Online Customer Experience and Its Influence on EPatronage Intentions in Online Shopping of Digital Products A Customer Perspective

Abstract

newline The present study has developed a conceptual model of online customer experience (hereafter OCX) by identifying its various dimensions from the customer perspective. Recently, OCX has been conceptualized as a multidimensional construct consisting of four dimensions: cognition, affection, social presence, and sensory appeal by defining it as the customer s subjective, multidimensional psychological responses to a product s presentation online (Bleier et al., 2019, p. 98). Improving the OCX has become a core task for online retailers to gain a competitive advantage (Gentile et al., 2007). Retailers endeavor to create superior experiences for their customers to enhance many crucial marketing relevant outcomes like customer satisfaction (Pham and Ahammad, 2017), perceived value (Dai and Salam 2020), loyalty (Pandey and Chawla, 2018; Kim et al., 2019), WOM (Klaus and Maklan, 2013), patronage intentions (Wang et al., 2007; Shobeiri et al., 2018), purchase/repurchase intentions (Rose et al., 2012; Bleier et al., 2019), etc. Prior research explored OCX by taking a service-dominant logic approach (Vargo and Lusch, 2004, 2008) and hence, focused more on the service providers rather than the customers (Heinonen et al., 2010, Tynan et al., 2014). So, the conceptualization of OCX from the customer perspective is still in a nascent stage. newlineFor the past two decades, the concept of OCX has gained much attention from both academicians and practitioners. The OCX and its relationship with other related constructs are contextually driven. That urged researchers to study it in various contexts like website navigations (Novak et al., 2000; Rose et al., 2011, 2012), online shopping (Kukkar-Kinney and Close, 2010; Trevinal and Stenger, 2014), online purchasing (Holloway et al., 2005), brand consumption and community experience (Schouten et al., 2007; Nambisan and Watt, 2011), etc. Yet, understanding of OCX and its phenomenon is limited due to a lack of conceptual clarity (Kranzbuhler et al., 2018).