Measuring electronic service quality in India using E-S-QUAL

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the applicability of electronic service quality instrument, E-S-QUAL, in e-commerce industry in India. Additionally, the efficacy of the instrument is also examined for two sub-groups of users based on frequency of usage. Design/methodology/approach Field research was conducted with a modified version of the instrument. The data collected were analyzed using multivariate techniques. Findings The study confirms the validity of the four dimensions (efficiency, fulfillment, system availability, and privacy) of E-S-QUAL instrument. All four dimensions were found to be significant predictors of perceived value. Efficiency and fulfillment were significant predictors of overall perceived quality. Perceived value had a positive and significant relationship with loyalty. The two relationships were further examined for two sub-groups of web users based on the frequency of usage. For heavy users of websites, all four dimensions were significant predictors of perceived value. For predicting perceived value in respect of light users of website, efficiency, fulfillment, and privacy were important determinants. The relationships among latent constructs were checked using structural equation modeling and the model was found to be acceptable. The result showed that electronic service quality affected perceived value, which, in turn, affected loyalty toward a website. Originality/value This paper makes an attempt to replicate the four dimensions structure of E-S-QUAL instrument on online shopping sites in India thus enhancing its external generalizability. Additionally, the paper investigates the association of the four aforesaid dimensions with perceived value and overall perceived quality for two sub-groups of users: frequent and non-frequent. The cornerstone of this particular study is to examine the frequency of usage as deterministic parameter for perceived value and overall perceived quality.