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Purchasing behaviour in an online supermarket: The applicability of E-S-QUAL

Vidgen, Richard; Marimon, Frederic; Barnes, Stuart; Cristóbal, Eduard

Authors

Richard Vidgen

Frederic Marimon

Stuart Barnes

Eduard Cristóbal



Abstract

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to assess the applicability of the four dimensions of online service quality, as proposed in the E-S-QUAL scale, to the setting of an online supermarket; and, second, to propose and test a model that links these e-quality dimensions with loyalty and purchasing behaviour in the setting of an online supermarket. An online questionnaire was used to survey 131 customers of an online Spanish supermarket using the E-S-QUAL scale. The data were analysed by exploratory factor analysis to test the applicability of the E-S-QUAL scale to the setting of an online supermarket and generate an extended model (including constructs for ‘perceived value’, ‘loyalty’ and ‘actual purchases’). The model was then checked by structural equation modelling (SEM). The four dimensions proposed by the E-S-QUAL scale were confirmed in the setting of an online Spanish supermarket. The influence of these various quality dimensions on perceived value, loyalty and actual purchases are delineated here. The study reassures online vendors that E-S-QUAL is an appropriate instrument by which to measure online service quality. The study also provides empirical evidence that high levels of e-service quality have a positive influence on purchasing behaviour. The study is the first to provide definitive empirical evidence of the commonly presumed linkage between the quality dimensions proposed in the E-S-QUAL scale and the constructs of loyalty and actual – not self-reported – purchase behaviour.

Citation

Vidgen, R., Marimon, F., Barnes, S., & Cristóbal, E. (2010). Purchasing behaviour in an online supermarket: The applicability of E-S-QUAL. International journal of market research : the journal of the Market Research Society / MRS, 52(1), 111-129. https://doi.org/10.2501/S1470785310201089

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Jan 1, 2010
Deposit Date Nov 13, 2014
Journal International Journal Of Market Research
Print ISSN 1470-7853
Publisher World Advertising Research Center
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 52
Issue 1
Pages 111-129
DOI https://doi.org/10.2501/S1470785310201089
Keywords Marketing; Economics and Econometrics; Business and International Management
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/468135
Publisher URL http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.2501/S1470785310201089
Contract Date Nov 13, 2014