Should I stay or should I go? : A study exploring how service influence e-loyalty

Abstract: Being an e-retailer within the Swedish fashion e-commerce industry while the biggest change in relationship marketing since the industrial revolution takes place, e-loyalty can be claimed to be more crucial than ever before. The ability influencing customer being loyal is claimed to be harder within e-commerce compared to traditional physical stores and also claimed to be more expensive. With this presented, knowing what influences e-loyalty can be a decisive advantage. Previous research has been conducted and showed as stated, customer trust and satisfaction have a positive relationship to customer loyalty and profitability of organizations. But in order to achieve a higher level of e-loyalty, this study aims to develop an understanding of how service can influence e-loyalty. Based on the theoretical framework in addition with the conducted informal discussion with practitioners within the studied industry, a conceptual model has been created. To test this model, a questionnaire was created and answered by 95 students at Kristianstad University. Through this, the collected data was evaluate and brought the conclusion that some factors previous literature has identified can be questioned. Therefore, more extensive research can be necessary in order to better understand the scientific gaps in the field. As the results indicate a variation within the control variable shopping frequency, we suggest that future research focuses on evaluating this variable further. With better understanding the different potential customers, a higher level of e-loyalty can be achieved.