Perceptions of Technical and Social Presence Towards Customers Trust and Value: Click-And-Brick Versus Pure-Click Retailers

Abstract

Manuscript type: Empirical Research Aims: Sellers/retailers understand that there is always a risk behind the online interaction (e.g., anonymity or proximity) and respond with the multi-platform commercial channel (click-and-brick). The click-and-brick (multi-channel) retailers gain, relatively, an immense prominence and rivalry from the pure-click (single-channel) retailers as the consequences. The present study attempts to measure the impacts of both retailers' (multi & single) web-features on trust & value perceptions. Design: Utilizing structural equation modelling, the current study recruited 565 experienced respondents to provide primary data. Research Findings: These empirical findings/evidence provide one, among several others, insight (recommendation) to pure-click retailers in developing and promoting offline presence thus weathering the competition from multi-channel retailers. Theoretical Contribution: Authors proposed online loyalty construct into the online consumer behaviour. However, they ultimately concluded that the employed e-service features produced insignificant influence on the patron’s e-loyalty. Instead of the e-loyalty variable, the perceived value construct is introduced in the recent study. Research Limitation: The limitation of present study originates from the research scope which revolves around customer's perception on real-life retailer's brand. The question remains if the retailer's unresolved negative performance could overwrite the perceived value and make them prone to brand-switching.