Should online retailers emphasize efficiency or experience? First insights on the evolution and heterogeneity of website attributes

El-Manstrly, Dahlia; Herhausen, Dennis; Guha, Abhijit; Blut, Markus; Grewal, Dhruv

Abstract

Anecdotal evidence indicates a notable shift in online consumer expectations, emphasizing a desire for an enjoyable online shopping experience, beyond convenience and efficiency. This insight thus prompts key questions: Should retailers emphasize efficiency-related or experience-related website attributes, and in which contexts might one priority be superior to the other for encouraging consumer loyalty? The present study provides initial insights into the evolution of the effectiveness of different website attributes and heterogeneity in their effects. Using a rich data set, spanning vastly different contexts and time periods, the authors detect new, evolving patterns by which different website attributes relate to customer loyalty. Experience-related attributes have become more important than efficiency-related attributes in recent years, with some noteworthy contingencies, such that they are especially impactful for services (vs. products) and in cultures with long-term (vs. short-term), high (vs. low) self-indulgence, and high (vs. low) masculinity orientations. The increasing importance of experience-related attributes is driven by cultures with a low (vs. high) uncertainty avoidance. These insights in turn offer practical implications for retailers navigating the challenges associated with designing their websites to drive customer loyalty.

Citation

El-Manstrly, D., Herhausen, D., Guha, A., Blut, M., & Grewal, D. (2024). Should online retailers emphasize efficiency or experience? First insights on the evolution and heterogeneity of website attributes. Journal of Retailing, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2024.03.002

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 25, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Apr 10, 2024
• Publication Date: Apr 10, 2024
• Deposit Date: Apr 11, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 11, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Retailing
• Print ISSN: 0022-4359
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2024.03.002
• Keywords: Marketing
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2381991