Chapter 1
Factors influencing consumer satisfaction in online shopping.
Introduction.
- Research background.
The research study will explore the factors influencing consumer satisfaction in online shopping. This research will show the effect of online consumer satisfaction through item quality, application security, and delivery guarantee through online shopping (Chai et al., 2018). Consumer satisfaction is turning out to be increasingly more significant for companies, and it has a direct effect on the company’s benefit. When the online consumer is content with the company’s product or services, there is a probability of sharing their experience with other people. Thus companies need to take into account their consumer’s loyalty and also be able to attract new consumers. There are several reasons why consumers purchase goods online as they can buy anything whenever without going to the store. Consumers can compare similar items at a lower cost by looking at different websites at the same time. It has been contended that online business offers more satisfaction to modern consumers who look for convenience and speed (Katta et al., 2016). The research will show that online shopping has its disadvantages as the consumers cannot bargain the price of the product with the supplier and cannot try if the product they choose reaches their expectations. It’s also difficult for consumers to communicate with dealers as there no direct communication as to when one is in the store. Due to this, many people prefer to purchase goods through physical stores rather than online shopping. This research will also show that many consumers are not satisfied with the product and services provided online, as some of the complaints raised during online shopping are not handled well. This is because some companies don’t advance their consumer’s satisfaction by conveying better qualities, and more users are getting irritated with the service provided. Thus, it is vital to consider the factors affecting customer satisfaction, to have a better understanding of which perception that will satisfy the customer to limit complaints raised, and anticipate the loss of business opportunity. There are several significant factors in this research to decide consumers’ satisfaction and how online businesses ought to be all around with the predecessors of consumers’ satisfaction in online shopping. This research will target
the factors influencing consumers’ satisfaction online shopping, particularly among young people ranging from ages of 18 to 35 years. The connection between consumers’ satisfaction and loyalty in online shopping. The outcomes will be necessary for marketers to make better choices on their online marketing strategic plan. Online marketers may also be able to avoid spending their significant resources on online retail structures that may not positively impact consumers’ satisfaction. This will give enormous gain to online retailers to endorse long-term business development by creating loyal consumers.
- Statement of the problem
Most of the complaints raised in online shopping are an online transaction, product price problem, lack of price tag, confusing adverts, counterfeit goods, and inadequate services offered. The gap between online customers’ needs and the real execution triggers online grievances (Cho et al., 2002). The way out is to limit customers’ disappointment, and this anxiety still can’t seem to be examined a lot. Online shoppers are sensitive to online privacy and data security due to the increase of cyber-crime in the current era, which targets the online shopping industry. Consumer’s identity may not be hidden; thus, the information of credit card numbers, social security numbers, names of family members, and billing addresses may be sold online on the dark web. The consumer purchasing goods online may not have a guarantee of item quality even after evaluating the product. There are also counterfeit products sold online and deceitful dealers take advantage of online shoppers. Online shoppers expect a high quality of service than traditional channel shoppers. When they don’t get excellent service in shopping, buying, and delivering products, they tend to go for the next option to give better services. Shrouded charges are also part of the problem that online shoppers face. The price of products is an essential effect on consumers’ satisfaction and the image and real quality.
- Research objective.
The purpose and goal of this research will be to consider consumer satisfaction from the viewpoint of online shopping. The study will intend to look at factors of security, product quality, services, price, and to decide if these factors will influence customer satisfaction in online shopping.
1,3,1General Objectives
To find the factors influencing consumer satisfaction in online shopping.
1.3.2 Specific Objectives
(a) To examine the relationship between security and consumer satisfaction.
(b) To determine the connection between product quality and consumer satisfaction.
(c) To analyze the relationship between price and consumer satisfaction.
1.4 Research questions.
(a) what are the factors affecting the relationship between security and consumer satisfaction?
(b) what are the factors affecting the relationship between product quality and consumer satisfaction?
(c) what are the factors affecting the relationship between price and consumer satisfaction?
CHAPTER 2
2.1 literature review
2.1.1 customer satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is explained as a feeling of assessing what was received in contradiction of what was anticipated. It also shows that the purchase itself is considered the satisfaction of the need or want of a particular product or service (Parker et al., 2001). According to Philip Kotler (1994), in the European management journal, customer satisfaction is considered as displeasure or pleasure in the publication of a product concerning the person’s expectation. In the journey of the academy marketing journal by Jagdip Sign (1991), customer satisfaction is explained as an outcome from goods and services presented to meet the desires and necessities of its customers and pleasure or improve their hopes in the moment of consumption of products or services. There are battalion factors that impact customer satisfaction. In the journal of marketing research by La Barbera and Mazursky (1983), satisfaction is seen to have a significant role in intervention between purposes and definite please the customers’ wants and needs. In the TQM magazine by Fecikova (2004), customer satisfaction has been seen leading to effectiveness and service quality as the primary influence, especially in online trading, so it is shown that service quality indirectly disturbs the interested parties. Customer satisfaction is mostly among the best-studied in marketing. It has become a significant factor in achieving the organizational goals and has been measured as an average starting point and presentation in excellency possible for any organization.
2.1.2 online shopping
In the journal of electronic commerce by L Zhou, D Zangh, and l Dai (2004), has shown that the rate of online customers has dramatically gone up since 1990. The dependability has been made a success due to its attractiveness in retaining customers. These have seen many consumers increasingly diverting to purchasing their products and services online. The online information review by Chiu, Chang, Cheng, and Fang (2009) has stated that the acceptance of online shopping has been brought about by advancement in technology model which has seen e-service quality dimension and has also led to an increase in product enjoyment and its development. In the journal of economic commerce by Khare and Rhakesh (2011), it has stated that the essential explanations why customers consider online shopping for some products are for the reason of the enormous diversity of these substances existing in the online market. The online market has enabled customers to look at and relate products with comfort. Another reason that based on the number of online shoppers to continuously grow is because of the shopping benefit and the home delivery services of products. Shopping in the online market also offers reductions, checks, and sometimes gifts to entice customers.
2.1.3 factors affecting consumers’ satisfaction in online shopping
In the European journal of social and human science, Uzun and Poturak(2014) have formulated seven factors to the factors that affect consumer’s decisions in going for online purchases. It has perceived most companies doing online markets to understand why consumers decline to go for their market to factors such as trust, e-loyalty, and e-trust. In the business process management journal by Akroush and Al-Debei (2015) their study showed that supposed online market reputation, relative benefit, alleged website pictures, and faith have unswervingly and indirectly affected consumers’ loyalty toward online market shopping. Some online shoppers’ shopping attitudes are mainly affected by supposed comparative benefits and trust. Trust in a product has a relative benefit and that the future is a role of supposed online marketing status. Relative benefits and alleged online market status are significant forecasters of the alleged online image. The alleged online image was found to be a direct interpreter of trust. the authors also saw that 26 percent of the difference in online shopping defiance was directly triggered by relative benefit, trust, and alleged online image. In the industrial management and data system by Lekhawipat and Linc (2014), in their study found out that online shopping routine acts as a mediator of both customer satisfaction and accustomed hopes, whereas online shopping knowledge was considered by the authors the main driver for customer satisfaction. The research further confirmed that customer fulfillment is an important driver of accustomed hopes and customers’ online repurchase aim. Accustomed hopes also intermediate the influence of online repurchase determination.
conclusion
The practical results of this research show the awareness, preferences, and factors affecting online shoppers. It has further demonstrated that the online shoppers’ numbers are increasing daily as more respondents preferred shopping online due to its convenience in time-saving and its wide range of products. The study indicates some of the factors that have influenced shoppers to go for the online market are suitability, ease, and improved prices. The critical factors in online shopping were recognized as an opportunity to compare prices and purchase at a lesser price. Any business that intends to go online is encouraged to decrease and note the alleged shopper’s risks that discourage them from going to the idea by providing better and secure payment and by delivering quality products as speedily shown on their website. These are encouraged to improve the customer’s trust and also to be loyal, which can be brought about by better appearances. Further, the research shows that the discouraging factors in the online purchase of products were the idea of giving one’s details during the signup procedure, inappropriateness in the delivery of ordered goods. It concludes that most shoppers needed to be educated on the steps to undertake when making an online purchase to minimize inconveniences.
References
Chai, K. Y. S. Li, Y. Y., Lim, W. L., & Ong, S. P. (2018). Factors influencing consumer satisfaction in online shopping (Doctoral dissertation, UTAR).
Cho, Y., Im, I., Hiltz, R., & Fjermestad, J. (2002, January). An analysis of online customer complaints: implications for web complaint management. In Proceedings of the 35th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (pp. 2308-2317). IEEE.
Katta, R. M. R., & Patro, C. S. (2016). Online Shopping Behavior: A Study of Factors Influencing Consumer Satisfaction on Online viz-a-viz Conventional Store Shopping. International Journal of Sociotechnology and Knowledge Development (IJSKD), 8(4), 21-36.
Lin, C., & Lekhawipat, W. (2014). Factors affecting online repurchase intention. Industrial Management & Data Systems.
Parker, C., & Mathews, B. P. (2001). Customer satisfaction: contrasting academic and consumers’ interpretations. Marketing Intelligence & Planning.
Zhou, L., Dai, L., & Zhang, D. (2007). Online shopping acceptance model-A critical survey of consumer factors in online shopping. Journal of Electronic commerce research, 8(1).