Conceptualising Online Marketplace Service Quality and Investigating Its Relevance for Customer Loyalty
(A2020-64067)

AUTHORS

Bastian Popp, Saarland University; Florian Weyerhäuser, Saarland University

KEYWORDS

online marketplace service quality; consumer-marketplace identification; customer loyalty

ABSTRACT

Online marketplaces are currently dominating e-commerce and are growing faster than the overall industry. This research extends the domain of service quality and existing approaches for measuring service quality to conceptualise perceived service quality of online marketplaces. In particular, service quality is modelled as a third-order factor which comprises distinct, actionable service quality dimensions. An empirical study among 174 users of leading online marketplaces in Germany is used both to test this conceptualisation and to identify the dimensions which influence service quality most. The structural model further integrates customer loyalty and consumers’ identification with the marketplace to reveal that service quality substantially determines loyalty intentions. A significant effect of marketplace identification on customer loyalty implies that, besides strengthening service quality, building a strong marketplace brand is a promising strategy for marketplace operators.