How to acquire customer loyalty in online retailing industry? An empirical study from service recovery perspective

• Published in: Electronic commerce research and applications Vol. 65; p. 101385
• Main Authors: Zhu, Xiaodong, Lu, Zhi, (Henry) Wu, Gang, Tian, Hongli
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.05.2024
• Subjects: Customer loyalty; Customer satisfaction; Online retailing; Service failure; Service recovery; Online retailing; Service recovery; Customer loyalty; Service failure; Customer satisfaction
• ISSN: 1567-4223; 1873-7846
• DOI: 10.1016/j.elerap.2024.101385

•Online retailers recognize the need to identify service failures, improve service recovery, and retain loyal customers.•The study examines how service failure attribution affects the severity of service failure in recent Chinese marketing.•The study proposes hypotheses and a theoretical model, employs a questionnaire, and evaluates with SPSS 24.0 and Amos 22.0.•Further discussions, theoretical and practical implications provide managerial implications for online retailers. With the rapid development of online retailing, retailers have recognized the importance of identifying service failures, improving service recovery, and retaining loyal customers. However, few studies have utilized an empirical study to measure the severity of service failure, service recovery, and customer loyalty. This study empirically investigates the impact of service failure attribution on the severity of service failure by using a survey in recent Chinese marketing. We propose hypotheses and a theoretical model, and extend our study with a questionnaire. Further discussions, theoretical implications, and practical implications are also discussed to provide managerial implications for online retailers.