A Conceptual Model of Factors Affecting the Satisfaction of Online Customers

Abstract

Customer satisfaction has been identified as an important phenomenon in relation to online shopping. Therefore, the investigation of what cause customer satisfaction is becoming paramount for online businesses. Although prior studies have examined this area, there is no agreement among them as to what really affects online customer satisfaction. Further, there are contradictory findings. Thus, previous studies remain broad and appear relatively fragmented. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a conceptual model to identify the determinants which would better reflect online customer satisfaction. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify the determinants of customer satisfaction in an online context. The literature review revealed that there are forty-five determinants which have been tested by different researchers. Amongst them, the researchers selected the most cited five determinants to develop the conceptual model. Those determinants included: Website design, Security perception, Customer service, Product information quality, and Purchasing process convenience. A conceptual model was developed illustrating the relationship between aforementioned determinants and online customer satisfaction. The validity of the model will be tested statistically in future research.