Functional Quality and Hedonic Quality: A Study of the Dimensions of e-Service Quality in Online Travel Agencies

We attempted to clarify the dimensions of e-service quality and their role in producing perceived value and loyalty among customers of e-commerce websites. We particularly examined whether e-quality consisted of two groups of dimensions: (i) functional; or (ii) hedonic quality. Based on a survey of...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Bernardo Vilamitjana, Mercè, Marimón Viadiu, Frederic, Alonso Almeida, María del Mar
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2012
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:2445/178114
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/178114
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Agències de viatges
Sistemes en línia
Comerç electrònic
Travel agencies
Online data processing
Electronic commerce
Descripción
Sumario:We attempted to clarify the dimensions of e-service quality and their role in producing perceived value and loyalty among customers of e-commerce websites. We particularly examined whether e-quality consisted of two groups of dimensions: (i) functional; or (ii) hedonic quality. Based on a survey of 1201 online customers of Spanish travel agencies, we used structural equation modelling to show that both types of quality are distinct dimensions of e-quality and that both have positive and significant influence on perceived value. In addition, perceived value was shown to have a significant impact on loyalty, thus validating the chain from service quality-to-perceived value-to-loyalty in the context of e-commerce. The implication for e-service managers is that they must be aware of the importance of hedonic quality in seeking to attract and retain customers.