.
(c) For me the cost in time, money, and effort to change Web
sites is high.
(Based on Gremler, 1995)
Perceived The items in this scale use a 7-point semantic differential mea-
Value sure.
(a) Products purchased at this Web site are:a
Very poor value for money........... Very good value for money
(b) Products purchased at this Web site are considered to be a
good buy.a
Strongly disagree................................Strongly agree
(c) You get what you pay for at this Web site:
Strongly disagree................................Strongly agree
(d) Products purchased at this Web site are worth the money
paid:
Strongly disagree................................Strongly agree
(Based on Dodds et al., 1991)
Trust The items in this scale use a 5-point Likert-type measure.
(a) The performance of this web-site meets my expectations.
(b) This Web site can be counted on to successfully complete
the transaction.
(c) I can trust the performance of this Web site to be good.
(d) This Web site is reliable for online shopping.
Convenience The items in this scale use a 7-point Likert-type measure.
Motivation (a) I want the convenience that online shopping offers.
(b) I enjoy the flexibility of shopping online.
(c) I am interested in taking advantage of the ease of online
shopping.
(d) I would like to shop at my own pace while shopping online.
(Based on Moorman, 1998)
aScale items are reverse coded.

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Correspondence regarding this article should be sent to: Rolph E. Anderson,
Department of Marketing, LeBow College of Business, Drexel University, Phil-
adelphia, PA 19104 ([email protected])

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