Technology readiness and e-service quality – impact on purchase intention and loyalty

PurposeThis paper aims to explore impact of technology readiness (TR) on e-service quality (ESQ) and effect of ESQ and TR on purchase intention (PI) and behavioral loyalty (BL) in the context of online shopping.Design/methodology/approachWith the help of the existing literature, the authors propose a conceptual model. Questionnaire was designed to collect data, and analysis has been done using a final sample of 341 respondents.FindingsThe results show how TR has a significant impact on ESQ, PI and BL. Outcomes also highlight that only three dimensions of ESQ have a positive impact on both PI and BL. System availability dimension of ESQ impacts neither PI nor BL. Therefore, TR and ESQ together play a vital role as enablers in influencing BL and PI in online shopping context.Practical implicationsThe study results will serve as a guide to business-to-consumer e-commerce players and help them to determine how TR and ESQ dimensions will help them to build BL and PI for online shopping.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies that takes into consideration both TR and ESQ and check how they impact PI and BL. Also, in the Indian context, it is an under-researched area and tries to fulfill this gap.

Online Pilot Grocery Intervention among Rural and Urban Residents Aimed to Improve Purchasing Habits

Online grocery shopping has the potential to improve access to food, particularly among low-income households located in urban food deserts and rural communities. The primary aim of this pilot intervention was to test whether a three-armed online grocery trial improved fruit and vegetable (F&V) purchases. Rural and urban adults across seven counties in Kentucky, Maryland, and North Carolina were recruited to participate in an 8-week intervention in fall 2021. A total of 184 adults were enrolled into the following groups: (1) brick-and-mortar “BM” (control participants only received reminders to submit weekly grocery shopping receipts); (2) online-only with no support “O” (participants received weekly reminders to grocery shop online and to submit itemized receipts); and (3) online shopping with intervention nudges “O+I” (participants received nudges three times per week to grocery shop online, meal ideas, recipes, Facebook group support, and weekly reminders to shop online and to submit itemized receipts). On average, reported food spending on F/V by the O+I participants was USD 6.84 more compared to the BM arm. Online shopping with behavioral nudges and nutrition information shows great promise for helping customers in diverse locations to navigate the increasing presence of online grocery shopping platforms and to improve F&V purchases.

OUR INDIAN SHOP – E-Commerce Website Interconnecting the Farmers, Shopkeepers, Delivery Personnel and Consumers

A system named ‘Our Indian Shop’ has been developed and presented in this paper. This system involves an android application, a website and an IVR system for online selling and delivery of agricultural products from farmers to the consumers directly at the market price without the involvement of any middleman. It provides facilities of online shopping of essentials from consumers’ nearby shops as the delivery options will be localized according to pin code to lower the risks of spreading of Covid-19. It also supports selling of groceries, vegetables, and medicines by relevant shop owners directly to the consumers. It enhances the employment as delivery personnel for economically backward people or daily wagers who have lost their livelihood due to the pandemic. The IVR system is to be provided to make all the above facilities available in the offline mode for technologically backward classes, for efficient working of the system in a digital divide environment. The prime objective of this development is to promote social distancing and provide efficient technical solutions for sustainability in the post pandemic world. Our Indian Shop is an all in one platform which provides the online facilities of shopping and selling as well as it will help to enhance the employment and prevent the brokerage charges.

Consumer Expectations on Supermarkets in Organized Retailing

The study emphasise on the consumer expectations on supermarkets in organised retailing and factors which acts as driving force for consumers to opt for the same, with reference to Chennai city. The sample size is 120 respondents who were retail customers of Supermarkets under Non- Probability Judgment Sampling method. The growth of Supermarkets of India in recent years has been witnessed due to increased consumer expectations. As most of the retail segments try to find their way to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, it must be noticed that the consumers are already evolving at great speed in their expectations in all fields. At the pandemic situations, people try to venture out most importantly for essential items with the available outlets, taking care of all safety measures. The immediate next option available for consumers is online shopping. The blowout of virus has not only changed the way how consumers shop, but also their buyer behaviour pattern and what they actually expect from retailers. By 2025, India is expected to become the world’s third largest economy as it is experiencing the world’s fastest growing economies. According to various reports, it is known that these new spending and shopping patterns is expected to continue even after the crisis comes down. With more developments as well as challenges in the field of organized retailing, consumer preferences are changing from region to region.

The Retail Industry’s Impact of Artificial Intelligence Chatbots and Augmented-Reality Applications: An examination of trust and satisfaction of the Youth Vietnamese online shopping

As competition in the retail industry heats up, businesses are increasingly resorting to kinds of artificial intelligence (AI) to differentiate themselves. E-commerce firms are combining technologies such as AI chatbots and augmented reality applications (ARA), which have established themselves as prominent customer service solutions in the practitioner area. However, little is known about consumers’ views and participation with developing technologies when they are implemented in a retail setting. A theory-based study model was developed to elucidate the motivational factors required for effective decision-making in this environment. The proposed model was supported by empirical testing conducted as a field study.

Strategy of Gamification, Product and Pricing: Does It Matter on Buying Interests of Fore Coffee consumers

The aims of this research is to measure the effect of gamification, variety of beverage products and prices on buying interest of Fore Coffee consumers. The data collection technique was in the form of a questionnaire using a google form link that was distributed in several whatsapp groups. The results of the questionnaire were processed using the Structural Equation Modeling Analysis Technique with the SmartPLS application. The results show that the Gamifications contained in the application have an influence on consumer buying interest, seen from the results of testing the proposed model hypothesis. The T-value for the gamification variable is 2,934, which is greater than 1.96. The variety of beverage products found in the coffee application has an influence on consumer buying interest, seen from the results of hypothesis testing with a Tstatistic value of 3.646 which is greater than 1.96. Hypothesis testing shows that the price is not significant to the buying interest of front coffee consumers with a value of 1.94 which is smaller than 1.96. For further research, it can be developed with other gamification benefits embedded in online shopping applications, so that it can add to the repertoire of knowledge in the world of digital marketing.

From the families we choose to the families we find online: media technology and queer family making

Since the mid-2000s, a number of Western countries have witnessed an increase in the number of children born into ‘alternative’ or ‘queer’ families. Parallel with this queer baby boom, online media technologies have become intertwined with most people’s intimate lives. While these two phenomena have appeared simultaneously, their integration has seldom been explored. In an attempt to fill this gap, the present article explores the ways in which contemporary queer reproduction is interwoven with online media practices. Importantly, the article does not understand online media as a technology that simply facilitates queer kinship; rather, it argues that online media technology is a reproductive technology in its own right. Drawing on empirical examples of media practices of kinning, such as online shopping for donor sperm and locating ‘donor siblings’ via online fora such as Facebook, the article analyses the merging and intersection of online media and queer kinship. These analyses serve as a foundation for an exploration of contemporary kinship and the development of a new theoretical framework for contemporary queer reproduction. Empirically, the examples are from single women’s (i.e. solo mothers) and lesbian couples’ family making. Using Weston's work on ‘chosen families’ as a backdrop for discussion, the article describes families of choice in light of new online kinship connections. In particular, the article focuses on online-initiated connections between donor siblings and how such connections can re-inscribe biology as important to queer kinship. Furthermore, it closely examines how media technology guides queer reproduction in particular directions and how technology causes becoming as a family.

Examining the impact of E-supply chain on service quality and customer satisfaction: a case study

Purpose The purposes of this study are to introduce the concept of service quality (SQ) in E-Supply chain management (E-SCM) and its impact on increasing customer satisfaction (CS) and provide insightful enhancements to the literature. In addition, the paper also examines the influence of SQ of E-SCM on CS in online shopping. Design/methodology/approach After a comprehensive literature review, four key factors for measuring the E-Supply chain (process control, interaction with supplier, management support and focus on customers), four key factors for measuring CS (informing customers, attention to customers’ needs, staff performance accuracy and easy access to services) and four factors for measuring the quality of identification services (assurance, accountability, tangibility and reliability) were selected. The proposed conceptual model was then presented. This model was validated by data collected through a survey of 150 respondents to identify CS, including that of customers of online websites in Iran. The sample data was analyzed using SPSS21, after which the interrelationships between the model and factors were examined based on the partial least square-structural. Model fit indices were then calculated for the data set. The proposed model was validated by using factor analysis and structural equation modeling techniques. Findings The results indicated that E-SCM has a direct impact on CS. The effect of SQ was also confirmed. A positive and significant relationship was identified between E-SCM and CS, E-SCM and SQ, as well as SQ and CS (P> 0.05). Research limitations/implications The first limitation was to convince respondents to cooperate with the researchers. The second one was the lack of research-related background due to the subject being relatively new. Originality/value This study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, is the first empirical analysis on the CS assessment of SQ of E-Supply Chain in online shopping. This important link to online shopping has rarely been explored. It is expected that by filling this gap, this study will help in strengthening online shopping, which needs a change in the marketing area.