1、毕设论文样例3 正文+参考文献Building Consumer Loyalty in B2C E-commerce: The Business Perspective1 IntroductionAccording to the U.S. Census Bureaus Monthly Retail Trade Survey, Internet retail sales for 2000 were $25.8 billion, or 49% higher than 1999 sales of $17.3 billion (Reichheld, 2000, p.105). This rapid g
2、rowth of e-retailing reflects the compelling advantages that it offers over conventional brick-and-mortar stores. However, e-retailing also comes with its own set of challenges. Competing businesses in the world of electronic commerce are only a few mouse clicks away. As a result, consumers are able
3、 to compare and contrast competing products and services with minimal expenditure of personal time or effort. According to Kuttner (1998, p.20), “The Internet is a nearly perfect market because information is instantaneous and buyers can compare the offerings of sellers worldwide. The result is fier
4、ce price competition and vanishing brand loyalty.” Given the reduction in information asymmetries between sellers and buyers, there is a growing interest in understanding the bases of consumer loyalty in online environments.From a sellers perspective, consumer loyalty has been recognized as a key pa
5、th to profitability. The Harvard Business School estimates that a 5% increase in consumer loyalty can increase your profitability by 25-80% (Reichheld, 1993, p.64). The high cost of acquiring customers renders many customer relationships unprofitable during early transactions. Only during later tran
6、sactions, when the cost of serving loyal customers falls, do relationships generate profits. With millions of websites clamoring for attention, e-vendors have a tenuous hold at best on a large number of “eyeballs.” In order to reap the benefits of loyal customer base, e-vendors need to develop a tho
7、rough understanding of the antecedents of e-loyalty, that is, consumer loyalty to a business that sells online. Such an understanding can help e-vendors gain a competitive advantage by devising strategies to increase e-loyalty. The main objectives of this thesis are therefore to identify those manag
8、erially actionable factors that impact e-loyalty and investigate the nature of their impact.This article is structured as follows. First, the basic concepts of consumer loyalty in traditional business as well as e-loyalty are discussed. The factors that may lead to e-loyalty are explored. Then the c
9、onsequences of e-loyalty are suggested. Finally, some advice to building e-loyalty is proposed accordingly.2 Consumer Loyalty: Basic Concepts 2.1 Consumer Loyalty in Traditional BusinessBased on the literature reviewed, consumer loyalty is defined as the totality of feelings or attitudes that would
10、incline a customer to consider the re-purchase of a particular product, service or brand or re-visit a particular company, shop or website. Consumer loyalty has always been critical to business success and profitability. Engendering and enhancing consumer loyalty is a core objective of loyalty marke
11、tinga strategy employed by businesses in order to increase the loyalty of customers and other stakeholders in the drive to meet and exceed commercial objectives.The fundamental assumption in loyalty marketing is that keeping existing customers is considerably less expensive than acquiring new ones.
12、The Harvard Business School claimed that only a 5% improvement in customer retention can lead to an increase in profitability between 25% and 85% (Reichheld, 1993, p.64), depending upon industry sector. Therefore increased “consumer loyalty” has a direct relationship with increased profitability. In
13、creased “consumer loyalty” has a direct relationship with increased profitability. 2.2 Consumer Loyalty in B2C E-commercee-LoyaltyThe concept of e-loyalty extends the traditional concept of loyalty to online consumer behavior. E-loyalty can be defined as feelings or attitudes that incline a customer
14、 to re-visit a website for information, communication or entertainment purposes, or to re-purchase a particular product or service from an online business. While many online business models exist, e-loyalty is critical to business success and profitability. E-loyalty is generally similar with consum
15、er loyalty; increased e-loyalty also has a direct relationship with increased profitability. Although the internet can help e-vendors find more customers, but internet based loyalty marketing have a low switching cost, it is also a risk for e-vendor, because customers just need to click the mouse, a
16、nd then they can find out many e-venders in internet, they can switch everywhere, therefore they less possible to become commitment customers, so the consumer loyalty is more difficult to establish in e-marketing. 3 The Status Quo of Consumer Loyalty in B2C E-commerceAnderson and Srinivasan (2002) i
17、nvestigate consumer loyalty in the context of e-commerce and define consumer loyalty as a customers favorable attitude toward the e-vendor that leads to repeat buying behavior. Although the underlying theoretical foundations of traditional loyalty and the newly defined phenomena of e-loyalty are gen
18、erally similar, they have unique aspects related to Internet based marketing and buyer behavior. Research concerning the antecedents of e-store loyalty is scarce (Balabanis et al., 2006). However, a number of practitioner oriented studies have investigated how to build loyalty online. For example, M
19、obasher et al. (2000, p.142) find that Internet firms have a growing ability to tailor their customer interfaces and services to specific needs via personalization technologies; it is hoped that these technologies will enhance customer lock in and retention. Furthermore, Srinivasan et al. (2002, p.4
20、2) identify customization, contact interactivity, cultivation, care, community, choice and character as generating e-loyalty. These factors use online environmental characteristics to facilitate customers abilities to access and find out about products of interest to them (Balabanis et al., 2006, p.
21、215). Wang and Emurian (2005, p.105) indicate that Internet users admit to making intuitive and on-the-spot decisions when shopping online based on the merchants online websites.4 Factors Leading to e-LoyaltyThe author has got the conclusion from literatures research that customer satisfaction, cust
22、omer trust and switching cost will make sense in the forming process of E-loyalty. Besides, customer satisfaction includes customization, convenience, character and care. Customer trust forming by reputation, security, community and contact interactivity. 4.1 Satisfaction Recent studies have demonst
23、rated that satisfaction is an antecedent of e-loyalty, with increased satisfaction leading to increased e-loyalty. .Satisfaction is one of the most important consumer reactions in Internet shopping, and its importance is reflected in the ability to help build consumer loyalty, enhance favorable word
24、 of mouth, lead to repeat purchases and improve the companys market share and profitability. After literatures studies, author got a conclusion that there have four secondary factors which under customer satisfaction also have impact e-loyalty. The four factors are customization, convenience, charac
25、ter, and care.4.1.1 CustomizationCustomization is the ability of an e-vendor to tailor products, services, and the transactional environment to individual customers. In the current study, customization is operationally defined as the extent to which an e-vendors website can recognize a customer and
26、then tailor the choice of products, services, and shopping experience for that customer.There are multiple reasons why customization is expected to affect e-loyalty. Customization increases the probability that customers will find something that they wish to buy. A survey by NetSmart Research indica
27、ted that 83% of Web surfers are frustrated or confused when navigating sites (Lidsky, 1999, p.98). By personalizing its site, an e-vendor can reduce this frustration. Customization also creates the perception of increased choice by enabling a quick focus on what the customer really wants. In additio
28、n, customization can signal high quality and lead to a better real match between customer and product. Finally, individuals are able to complete their transactions more efficiently when the site is customized. A large product selection can, in fact, irritate consumers and drive them to use simplisti
29、c decision rules to narrow down the alternatives. 4.1.2 ConvenienceConvenience refers to the extent to which a customer feels that the website is simple, intuitive, and user friendly. Accessibility of information and simplicity of the transaction processes are important antecedents to the successful
30、 completion of transactions. The quality of the website is particularly important because, for e-vendor, it represents the central, or even the only interface with the marketplace.According to Schaffer (2000, p.194), 30% of the consumers who leave a website without purchasing anything do so because
31、they are unable to find their way through the site. Sinioukov (1999, p.53) suggested that enabling consumers to search for information easily and making the information readily accessible and visible is the key to creating a successful e-retailing business. If customers are frustrated in their effor
32、ts to seek information or consummate transactions, they are less likely to come back. A website that is logical and convenient to use will also minimize the likelihood that customers make mistakes and will make their shopping experience more satisfying. These outcomes will likely enhance customer e-
33、loyalty.4.1.3 CharacterCreative website design can help an e-vendor build a positive reputation and characterization for itself in the minds of consumers.Character can be defined as an overall image or personality that the e-vendor projects to consumers through the use of inputs such as text, style, graphics, colors, logos, and slogan
