Abstract
The impact of customer loyalty on business performance seems indisputable. Having a loyal customer base comes with many advantages that directly contribute to increased profits. However, in the literature only a handful of studies dealt directly and comprehensively with customer loyalty to online retailers. For example, little consideration has been given to the complexity of the online retailer’s operations, including the delivery of customer orders, a well-matched product range, complaint resolution, relationship building, etc. This study aimed at filling this gap. Therefore the aim of the article is to identify the factors that constitute customer loyalty of online retailers. Based on systematic literature review 85 items that may relate to loyalty were proposed. To extract factors out of proposed items exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was deployed. To acquire the required data the survey was carried out among Polish customers (N = 200) making purchase from an on line sellers. In order to assure the reliability of the research, the sample structure reflected the structure of the studied population. Based on the research 6 factors constituting customer loyalty have been extracted, that is: delivery conditions, convenience of shopping, social media presence, impressions of receiving the shipment, credibility and promotion.
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Appendix 1
Appendix 1
Items of EFA.
Items | |
---|---|
1 | I buy from retailers offering one type of product (e.g. computers only) |
2 | I buy from retailers offering many different types of products (e.g. (e.g. computers, washing machines, refrigerators) |
3 | I buy from sellers offering well-known brand products |
4 | I buy from sellers offering private label products |
5 | I buy from sellers offering the possibility to design the product myself |
6 | I buy from sellers whose brand (name) is recognizable |
7 | I buy from sellers who have a positive reputation among customers |
8 | I buy products that have positive customer ratings |
9 | I buy from sellers who have been in business for a long time |
10 | I buy from sellers who also have stationary stores |
11 | I buy from sellers who offer the lowest price for a product |
12 | I buy from sellers who offer a discount |
13 | I buy from sellers who offer the lowest delivery cost |
14 | I buy from sellers who offer free delivery |
15 | I buy from sellers who offer payment on delivery |
16 | I buy from sellers who offer to pay by bank transfer |
17 | I am buying from sellers who offer modern payment methods (e.g. PayU, Przelewy24, Blik, PayPal) |
18 | I purchase from sellers who offer installment sales |
19 | I purchase from sellers, who offer deferred payment (e.g. within 30 days after the receipt of goods) |
20 | I buy from sellers I know from traditional advertising (e.g. TV, radio) |
21 | I buy from sellers I know from online advertising |
22 | I buy products that I know from traditional advertising (e.g. TV, radio) |
23 | I buy products that I know from online advertising |
24 | I buy from sellers whose advertising “follows” me on other websites |
25 | I buy from sellers whose advertising is tailored to my needs |
26 | I buy from sellers who send newsletters |
27 | I buy from retailers whose websites have tips on how to use their products |
28 | I buy from retailers who offer loyalty programs |
29 | I buy from retailers who run blogs on their websites |
30 | I buy products that are recommended by famous bloggers |
31 | I buy from sellers who are recommended by famous bloggers |
32 | I buy from sellers who have profiles in social networks |
33 | I buy products that are recommended by other people in social networks |
34 | I buy from sellers who allow me to give feedback on my purchases |
35 | I buy from retailers who are easy to contact (e.g. phone, email, form, chat) |
36 | I shop with sellers who have easy to understand terms and conditions of sale |
37 | I buy from sellers who make registering easy |
38 | I buy from sellers where I can buy without registering |
39 | I buy from sellers who allow me to compare products on offer |
40 | I buy from retailers whose website is easy to navigate |
41 | I buy from sellers who clearly display the products they offer |
42 | I buy from retailers whose websites adapt to the screen size of my device |
43 | I buy from retailers whose websites have an aesthetically pleasing design |
44 | I buy from retailers who have websites that remember my information |
45 | I buy from retailers who offer the option to make a purchase using a mobile app |
46 | I buy from retailers that allow me to see products in a store |
47 | I shop at retailers who offer “off-the-shelf” products |
48 | I buy from retailers who offer products that are available on request |
49 | I buy from retailers who offer 2 h delivery |
50 | I buy from retailers who offer same working day delivery |
51 | I buy from sellers who offer next working day delivery |
52 | I buy from sellers who offer delivery of products within 3 days or more |
53 | I buy from sellers who offer courier delivery |
54 | I buy from sellers offering mail order delivery |
55 | I buy from sellers offering delivery to self-service terminals (e.g. to a parcel locker) |
56 | I buy from sellers offering delivery to pick-up points (e.g. kiosks, petrol stations) |
57 | I buy from retailers who offer pickup in their stores |
58 | I buy from retailers who offer selectable delivery times |
59 | I buy from retailers who offer a delivery option on public holidays |
60 | I buy from sellers who provide information on the status of my order |
61 | I buy from sellers who offer tracking |
62 | I buy from sellers that cooperate with couriers who give delivery time information |
63 | I buy from sellers who cooperate with couriers who are on time |
64 | I buy from sellers who cooperate with couriers who care about their appearance |
65 | I buy from sellers cooperating with couriers who behave appropriately |
66 | I buy from retailers with couriers who are flexible (e.g. regarding delivery times and locations) |
67 | I buy from sellers whose shipments are nicely packaged |
68 | I buy from sellers who take care of the security of their shipments |
69 | I buy from sellers whose packages are easy to open |
70 | I buy from sellers who use environmentally friendly materials for packaging |
71 | I buy from retailers who match the size of the packaging to the size of the product |
72 | I buy from retailers who offer gift packaging |
73 | I buy from retailers whose packaging is easy to remove my personal information |
74 | I buy from retailers who offer free product returns |
75 | I buy from retailers who have an easy procedure for returning products |
76 | I buy from sellers who offer returnable packaging |
77 | I buy from sellers who offer to return used products |
78 | I buy from sellers who offer a possibility to return products for more than 14 days |
79 | I am satisfied with my purchase |
80 | I will again purchase from the same sellers in the near future |
81 | I have a feeling that sellers understand my needs |
82 | I will recommend my relatives or friends to make purchases from these sellers |
83 | I will continue to buy from the same sellers, even if the products offered by other sellers are more competitive |
84 | I will continue to buy from the same sellers, even if the product delivery offered by other sellers is more competitive |
85 | I will continue to buy from the same sellers, even if the payment methods for products offered by other sellers are more convenient |
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Pierański, B., Kawa, A., Zdrenka, W. (2022). Critical Factors of Customers Loyalty in E-Commerce. In: Szczerbicki, E., Wojtkiewicz, K., Nguyen, S.V., Pietranik, M., Krótkiewicz, M. (eds) Recent Challenges in Intelligent Information and Database Systems. ACIIDS 2022. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1716. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-8234-7_39
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