Determinants of the Acceptance of Mobile Payment Systems by E-Merchants

To be effectively deployed, a mobile payment (m-payment) system must be provided by e-merchants and accepted by e-consumers. Although the problem of acceptance of m-payment systems by e-consumers has been widely researched, there are few studies about what actually motivates e-merchants to adopt and deploy these systems in their businesses in the first place. The goal of this research was to discover the behavioral intentions of e-merchants to adopt and deploy an m-payment system. The interviews approach was applied to 347 e-merchants randomly selected from among the whole population of 47,457 independent business units selling goods on-line in Poland. The PLS-SEM method was applied to determine the relationship between variables. Unexpectedly, perceived risk was not a significant factor influencing e-merchants' intention to adopt an m-payment system. The e-merchants’ behavioral intention was significantly impacted by the expected usefulness, perceived ease of deployment and use, perceived cost and price, and hedonic motivation.

Why Does Privacy Paradox Exist?

In this exploratory study, the main aim was to find, ‘why do people disclose information when they are concerned about their privacy?’. The reasons that provide a plausible explanation to the privacy paradox have been conjectural. From the analysis of the eighteen in-depth interviews using grounded theory, themes were then conceptualized. We found rational and irrational explanations in terms of cognitive biases and heuristics that explain the privacy paradox among mobile users. We figured out some reasons in this context of mobile computing which were not emphasized earlier in the privacy paradox literature such as Peanut Effect, Fear of Missing Out- FoMo, Learned Helplessness, and Neophiliac Personality. These results add to the privacy paradox discourse and provide implications for smartphone users for making privacy-related decisions more consciously rather than inconsiderately disclosing information. Also, the results would help marketers and policymakers design nudges and choice architectures that consider privacy decision-making hurdles.

Examining the Interconnections between E-CRM, Customer Experience, Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty

This study examines the impact of electronic customer relationship management (E-CRM) on customer loyalty through the mediating effects of customer experience and customer satisfaction in the context of the banking industry. Customer experience and customer satisfaction are considered to be pre-requisite tools for improving and enhancing long-lasting relationships with customers. The study has adopted Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model as theoretical support to examine the relationships. To achieve the objectives, the data was gathered from 836 banks’ customers of India. The data was then analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) through AMOS. The results revealed that all the relationships were found to be significant and positive and also customer experience and customer satisfaction proved to be mediators on the relationship between E-CRM and customer loyalty. Thus, these empirical results will have both theoretical and managerial implications which will further provide useful insights to the bank managers to improve their long-term relationships with the customers.

E-Commerce Logistics Service Quality

With the recent developments in technology, globalization, and COVID 19 pandemic, the volume of e-commerce logistics activity has been growing rapidly. However, a literature review for this study indicated that there is a lack of research on commerce logistics service quality. This study intends to fill this gap in the literature. It aims to identify the e-commerce logistics service quality factors that affect customer satisfaction. It is also interested in identifying if there is any relationship between the satisfaction of e-commerce customers and their loyalty. Data from 1562 e-commerce customers living in Turkey were collected via a web-based survey. The results were analysed using structural equation modelling. Timeliness, order condition, order accuracy, and order discrepancy handling were found to have a positive effect on customer satisfaction. A positive relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty was also found.

Evaluating the Electronic Service Quality of E-Shops Using AHP-TOPSIS

The purpose of this study is to evaluate and rank the e-shops of the top Greek coffee-chains, based on their electronic service quality. Data were collected from experts during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Based on the E-S-QUAL model, we applied a 12-step multi-criteria decision-making methodology utilizing analytic hierarchy process (AHP), and technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). The results indicate that system availability and fulfillment are the two most crucial dimensions of the model. Protection of credit card information, webpages that do not freeze during the ordering process, delivery of the ordered items, and truthfulness about products and services offered by the e-shop are considered the most important sub-dimensions. Our findings can aid managers and practitioners focus on the most important service quality elements when developing e-commerce websites. Furthermore, our study’s results highlight the positive and negative areas of performance of the e-shops under evaluation.

Applying a Structured Industry Model Development Process to Support Digital Transformation Efforts

While business models transformed how we describe organizations, the authors apply equivalent modeling to describe industries. Specifically, the authors propose and implement a structured industry model development process (SIMDP) based on the design science research methodology (DSRM). Moreover, our novel approach conceptualizes an industry model scaffolded through academic research and managerial guidance. An industry model creates a holistic view of any target industry to a) guide digital transformation efforts, b) reveal model components and linkages that may not be immediately evident, and c) support strategic decision-making within organizations considering the expansion and refinement of existing business models. The authors demonstrate the SIMDP’s efficacy using a case study of the online learning industry and evaluate the resulting industry model. Finally, the authors suggest future research directions and discuss the practical implications of the SIMDP and its resulting artifacts.

Impact of Intermediary and Seller Trust on Consumer Repurchase and E-WOM Intentions

This study investigates the impact of intermediary and seller trust on consumers' repurchase intention and electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) intention. A total of 337 consumers with online-buying experience were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire. For the research purpose, a model was developed and tested using the PLS-SEM technique. In this instance, trust in a competent intermediary is formed on perceived benevolence and integrity. The moderating roles of demographics and purchase frequency were tested using a multigroup analysis. The results strongly support the research model, indicating that: (1) trust in competent intermediaries has a significant influence on consumers’ repurchase and e-WOM intention; (2) trust in consumer electronics (CE) sellers has an influence on repurchase intention but not e-WOM intention; and (3) age, gender positively affect the trust transference process, while purchase frequency affects e-WOM intention. This research presents new theoretical and managerial implications for online electronics marketing.

Evaluation of Barriers in the adoption of E- commerce Technology in SMEs A Fuzzy DEMATEL Approach

The main purpose of this study is to examine barriers towards e-commerce platforms in developing countries using specific analytic techniques. The present empirical analysis has its main objectives of detailed study of barriers that keep deferring them to adopt an e-commerce platform. To achieve this, the barriers were selected from an extensive literature review and expert advice from this field. Then the responses were studied using a fuzzy DEMATEL approach. The causal relationship graphs provide detailed structural interdependencies of the barriers. In this exploratory study benchmarking has come out to be the most influential barrier that needs to be practiced while adopting an e-commerce platform. Furthermore, a lack of top management commitment has also been a significant barrier in the organization while initiating an online real-time business. The result also showed that higher turnover and poor planning are the most influenced barrier among the other parameter, the sensitivity analysis of the method is conducted to validate the robustness of the results.

An Exploration of Antecedents of Initial Trust in M-Payments

This study aims to investigate factors influencing the formation of consumers' initial trust in m-payments in a developing country such as India. Despite being considered a significant pre-adoption factor, initial trust in m-payments has remained underexplored. To fulfill this research gap, a cross-sectional survey of 1,087 respondents has been conducted, and the analysis has been done using factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Results indicate that consumers' awareness about m-payments and perceived integrity of mobile service providers positively influence initial trust, whereas perceived risks have a significant negative influence, and perceived opportunism of service provider has a marginally significant influence on the formation of initial trust. The findings will be helpful to the m-payment vendors, mobile network operators, and technology providers to enhance trust-building mechanisms in mobile payment systems that can have a positive impact on the adoption and usage of m-payments.

Enhancing Perceived Credibility During a Pandemic

The way a person orders his food is the next big thing that technology aims to change. The purpose of the study is to empirically examine the factors determining the behavioral intention of customers towards online food delivery services with food delivery aggregators in India. The study has segmented the online food delivery (OFD) dimension into two domains, namely performance and experience factors. Performance factor includes technical attributes like website quality including features like ease of navigation, information quality, and interaction and control over order. Experience factor includes constructs like convenience, price value, and perceived credibility. Three hundred four questionnaires were collected to empirically test the research model using PLS path modeling and important performance matrix approach. The data was collected during pandemic period when people needed to be ensured by the service provider of the hygiene and safety protocols followed by them, ensuring credibility.