Measuring consumer perceptions of online shopping convenience

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the key convenience dimensions of online shopping, as convenience has been one of the principal motivations underlying customer inclinations to adopt online shopping.Design/methodology/approachThe authors first employ in‐depth focus group interviews with online consumers to identify the attributes of online shopping convenience and then develop and validate an instrument of five key dimensions to measure online shopping convenience by analyzing data collected via a Web‐based questionnaire survey.FindingsThe five dimensions of online shopping convenience are: access, search, evaluation, transaction, and possession/post‐purchase convenience.Practical implicationsOnline retailers can employ the five‐factor measurement instrument to assess the degree of customer perceived online shopping convenience. This instrument can assist managers in identifying and overcoming key obstacles to the delivery of a highly convenient online shopping service to customers, and also helps them enlarge their loyal customer base.Originality/valueThis study focuses on uncovering the key dimensions of convenience and their associated sub‐dimensions specific to the context of online shopping. Theoretically, the identified dimensions and their related sub‐items comprise a validated scale for measuring Web‐based service convenience and can serve as building blocks for further studies in e‐commerce customer relationship management.