Electronic service quality: a meta-analysis

Abstract

Purpose

Research studies on electronic service quality (ESQ) have presented heterogeneous findings, with distinct effects of mediators and moderators, for instance. Hence, the purpose of this study is to present a systematic review and a quantitative integration of the main findings regarding the attributes and effects of ESQ.

Design/methodology/approach

A meta-analysis was conducted of 134 studies regarding ESQ. Based on the extant literature, authors propose a conceptual model that review quality attributes, meta-analyze their effects on general quality, perceived value, satisfaction, trust and loyalty and test the moderation of three contextual variables (i.e. mobile vs nonmobile device, online shopping vs pure service; specific site vs Internet).

Findings

Direct effects indicate that all proposed associations are significant, but with high variability, thus suggesting moderating effects. For instance, (1) type of device used by the customer, (2) type of service under analysis and (3) unit of analysis (i.e. site vs Internet) affect the relationship between quality attributes and satisfaction. This study also supported perceived value and satisfaction as relevant mediators in the link quality → loyalty.

Originality/value

This study analyses the general attributes of the ESQ construct, without the restriction of a specific model or type of service, and then tested the influence of the context. This study also shows that a substantial portion of the quality effect is transferred to loyalty through perceived value and customer satisfaction.

Citation

Lionello, R.L., Slongo, L.A. and Matos, C.A.d. (2020), "Electronic service quality: a meta-analysis", Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 38 No. 5, pp. 619-635. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-06-2019-0340