Al Adwan

278 Int. J. Electronic Marketing and Retailing, Vol. 11, No.
3, 2020
Building customer loyalty in online shopping:

the role of online trust, online satisfaction and
electronic word of mouth
Ahmad Samed Al-Adwan*

Department of Electronic Business and Commerce,
Business School,
Al-Ahliyya Amman University,
P.O. Box 19328, Amman, Jordan
Email: a.adwan@ammanu.edu.jo
*Corresponding author
Husam Kokash and Ahmad Al Adwan

Department of Marketing,
Business School,
Email: h.kokash@ammanu.edu.jo
Email: a.aladwan@ammanu.edu.jo
Alaa Alhorani
Department of Finance and Accounting,
Business School,
Email: ahorani@ammanu.edu.jo
Husam Yaseen
Department of Information Systems,
Business School,
Email: yassen.h@ammanu.edu.jo
Abstract: Various scholars have empirically investigated customer beliefs

regarding satisfaction, loyalty and trust in the context of B2C e-commerce in
several countries. However, the number of investigations into such important
aspects of e-commerce in developing Arab countries, such as Jordan, is limited.
Therefore, the main aim of this study is to explore the main factors that affect
the degree to which consumers in Jordan are satisfied with, loyal to and trust
B2C e-commerce. This research relies on previous and related literature to
formulate a conceptual research model that proposes relationships between
online trust, satisfaction and loyalty, and their determinants. To examine the
Copyright © 2020 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Building customer loyalty in online shopping 279
proposed model, a self-administered paper-based survey questionnaire was

issued to B2C e-commerce customers in a Jordanian private university. The
findings suggest that customer loyalty to B2C e-commerce in Jordan is
significantly influenced by online customer satisfaction, electronic word of
mouth (eWOM) and online trust.
Keywords: online loyalty; online shopping; e-commerce; online satisfaction;

online trust; information quality; social commerce; electronic word of mouth;
eWOM.
Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Al-Adwan, A.S.,

Kokash, H., Al Adwan, A., Alhorani, A. and Yaseen, H. (2020) ‘Building
customer loyalty in online shopping: the role of online trust, online satisfaction
and electronic word of mouth’, Int. J. Electronic Marketing and Retailing,
Vol. 11, No. 3, pp.278–306.
Biographical notes: Ahmad Samed Al-Adwan is the Chairman of Information

Systems and Electronic Business and Commerce Departments and an Associate
Professor of Information Systems, Business School at Al-Ahliyya Amman
University, Jordan. He received his PhD in Management Information Systems
Studies/E-Business, and MSc in Information Technology Management from
the University of Wales, UK. He is particularly interested in using management
information systems to inform long-lasting developments in ICTs. His research
interests include user acceptance of ICT and information systems, modelling
ICT, e-learning, SME, management information systems, e-commerce,
knowledge management, m-commerce, educational technology, e-business, and
healthcare information technology. His research has been published in several
international journals in the UK, the USA and Canada.
Husam Kokash is the Chairman of Marketing Department and an Assistant

Professor of Marketing at the Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Jordan. He
received his PhD in Marketing and Markets’ Research from the Malaga
University – Spain. He has an extensive experience in teaching, leading
educational teams, designing academic curricula academic quality assurance
and international accreditation. He published in many international journals and
his research interest includes: social media marketing, online marketing,
service quality, integrated marketing communications, applied marketing in
services’ sectors such as tourism marketing and financial marketing strategies.
Ahmad Al Adwan is an Assistant Professor of Online Marketing; he is

currently the Head of Marketing Department at the Al-Ahliyya Amman
University, Jordan. He received his Doctorate in Online Marketing from the
Curtin University Australia, and completed his Master’s degree MAA at the
Central Queensland University Australia, his research interest in online
marketing , branding , C.R.M , consumer behaviour marketing communication.
Alaa Alhorani is currently an Associate Professor of Accounting and Finance at

the Al-Ahliyya Amman University (AAU). He obtained his PhD from the
Manchester Business School in 2001. He has published articles in many
reputable journals. Since 2001, he worked for the Al-Ahliyya Amman
University, Jordan, Prince Sultan University in Saudi Arabia and Ernst and
Young in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He has extensive experience in teaching,
designing academic curricula, academic quality assurance and international
accreditation.
280 A.S. Al-Adwan et al.
Husam Yaseen is an Assistant Professor of Information Systems at the

Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Jordan. He completed his PhD degree at the
University of Portsmouth, UK. His research interests lie in the area of digital
marketing, e-commerce development and implementation, and online customer
behaviour.
1 Introduction
The development of the worldwide web (WWW) and the internet are two of the most
notable advances in the field of information communication technology (ICT). In Jordan
and throughout the world access to the internet, the utilisation of e-commerce services is
increasing. According to the Jordanian ministry of telecommunication (2017), the use of
internet in Jordan is significantly growing and there is more than 8 million internet users,
representing more than 80% of the total population. Furthermore, total spending on
e-commerce services in Jordan in 2014 was 200 million US dollars which is a remarkable
increase, growing by 30% compared to 2013. According to the Department of Statistics
(2017) in Jordan, the proportion of e-commerce users is 4.8% in 2017, a 3.6% increase
compared with 1.2% in 2016. Algharabat et al. (2017) point out that 1.6 million Jordanian
customers are engaging in online shopping to purchase different kinds of products and
services. Such figures show that Jordan is an appropriate environment for e-commerce
activities.
Globally, customer retention and loyalty is linked to the sustainable growth and
profitability of firms (Awan and Rehman, 2014) because increases in customer retention
rates can lead to a rise in profits (Torres-Moraga et al., 2008). It is argued that loyal
customers visit their favourite websites more often than non-loyal customers. In addition,
loyal customers spend more money on products and services provided by companies to
whom they are loyal (Molinillo et al., 2017; Chou et al., 2015). It is also claimed that
35%–40% of sales revenue from e-commerce websites is generated from regular
customers. Subsequently, online customer loyalty (OCL) is recognised as a fundamental
strength for online-retailers (Lee-Kelly et al., 2003). The acquisition of loyal customers in
online environments is a costly and challenging process which could result in
unprofitable relations with customers for some time. According to Reibstein (2002),
one-time-visit customers may not repurchase, so it is important to identify the main
factors that affect OCL.
Previous studies (Rao et al., 2011; Molinillo et al., 2017) reveal that online-retailers
struggle to retain customers despite the current steady evolution in B2C e-commerce.
While there are undoubtedly challenges that are common to both traditional retailers and
online-retailers, online-retailers face greater competition since their internet competitors
are only a click away (Kuster et al., 2016). Hence, the process of attracting and
maintaining online buyers who browse in virtual stores is viewed as a complex and
difficult task. In increasingly competitive online environments, online-vendors face many
obstacles to retaining customers, particularly when there is no motivation for online
customers to visit and remain loyal to a specific e-commerce website. So, online retailers
require adequate procedures to attract and retain them. To improve the loyalty of
customers, it is essential that retailers maximise their customers’ trust and satisfaction.
Therefore, the current study represents an empirical investigation into customers’ loyalty
to, satisfaction with and trust in B2C e-commerce.
Recognising the significance of customer retention in the e-commerce environment,
there are studies that empirically investigate consumer trust, loyalty and satisfaction with
B2C e-commerce services in many countries (Kim et al., 2009; Cyr, 2008; Flavian and
Guinaliu, 2006; Park and Kim, 2003). In the context of developing countries, a limited
number of studies have been conducted to investigate online customers’ loyalty in Iran,
India and Keniya (Shafiee and Bazargan, 2018; Husain, 2017; Oumar et al., 2017).
Moreover, apart from the research of Eid (2011), there are limited empirical studies into
the determinants of e-commerce customers’ trust, satisfaction and loyalty in developing
Arab countries, such as Jordan. In Jordan, several scholars have investigated the factors
that drive the adoption of various information systems and technologies such as
educational technology (Al-Adwan et al., 2018a, 2018b; Al-Adwan and Smedley,
2012), healthcare information technology (Al-adwan and Berger, 2015), and
e-commerce/m-commerce (Al-Adwan et al., 2019). Therefore, the driving force of the
current research is to identify the main influences that effect e-commerce customers’
loyalty, trust and satisfaction in Jordan. Furthermore, it focuses on exploring whether
user interface quality (UIQ), security, electronic word of mouth (eWOM), privacy and
information quality are major determinants of both customers’ trust and satisfaction.
Additionally, the study aims to explore whether these factors are indirect predictors of
online loyalty in B2C e-commerce. Accordingly, this research aims to answer the
following questions:
1 Do Jordanian customers recognise information quality, privacy, website UIQ,
eWOM and security as key factors affecting both online trust and satisfaction?
2 Do Jordanian customers believe that eWOM, online customer trust (OCT) and
satisfaction are fundamental factors affecting customer loyalty?
After a critical review of the related literature, it seems that no studies have been
conducted in Jordan to explore the effects of online customers’ trust and satisfaction on
customer loyalty to B2C e-commerce. Exploring, determining and understanding the key
factors that affect e-commerce customer loyalty helps e-retailers to concentrate their
efforts on important aspects of their e-commerce activities which help to maximise
customer retention.
The findings of this research are expected to be relevant and beneficial to the different
businesses offering e-commerce services in Jordan. From an academic point of view, the
current study presents an insightful comprehension that will lead to an enhanced
understanding of the effects of different factors that predict OCL in Jordan, a developing
Middle Eastern country. This study contributes to the literature on e-commerce research
in many ways. Firstly, it enhances the understanding of the influence of information
quality, electronic privacy, website user interface design, electronic security, eWOM on
both online trust and satisfaction. Secondly, this study provides a solid basis for
comparing the relationships between online trust, loyalty and satisfaction in the Jordanian
context with those in the international context.
2 Literature review
Fishbein and Ajzen’s (1975) theory of reasoned action (TRA) clarifies the interactions
between intentions, behaviours and attitudes. The TRA suggests several assumptions.
Mainly, it proposes that the availability of information is the main driving force for
humans when making rational decisions. Additionally, it assumes that the best direct
predictor of human behaviour is their intention, which reflects a cognitive demonstration
of willingness to make behaviour. Therefore, the quality of information offered by an
e-commerce website can influence the intention to purchase. Furthermore, when an
e-commerce website offers accurate and reliable information, online-shoppers’
satisfaction and trust will be increased. This is due to a reduction in the perceived risk
which simultaneously enhances the users’ knowledge of the company and its products,
which in turn may encourage them to buy online (Molinillo et al., 2017; Winch and
Joyce, 2006). Hence, trust and satisfaction in e-commerce websites can greatly influence
consumers’ retention rates and subsequently their loyalty (Hsu et al., 2015; Shin et al.,
2013).
According to Fishbein and Ajzen (1975), the TRA model postulates that the beliefs of
an individual towards a specific behaviour are directly influenced by his/her intention to
perform the given behaviour. Mayer et al. (1995) modified the TRA model to fit the
purpose of modelling customer trust. Additionally, McKnight et al. (2002) utilised both
the TRA model and Davis’ (1989) technology acceptance model (TAM) to develop a
model of e-commerce customer trust. The TAM proposes that the users’ intention to
accept the use of a new information system or technology is driven by their perceptions
of its ease of use and usefulness. It is suggested that trusting intentions arise from the
formulation of trusting beliefs, such as perceptions of specific vendor website attributes,
and consequently this affects trust-related behaviour (McKnight et al., 2002).
Oliver (1980) proposed the expectation-confirmation theory (ECT) to investigate
consumers repurchase behaviour and satisfaction levels. The ECT posits that before
purchase, consumers have expectations, and after a specific period of consumption they
form perceptions regarding the performance of the purchased product or service.
Subsequently, consumers will determine their degree of satisfaction based on the level to
which their expectations are confirmed by comparing the actual performance of the
product or service and their initial expectations of its performance. As a result, highly
satisfied consumers develop positive repurchasing intentions. Likewise, once customers’
expectations have been confirmed and trust in an e-commerce website has been
developed, customers are keen to repurchase from the website.
2.1 Online customer loyalty

Chang and Chen (2009, p.412) define customer loyalty as “a customer’s favourable
attitude towards an e-commerce website that predisposes the customer to repeat their
buying behaviour.” Customer loyalty as a behavioural intention is referred to as a strong
commitment by customers to regularly repurchase a favourite service or product in the
future (Hidayat et al., 2016). In addition, such a commitment makes customers choose the
same brand irrespective of any advertising efforts and situational effects that directs them
to switch to another brand. OCL (or the retention of online customers) is deemed an
important necessity for online-vendors. Reichheld and Schefter (2000) state that the
process of attracting new custom costs vendors 20%–40% more than it costs them to
serve an equivalent traditional market. Therefore, to recover such costs and make a profit,
online vendors must put more effort into increasing customer loyalty by convincing
customers to return to make more purchases from their website (Gefen, 2002).
In business, loyalty towards service providers and brands is greater when their
services are selected online rather than offline (Husain, 2017). Xu et al. (2011) confirm
that customer loyalty is a critical factor for the subsistence of online businesses. The
success of many renowned websites (e.g., Amazon.com) is due to their ability to sustain
high levels of customer loyalty (Gefen, 2002). Loyalty is deemed to be a critical factor
for the success of e-commerce models or websites (Reichheld and Schefter, 2000).
Loyalty represents a customer’s intention to frequently conduct business with an online
vendor and recommend it to peers. Thus, customer loyalty is recognised as an important
aspect for the different players in e-commerce (Eid, 2011).
User interface refers to the channels through which consumers communicate with
online service providers (Gummerus et al., 2004). According to Al-Manasra et al. (2013),
the quality of the user interface directly influences customer satisfaction. The quality of
the user interface represents the physical evidence of effortless use of the service as well
as the service providers’ competence (Kokash, 2012). Additionally, it has been proposed
that the quality of a user interface has a direct and significant effect on trust (Gummerus
et al., 2004; Hidayat et al., 2016). Due to its significance for customer satisfaction, Tan
et al. (2009) identify a set of important factors for building an effective B2C e-commerce
website. Interface design, ease of navigation and the simplicity of user guidance influence
the development of consumer trust (Roy et al., 2001).
Srinivasan et al. (2002) posit that customer loyalty is influenced by the interactivity of
e-commerce applications. Cyr (2008) investigated the impact of user interface design
factors (i.e., navigation, visual, information design) of B2C e-commerce websites on
satisfaction and trust in three developed countries (China, Germany and Canada). The
findings reveal that these elements of user interface design are major predictors of
satisfaction with and trust in e-commerce websites in these countries. Furthermore, Alam
and Yasin (2010), confirm that in Malaysia the design of the user interface of a website is
associated with customer satisfaction.
Park and Kim (2003) point out that the quality of information about the services or
products in online environments affect customer opinions of the quality of the services or
products. It has been argued by McKnight et al. (2002) that the quality of content on a
website is an important determinant of online customers’ trust. Moreover, it is found that
information quality has a direct influence on customer satisfaction (Park and Kim, 2003).
Cyr’s (2008) study suggests varied results among different cultures. In Germany, China
and Canada, website satisfaction is influenced by information design, which also
influences trust in Canada, but not in China or Germany.
Security perceptions relate to the customers’ views regarding the reliability of
payment methods, data storage and transmission mechanisms (Flavian and Guinaliu,
2006). The perception of a lack of security is recognised as a risk and a fundamental
burden to the development of successful e-commerce (Thaw et al., 2009). Online trust is
linked to users’ perceptions of website security and the ability to handle their private data
(Flavian and Guinaliu, 2006). It is suggested by Warrington et al. (2000) that consumers’
trust in a website can be increased by enhancing security and reducing any perceived
environmental risks.
Perceived privacy (PP) is defined by Goodwin (1991) as “consumer’s ability to

control the presence of other people in the environment during a market transaction or
consumption behaviour and the dissemination of information related to or provided
during such transactions or behaviours to those who were not present.” Trust is affected
by consumers’ perception of privacy and their ability to control their private data on the
internet (Flavian and Guinalyu, 2006). According to Eid (2011), privacy is considered a
vital factor for the acquisition and retention of online customers. Therefore, privacy is
recognised as a decisive factor for customer satisfaction in e-commerce environments.
Coulter and Coulter (2002) define customer trust as a set of views and beliefs held by
online consumers regarding the specific characteristics of online-retailers and affect their
future behaviour. Trust motivates online purchasing and influences customers’ decisions
to purchase from online-retailers (Bauboniene and Guleviciute, 2015). According to
Chaudhuri and Holbrook (2001), loyalty is part of the continual process of sustaining a
significant and valued relationship that has been developed by trust. Cyr’s (2008) study
reveals that in China and Germany website trust is associated with loyalty, but this is not
the case in Canada. Moreover, the findings of a longitudinal study conducted in the USA
demonstrate that trust is correlated with OCL (Kim et al., 2009).
Customer satisfaction reflects the extent to which customers are satisfied with the
purchased product or service. In agreement with Zins (2001), it is anticipated that the
more a customer is satisfied, the greater their loyalty. Nevertheless, the influence of
customer satisfaction on loyalty is complex. Fisher (2001) believes that customer
satisfaction represents only one aspect of why customers change service or product
providers. Whereas, Anderson et al. (1994) indicate that customer satisfaction is an
important driving force in shaping loyalty. Furthermore, both perceive value and trust, as
created by the company, as reinforcing the influence of satisfaction on e-commerce
loyalty (Anderson and Srinivasan, 2003). Studies in Germany, China and Canada confirm
that website satisfaction is linked to loyalty (Cyr, 2008).
Oliver (1999, p.34) defines customer loyalty as “a deeply held commitment to re-buy
or re-patronise a preferred product or service consistently in the future, thereby causing
repetitive same brand or same brand set purchasing, despite situational influences and
marketing efforts having the potential to cause switching behaviour.” Loyal customers in
e-commerce are viewed as being tremendously important. Nowadays, online-retailers
pursue information that helps them to build effective customer loyalty. Simultaneously,
loyal customers need more information and they are also considered as an information
source for other customers.
Therefore, developing OCL is a key challenge in B2C e-commerce environments.
Numerous factors are proposed as antecedents of customer loyalty. Pavlou (2003) states
that customer trust and satisfaction are recognised as requirements for aiding behaviour
and building long-term customer relationships (Papadopoulou et al., 2001). Kassim and
Ismail (2009) suggest that sellers’ assurances and the quality of services to Qatari online
customers helped develop trust and satisfaction and thus enhanced customer loyalty.
Hence, the current research suggests that both trust and satisfaction can positively
influence customer loyalty in Jordan.
3 Research model
Based on the literature review and research questions, the current section presents the
conceptual framework and proposed hypotheses (see Figure 1). The proposed model and
hypotheses are described below.
Figure 1 Research model
3.1 Online customer trust

Moorman et al. (1993, p.82) describe customer trust as “the willingness to rely on an
exchange partner in whom one has confidence in a situation of vulnerability.” Whereas,
Jarvenpaa et al. (1999, p.4) describe trust in an online store as “consumer’s willingness to
rely on the seller and take action in circumstances where such action makes the consumer
vulnerable to the seller.” Hou (2005) points out that online trust is the perception and
belief that enable a consumer to willingly become vulnerable to an e-commerce website.
Such willingness depends on the customers’ expectation that the online-seller will behave
in the customers’ best interests and act in a clear, reliable and honest way, as previously
assured, regardless of the capability of consumers to control or monitor the process of
online purchasing.
It is argued that customer loyalty to a specific vendor website cannot be attained
without customer trust (Eid, 2011). Tielman (2003) reports that in his study conducted in
Germany, the more customers have trust in a specific vendor website, the less likely they
are to switch to another vendor. Although other vendors may offer better prices, loyal
customers are keen to purchase from a vendor website they trust. Hou (2005) also found
that customers’ trust has a direct positive influence on their loyalty. Hou (2005) points
out that if customers trust a specific vendor website, they tend to spread information
about the website. Additionally, the same study reveals that customers’ trust can be
acknowledged as a switching obstacle. Customers avoid the risk of switching to new
untrusted vendor websites and prefer to keep purchasing from previous trusted vendors.
Likewise, Cyr (2008) suggests that in China and Germany customer trust in a specific
vendor website is significantly correlated with customer loyalty. The same finding is
obtained by Eid (2011) in Saudi Arabia. Accordingly, this study hypothesises that:
H1 Online customers’ trust has a positive influence on their loyalty.
3.2 Online customer satisfaction

Satisfaction is referred to as the process of comparing expectations with actual
performance. Hidayat et al. (2016) define customer satisfaction as an assessment of the
perceived difference between previous expectations about a product and the actual
performance of the product after its consumption. Thus, while satisfaction occurs when
actual performance matches or exceeds expectations, dissatisfaction occurs when actual
performance fails to meet or mismatches expectations (Brilliant and Achyar, 2013). In the
context of e-commerce, customers’ satisfaction represents the accumulative impressions
of a website’s performance (Chang and Chen, 2009).
Prior research confirms that customer satisfaction positively and significantly affects
customer loyalty (Eid, 2011; Hidayat et al., 2016). Pappas et al. (2014) point out that the
role of satisfaction is constant in terms of customer loyalty to both online and offline
vendors. Rodgers et al. (2005) note that when consumers are satisfied with an online
service they are more likely to continue with that service. In addition, it is found that
customer loyalty can be obtained by enhancing their satisfaction and providing high value
services and products (Yang and Peterson, 2004). Furthermore, the study by Dharmesti
and Nugroho (2012) in the Indonesian context confirms the significant positive effect of
OCS on their loyalty. In addition, satisfaction has been found to play an important role in
boosting the loyalty of Chinese, Canadian and German customers. Based on the reviews
of previous research, the following hypothesis is developed:
H2 Online customers’ satisfaction has a positive influence on online customers’ loyalty.
3.3 Electronic word of mouth

According to Wu and Wang (2011, p.450) eWOM is defined as “oral person-to-person
communication between a receiver and a sender, which involves a product, service, or
brand.” On the other hand, eWOM is referred to as any negative or positive statements
made by former, actual or potential customers to a group of organisations and individuals
via the internet, such as in reviews, recommendations and comments. When customers
encounter an increased psychological or social risk with respect to a purchase, they tend
to search for credible and reliable information sources (Wangenheim and Bayon, 2004).
Such sources are expected to be more referential and diagnostic. In the context of e-
commerce, where the perceptions of risk and uncertainty are high, the websites of
online-vendors are rarely considered as useful or trusted sources of information and are
specifically for new customers who have made an initial purchase from these websites
(Al-Adwan and Kokash, 2019). Thus, to eliminate such high levels of uncertainty and
risk customers search for trustworthy eWOM information from well-known websites and
they seek WOM information from other reference groups. Wu and Wang (2011) point out
that where high levels of risk are perceived, customers are easily influenced by WOM
and they allocate considerable effort before making a purchase decision. As a result, the
effect of WOM information on customers’ decisions to purchase is greater in situations

with higher levels of risk.
According to Zhang et al. (2011), online shopping behaviour is composed of two key
phases. In phase one, consumers are uncertain and anxious about the initial online
purchase and the results it implies, this includes concerns related to doubts about product
receipt, payments and perceived risk. In phase two, customers formulate their intention to
revisit and/or repurchase products from the same website. Mosavi and Ghaedi (2012,
p.4914) describe repurchase intentions as “the individual’s judgements about buying a
designated service again from the same company, considering his or her current situation
and likely circumstances.” In marketing research, Gruen et al. (2006) argue that
repurchasing intentions are a key indicator of customer loyalty. Moreover, the profits of
businesses are found to be directly influenced by repurchase intentions (Zhang et al.,
2011). Hence, it is posited that loyal customer acquisition and retention are important for
vendors who operate on the internet (Hellier et al., 2003).
In this research, as in that of Hajli et al. (2013), eWOM is recognised as one of the
key factors that affect customer trust in e-commerce websites. Sharing opinions online
and providing feedback, comments and recommendations about products and services
can help to reduce the perceptions of risk and uncertainty related to purchase decisions
(Cheung and Lee, 2008). Many potential online customers observe the experiences of
other customers who have already purchased and tried certain products before deciding
whether to make their own purchase.
EWOM is vital to online purchasing decisions due to perceptions of a high degree of
risk. Matute et al. (2016) argue that reviews on e-commerce websites are important to
customers who visit the website. Such reviews represent others’ opinions regarding the
trustworthiness of the website and the popularity of its services and/or products. Thus, the
following hypotheses are developed:
H3a EWOM has a positive influence on online trust.
H3b EWOM has a positive influence on OCL.
3.4 Perceived security

Chang and Chen (2009, p.412) describe the perceived security (PS) of e-commerce
websites as “customer perceptions of the security of the transaction as a whole (including
the means of payment and mechanisms for the storage and transmission of all personal
information).” Insufficient security procedures are viewed as a key reason for preventing
potential consumers from making online purchases due to the perception of high levels of
risk involved in transferring critical information (e.g., credit card information) across the
e-commerce websites on the internet. The risk assumption of having personal information
compromised is high among many customers, thus, online customers main concern is the
security of their transactions (Brilliant and Achyar, 2013). Therefore, in this research PS
is defined as the degree to which potential customers consider that the ecommerce
website is secure enough for sharing sensitive and important information. Such a
definition signifies a personal perception instead of any objective measurement, and
considers customers’ intuitive ability to evaluate risk.
Consumers’ beliefs and attitudes regarding security influence their intention to
purchase online. It is suggested that consumer behaviour associated with personal risk
can be weighted by their perceptions of web-based security. Jin and Park (2006) indicate
that that perception of security is recognised as a fundamental requirement for customer
satisfaction. Thus, online customers tend to use websites they believe are secure. When
e-commerce websites provide a considerable degree of security it can result in changing
the beliefs that positively affect customers’ satisfaction levels. Similarly, increased levels
of security and enhanced security procedures on e-commerce websites can effectively
lead to positively influencing customers’ trust. Consequently, the following hypotheses
are suggested:
H4a High levels of PS have a positive influence on online customers’ satisfaction levels.
H4b High levels of PS have a positive influence on online customers’ trust levels.
3.5 Perceived information quality

Park and Kim (2003) define information quality as customers’ perceptions of the quality
of information about a product or service provided by an e-commerce website. Hsu et al.
(2018) find that the ease of acquiring information has a positive influence on customers’
overall satisfaction with online shopping. Yuan and Chu et al. (2013) also indicate that
information quality has a fundamental role in increasing customer satisfaction with
e-tailers. Furthermore, it is argued that information quality is one of the key features of a
good website and has a significant positive effect on customer satisfaction (Sadeh et al.,
2011). Perceptions of the quality of website content are associated with consumers’
trusting intentions and beliefs towards e-tailers (McKnight et al., 2002). In addition, in
Canada, information design influences customer trust. Consequently, if the information
offered on the website is accurate, useful, reliable and relevant, it enhances the online
customers’ levels of trust and satisfaction which will in turn encourage them to make a
purchase. Thus, the following hypotheses are developed:
H5a The increase in customer perceptions of information quality will have a positive
influence on online customers’ satisfaction levels.
H5b The increase in customer perceptions of information quality will have a positive
influence on online customers’ trust levels.
3.6 Perceived privacy

Brilliant and Achyar (2013, p.52) refer to privacy as “the ability of customers to control
the presence of third parties or the sharing of private information with third parties during
a transaction or consumption.” Customers’ online satisfaction and trust can be
significantly influenced by the degree to which they are safe from any invasion, threats or
breaches to their privacy (Gummerus et al., 2004). In e-commerce, privacy reflects
customers’ willingness to share their information (i.e., financial and personal
information) over the internet to make online purchases (Belanger et al., 2002). The
literature gives considerable attention to the importance of customers’ concerns with
respect to controlling the privacy of their information involved in internet transactions.
Specifically, the control over the secondary use of customers’ information is deemed to
be a key concern. Belanger et al. (2002, p.249) point out that the secondary use of
information refers to “consumer’s concern that once their information is freely submitted
to a website website, there is diminished or non-existent control of the further sharing of
that information with third parties.” Thus, customers’ reassurance that the information
they share will be subjected to personally delineated bounds is the core principle of
privacy on the internet.
According to Flavian and Guinaliu (2006), PP is a key determinant of customers’
trust. Due to the importance attached to handling customers’ private information in
forming trust, this influences customers’ perceptions of privacy. Furthermore, Sadeh
et al. (2011) and Eid (2011) confirm the effect of PP on customers’ satisfaction levels.
When an e-commerce website increases customer privacy, it generates more satisfying
intentions in customers which in turn affects their satisfaction levels. Additionally, when
more privacy is offered by an e-commerce website it can lead to trusting beliefs and
intentions which in turn lead to trust behaviour. Hence, it can be suggested that:
H6a OCS is positively influenced by an increase in PP.
H6b OCT is positively influenced by an increase in PP.
3.7 User interface quality

The user interface represents the tangible facet of an e-commerce website (Riel et al.,
2001). Brilliant and Achyar (2013) state that the user interface is the communication
channel where customers and online-sellers interact (Gummerus et al., 2004). UIQ is
viewed as a measurement of customers’ perceptions of transactions through an
e-commerce website from pre-purchase to post-purchase (Chang and Chen, 2009). The
interface of an e-commerce website acts as the sellers’ store ‘atmospherics’, so the idea is
to design a site that has a positive emotional impact on consumers to enhance the
likelihood of them making a purchase (Ethier et al., 2006). Thus, website design features
(i.e., searchability, interactivity, organisation, ease of navigation) are key requisites that
lead to an increase in online satisfaction. For instance, a good website avoids wasting
customers’ time by efficient navigation, intuitive screens, readability and quick
presentations.
Previous research indicates that customer satisfaction related to websites is
determined by the assessment of its characteristics such as site design, convenience and
security (Szymanski and Hise, 2000). Website design generally refers to the order and
organisation of the site (Wang et al., 2010). Song and Zinkhan (2003) point out that the
web design of a shopping site is linked to consumer perceptions of the various elements
of the site, such as user interface, information access and the fulfilment policy. The
quality of the user interface influences customers’ satisfaction levels and provides
tangible evidence of easing the customers’ interaction with the process of shopping and
other transaction-related activities (Park and Kim, 2003). Accordingly, the quality of the
user interface is a fundamental driver of customers’ satisfaction with e-commerce
websites.
On the other hand, user interfaces are found to be a key antecedent of customers’ trust
(Hidayat et al., 2016). Gummerus et al. (2004) argue that the quality of the user interface
offers physical proof of online-sellers competence, and as a result induces trust. Cyr
(2008) demonstrates that in China, Germany and Canada, elements of user interface
design are major determinants of website trust. McKnight et al. (2002) point out that the
perceived ease of use and the perceived usefulness of an e-commerce website can
generate trusting beliefs and in turn influence trust behaviour in the e-commerce website.
Consequently, the following hypotheses are suggested:
H7a Improvements in the quality of the user interface will positively influence online
customers’ satisfaction levels.
H7b Improvements in the quality of the user interface will positively influence online
customers’ levels of trust.
4 Methodology
4.1 Instrument development

To test the hypotheses of the research model, a survey questionnaire was used to collect
data from Jordanian e-commerce customers. The survey consisted of a paper-based and
self-administered questionnaire to measure the constructs which are illustrated in the
proposed model outlined in Figure 1. The questionnaire consisted of two main parts; the
first part aims to capture the demographics of the participants (i.e., age, gender). The
second part was designed to collect the opinions of Jordanian e-commerce customers to
measure the conceptual framework construct as shown in Figure 1. This study was keen
to utilise existing reliable and validated scales. Thus, the constructs of the research model
were measured using a total of 32 scale items, adopted from previous related research
with minor amendments (see Table 1). All items in the questionnaire were measured
using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 = strongly agree to 5 = strongly disagree.
Since the original items were in English, the questionnaire was translated into Arabic to
capture reliable and accurate responses. A review was conducted by a panel of four
experts to ensure content validity and appropriate wording of all items.
Table 1 Scale items
Construct Items Source

User UIQ1 The website is easy to use. Eid (2011)
interface UIQ2 The information on the website is not attractively and
quality displayed. Gummerus
(UIQ) et al. (2004)
UIQ3 The website is visually appealing.
UIQ4 The website does not increase my search effectiveness.
Perceived PS1 The website has mechanism to ensure the safe transmission Eid (2011)
security of its users’ information. and Chang
(PS) PS2 The website has sufficient technical capacity to ensure that and Chen
the data I send cannot be modified by hackers. (2009)
PS3 Purchasing on the website will not cause financial risk.
PS4 The electronic payment on the website is safe.
Perceived PP1 The website abides by personal data protection laws. Eid (2011)
privacy PP2 The website only collects user’s personal data that are and Kelly
(PP) necessary for its activity. and
Erickson
PP3 The website does not provide my personal information to (2005)
others without your consent.
PP4 I feel a safe when sending my personal information to the
website.
Table 1 Scale items (continued)
Construct Items Source

Online OCT1 E-product/service provider is trustworthy and honest. Eid (2011)
customer OCT2 E-product/service provider instils the confidence in his and
trust (OCT) customers. Merrilees
and Fry
OCT3 E-product/service provider does not usually fulfil the (2003)
promises and commitments he assumes.
OCT4 It is a problem to give the private information and the credit
card number to the E-product/service provider.
Online OCS1 The performance of website meets my expectation. Eid (2011)
customer OCS2 The website does not have sufficient experience in the and Chang
satisfaction marketing of the products and service that it offers. and Chen
(OCS) (2009)
OCS3 The website knows its users well enough to offer them
products and services adapted to their needs.
OCS4 The website does not have the necessary resources to carry
out its activities successfully.
Electronic EWOM1 The website includes a large number of consumer reviews. Matute
word of EWOM2 I think that consumers’ recommendations on the website et al. (2016)
mouth are credible.
(EWOM)
EWOM3 I think that review information on the website is
trustworthy.
EWOM4 A great number of consumers publish their
recommendations on the website.
Perceived PIQ1 The information on the website facilitates buying the Eid (2011)
information products or services that it sells or markets. and Park
quality PIQ2 The website does not necessarily have to provide the up-to- and Kim
(PIQ) date products and services information. (2003)
PIQ3 The website provides the relevant the products/services
information.
PIQ4 The website presents information that is an easy to
understand.
Online OCL1 I will continuously purchase from the website in the near Eid (2011)
customer future. and Chang
loyalty OCL2 I do recommend that others use the electronic commerce and Chen
(OCL) services. (2009)
OCL3 My preference for the electronic commerce would not
willingly change.
OCL4 Changing my preference from the electronic commerce
requires major rethinking.
4.2 Sampling and procedures

The questionnaire was administered to undergraduate students at a private university in
Jordan. The unit of analysis is the Jordanian customer who has engaged with B2C
e-commerce transactions. A convenience (non-probability) sampling procedure was
adopted for this study. Of the 450 distributed questionnaires, 317 were returned giving a
response rate of 67.3%. Among the returned questionnaires, 14 were incomplete and so
they were excluded. Overall, a total of 303 questionnaires were usable for analysis.
Table 2 shows the demographics of the respondents.
Table 2 Respondents’ demographics
Category Frequency %
Gender Male 164 54%
Female 139 46%
Age <20 135 45%
>20 168 55%
Course Marketing 107 35%
E-business 25 8%
Finance 26 9%
Accounting 52 17%
Business 54 18%
Administration
Pharmacy 17 6%
Other 22 7%
Years of online 1–3 172 57%
shopping experience >3 131 43%
5 Data analysis
Based on Hair et al. (2013), a principle component factor analysis (PCA)-varimax

rotation – was used to assess both convergent and discriminant validity. The test of
Kaiser-Meyer-Oklin (KMO) is conducted to assess the adequacy of sampling adequacy.
The KMO coefficient for the current dataset of this study is 0.89 demonstrating that the
data are normally distributed. Additionally, the Bartlett’s test of sphericity is assessed by
evaluating the statistic of chi-square which is 7,216.419 and is significant at the 0% level.
This designates that the inter item correlations matrix is not an identity matrix and hence
data were suitable for factor analysis.
The result of factor analysis indicates that eight factors were extracted as these factors
had an eigenvalue higher than 1 (see Table 3). The results of PCA demonstrate that the
items in each scale (construct) were loaded significantly on its expected factors. Such
results confirm discriminant and convergent validities of scale. The overall variance
explained by the eight factors was 80.3%. Furthermore, as shown in Table 3, the results
of Cronbach’s alpha (α) test were adequate and exceeded the recommended threshold of
0.7 (Kwong and Wong, 2013; Hair et al., 2013).
Since this study is exploratory in nature and is focused on explaining any variances,
PLS was used to test the hypotheses (Gefen, 2000). As suggested by Gefen (2000),
convergent and discriminant validity should be assessed in PLS. Thus, confirmatory
factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to evaluate the convergent analysis. The CFA (see
Table 4) indicates that all measurement items were significantly loaded on their latent
constructs than on any other latent constructs. The loading coefficient of all measurement
items was above the suggested threshold of 0.707 (Vinzi et al., 2010).
Table 3 PCA analysis
Cronbach’s Component
Construct Items
alpha 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
OCL 0.95 OCL4 0.89
(OCL)
OCL1 0.87
OCL3 0.86
OCL2 0.85
PS (PS) 0.91 PS4 0.85
PS3 0.84
PS2 0.82
PS1 0.81
PP (PP) 0.91 PP4 0.83
PP2 0.84
PP3 0.83
PP1 0.82
OCT 0.93 OCT4 0.83
(OCT) OCT3 0.81
OCT2 0.8
OCT1 0.8
Perceived 0.89 PIQ3 0.83
information PIQ2 0.82
quality
(PIQ) PIQ4 0.81
PIQ1 0.8
UIQ (UIQ) 0.92 UIQ4 0.83
UIQ3 0.81
UIQ2 0.79
UIQ1 0.78
EWOM 0.89 EWOM2 0.83
(EWOM) EWOM3 0.82
EWOM4 0.8
EWOM1 0.79
OCS 0.91 OCS3 0.83
(OCS) OCS2 0.82
OCS4 0.82
OCS1 0.75
Eigenvalues 11.4 3.3 2.7 2 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.2
% of variance 35.7 10.3 8.3 6.3 5.6 5.2 5.1 3.8
Table 4 CFA analysis
PIQ UIQ OCL PP OCS PS OCT EWOM

PIQ1 0.8721 0.3196 0.2272 0.3371 0.3416 0.3404 0.3482 0.2454
PIQ2 0.8613 0.3004 0.2109 0.2597 0.3257 0.3054 0.2931 0.1694
PIQ3 0.8821 0.3438 0.2278 0.3324 0.3584 0.3328 0.3267 0.1724
PIQ4 0.8696 0.3299 0.1621 0.2924 0.3432 0.3907 0.3306 0.1608
UIQ1 0.3348 0.8982 0.3713 0.3062 0.3103 0.336 0.5822 0.3925
UIQ2 0.3298 0.896 0.3372 0.2731 0.3178 0.3697 0.5762 0.3623
UIQ3 0.314 0.8804 0.3601 0.2513 0.3147 0.3089 0.5277 0.2987
UIQ4 0.3445 0.8815 0.305 0.232 0.2708 0.2876 0.5061 0.3111
OCL1 0.1916 0.372 0.9381 0.1827 0.3757 0.3127 0.3572 0.4598
OCL2 0.2697 0.3938 0.9284 0.1944 0.3838 0.3399 0.4008 0.4682
OCL3 0.2185 0.3463 0.9347 0.2519 0.3532 0.3225 0.3578 0.508
OCL4 0.2035 0.3292 0.9285 0.1902 0.3193 0.3098 0.3543 0.4291
PP1 0.321 0.2753 0.2054 0.8829 0.3878 0.4086 0.2954 0.1887
PP2 0.286 0.2672 0.2211 0.875 0.3577 0.3873 0.2724 0.2159
PP3 0.3621 0.2682 0.1864 0.8923 0.3833 0.3779 0.3098 0.1973
PP4 0.2756 0.2544 0.1703 0.8981 0.3662 0.3697 0.2932 0.2251
OCS1 0.3803 0.3127 0.3759 0.3733 0.8713 0.4201 0.3841 0.3435
OCS2 0.361 0.2887 0.3477 0.4168 0.8993 0.4032 0.3184 0.2993
OCS3 0.3491 0.3093 0.3187 0.337 0.8873 0.39 0.3554 0.281
OCS4 0.2942 0.2993 0.3141 0.3607 0.8793 0.3842 0.3344 0.3388
PS1 0.3683 0.3148 0.3158 0.4018 0.3951 0.8819 0.2826 0.3098
PS2 0.3383 0.3188 0.2895 0.3635 0.4045 0.8831 0.2931 0.3166
PS3 0.367 0.3618 0.329 0.3907 0.4132 0.9158 0.3181 0.2938
PS4 0.3444 0.3278 0.3076 0.4105 0.416 0.9193 0.3158 0.2517
OCT1 0.3363 0.5559 0.3842 0.307 0.3677 0.3481 0.9021 0.3508
OCT2 0.341 0.5716 0.3233 0.2898 0.3579 0.256 0.8988 0.3469
OCT3 0.3711 0.5672 0.3899 0.2863 0.3413 0.3262 0.9142 0.3705
OCT4 0.3017 0.5443 0.3286 0.3147 0.3618 0.2844 0.9075 0.3455
Ewom1 0.1066 0.336 0.4475 0.1881 0.3146 0.2548 0.3034 0.8562
Ewom2 0.1168 0.3092 0.4006 0.1901 0.2643 0.2532 0.3032 0.8549
Ewom3 0.2533 0.3637 0.4465 0.2065 0.3143 0.2948 0.3854 0.894
Ewom4 0.2575 0.3297 0.4469 0.2227 0.3452 0.3222 0.36 0.8738
Discriminant validity can be established when the square root of the average variance
extracted (AVE) from each latent construct is higher than its correlations with all other
latent constructs (Hair et al., 2013). Table 5 shows that this condition is attained in all
constructs.
Table 5 Discriminant validity
Latent variable correlations

PIQ PS OCL PP OCS UIQ OCT EWOM
PIQ *0.87 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
PS 0.3717 0.89 0 0 0 0 0 0
OCL 0.2377 0.3872 0.93 0 0 0 0 0
PP 0.3518 0.3003 0.2204 0.89 0 0 0 0
OCS 0.3931 0.3421 0.3849 0.4217 0.88 0 0 0
UIQ 0.3936 0.3678 0.3449 0.435 0.4524 0.9 0 0
OCT 0.3734 0.6182 0.3946 0.3304 0.3942 0.3363 0.91 0
EWOM 0.2153 0.3856 0.5013 0.2326 0.3573 0.3247 0.3905 0.87
Note: *Square root of AVE.
Furthermore, the AVE values of all constructs are above the threshold of 0.5 (Hair
et al., 2013), which is another indicator of adequate convergent validity (Kwong and
Wong, 2013). Finally, as shown in Table 6, all other PLS reliability tests such as
Cronbach’s α and composite reliability (CR) were adequate and exceeded the
recommended threshold of 0.7 (Kwong and Wong, 2013; Hair et al., 2013).
Table 6 PLS reliability tests
Construct CR AVE
PIQ 0.93 0.76
PS 0.94 0.79
OCL 0.96 0.87
PP 0.94 0.79
OCS 0.93 0.78
UIQ 0.94 0.81
OCT 0.95 0.82
EWOM 0.93 0.76
To examine the significance of the proposed paths outlined in section three, the proposed
model was built using the SmartPLS3 software. However, before examining the proposed
baths, goodness of fit (GoF) indices were examined to evaluate the model’s performance.
Specifically, the indices of normed fit index (NFI), standardised root mean square
residual (SRMR) and the statistical test of (bootstrapped-based) inferences of the
discrepancy including: the unweighted least squares (dULS) and geodesic (dG)
discrepancies (Henseler et al., 2016). The results indicate that the values of NFI was
0.959 (>0.9) and SRMR was 0.032 (<0.08) which represent acceptable fit (Hair et al.,
2013). Furthermore, the test of discrepancies show that the dULS < bootstrapped HI 95%
of dULS and dG < bootstrapped HI 95% of dG. As Figure 2 demonstrates, eWOM had
the strongest positive direct effect (β = 0.366, t-statistic = 6.34) on OCL. OCS (β = 0.184,
t-statistics=2.95) and OCT (β =0.179, t-statistics = 3.80) had direct positive effects on
OCL. Jointly, eWOM, OCS and OCT explain 32.5% (R2 = 0.325) of the variance in
OCL.
Figure 2 Path analysis
Notes: *P value < 0.05, **P value <0.01, ***P value < 0.001, n.s = not significant.
The results also show that PS acted as the most significant facilitator (β = 0.478,
t-statistics = 6.25) of OCT, and it had a significant positive effect (β = 0.122, t-statistics
= 3.26) on OCS. Likewise, perceived information quality (PIQ) and PP acted as key
antecedents of OCS and OCT. While UIQ had a significant positive effect on OCS
(β = 0.244, t-statistics = 4.94), surprisingly the effect of UIQ on OCT is found to be
insignificant (β = 0.021, t-statistics = 0.44). As expected, eWOM had a positive
significant effect on OCT (β = 0.15, t-statistics = 3.18). Finally, together PS, PP, PIQ and
UIQ explain 31.3% (R2 = 0.313) of the variance in OCS. Furthermore, PS, PP, PIQ, UIQ
and eWOM explain 49.3% (R2 = 0.493) of the variance in OCT. Table 7 summarises the
results of testing the research model’s hypotheses.
Table 7 Summary of hypotheses testing
Hypothesis β P value Result

PS → OCS 0.122 <0.01 Supported
PS → OCT 0.478 <0.001 Supported
PIQ → OCS 0.175 <0.001 Supported
PIQ → OCT 0.12 <0.01 Supported
PP → OCS 0.217 <0.001 Supported
PP → OCT 0.101 <0.05 Supported
UIQ → OCS 0.244 <0.001 Supported
UIQ → OCT 0.021 >0.05 Not supported
OCS → OCL 0.184 <0.01 Supported
OCT → OCL 0.179 <0.001 Supported
eWOM → OCT 0.15 <0.01 Supported
eWOM → OCL 0.366 <0.001 Supported
5.1 Mediation
To test whether the mediating constructs (OCS and OCT) significantly carry the impact
of the independent constructs (PP, PS, PIQ, UIQ, EWOM) to the dependent construct
(OCL), the Sobel (1982) test was conducted. The findings (see Table 8) indicate that all
indirect effects of the independent constructs on the dependent construct were significant.
Specifically, the results show that OCT and OCS carry the effects of PP, PS, PIQ, UIQ to
OCL. Specifically, strengthen customers’ perceptions of PP, PS, PIQ and UIQ would
significantly increase the perceptions of OCT and OCS and subsequently would enhance
customers’ perceptions of OCL.
Table 8 Mediation test
Independent construct Mediator Dependent construct T-statistic P-value

PP OCT OCL 4.76 <0.0001
PP OCS OCL 5.65 <0.0001
PS OCT OCL 4.3 <0.0001
PS OCS OCL 4.78 <0.0001
PIQ OCT OCL 4.47 <0.0001
PIQ OCS OCL 5.22 <0.0001
EWOM OCT OCL 4.05 <0.0001
UIQ OCS OCL 4.89 <0.0001
6 Discussions
The findings provide almost full support for the proposed model represented in Figure 1.
They demonstrate that both OCS and OCT are important factors that boost OCL and are
similar to the findings of Hidayat et al. (2016). The findings are inconsistent with those of
Eid (2011) who found the influence of OCT on OCL was insignificant. Such findings
suggest that where customers perceive more and higher levels of trust and satisfaction
with an e-commerce website, the more likely they are to remain loyal to that website.
Higher perceptions of satisfaction and trust towards an e-commerce website can
significantly motivate online customers to be more loyal, and enhancing the chance that
they will repurchase from and return to that website.
PS and PP are found to influence both OCT and satisfaction significantly and
positively. Such results agree with the findings of Hidayat et al. (2016), but not with
those of Brilliant and Achyar (2013) or Eid (2011) who found the effects of PS on OCT
and OCS were insignificant. Furthermore, PS and PP had an indirect effect on OCL
through OCS and OCT. The more customers perceive an e-commerce website as secure,
the more likely they are to be satisfied with and to trust the website.
PIQ is found to influence both OCT and satisfaction significantly and positively.
Such results agree with those of Hidayat et al. (2016), but are contrary to those of
Brilliant and Achyar (2013) and Eid (2011), who found the influence of PIQ on OCS
insignificant. PIQ also had an indirect effect on OCL through both OCS and OCT. Such
findings imply that when customers perceive that information on an e-commerce website
is of high quality, they are more likely to be satisfied with and to trust the website.
In keeping with prior research (Hidayat et al., 2016; Eid, 2011), UIQ is found to
influence OCS. Such a finding is contrary to that of Brilliant and Achyar (2013) who
found the influence of UIQ on OCS insignificant. Surprisingly, the findings show that the
influence of UIQ on OCT is insignificant which is in keeping with the previous study of
Brilliant and Achyar (2013). Additionally, UIQ is found to have an indirect effect on
OCL through OCS. The findings imply that the increase in the quality of an e-commerce
user interface significantly enhances customers’ perceptions of satisfaction. The increase
in the quality of an e-commerce user interface generates favourable perceptions of
satisfaction with the website. Additionally, Chang and Chen (2009) state that if the
interface of an e-commerce website is perceived as being of high quality, then customers
are more likely to trust its benevolence, competency and integrity.
Finally, consistent with Prasad et al. (2017) and Al-Debei et al. (2015), eWOM is
found to influence OCT positively and significantly. EWOM is recognised as an essential
tool by which customers can acquire information about products, services and online
vendors. Thus, eWOM can significantly reduce risk and uncertainty which in turn
develops trust.
In agreement with previous studies (Liang et al., 2018; Vijayalakshmi and
Thyagarajan, 2016), eWOM is found to influence OCL (OCT) and any repurchase
intentions positively and significantly. Moreover, eWOM has an indirect significant
effect on OCL through OCT. Such results imply that the activity of eWOM allows
consumers to gain a high degree of market transparency which in turn influences
customer loyalty. Matute et al. (2016) point out that the quality of eWOM has a
significant and direct influence on customer repurchase intentions. Generally, eWOM is a
method of online communication and knowledge exchange about products, services and
vendors, between receivers and senders. To the receivers, the senders of eWOM have no
commercial intent, which in turn makes eWOM more credible when compared to
commercial advertisements. Thus, eWOM is broadly recognised as a non-commercial
information source that has an impact on customer suggestion formation and purchase
decisions.
7 Implications
7.1 Theoretical implications

This study has several practical and academic contributions to make to the field of
e-commerce and consumer behaviour. From an academic perspective, this study has
responded and addressed several research requests and encouraged scholars to investigate
the main drivers of OCL specifically in emerging markets and the Arab world. This study
also contributes to the existing literature on e-commerce and consumer behaviour by
examining the integrative model of the OCL development process by combining the
antecedents of online trust and online satisfaction (PS, PP, UIQ, PIQ, eWOM). This study
investigates the distinct role of these antecedents in the dynamics of online trust, online
satisfaction and online loyalty. Consequently, such a contribution should strengthen the
existing literature by testing the different influences of each antecedent in the research
model. Additionally, the empirical results of this study are consistent with previous
research findings. This makes a significant contribution to improving and extending the
understanding of the roles of PS, PP, UIQ, PIQ, eWOM, online trust and online
satisfaction along with their relationship with online loyalty in emerging markets such as
Jordan.
7.2 Practical implications

This paper is considered as one of the early efforts devoted to examining an integrated
research model of OCL in Jordan. Thus, the findings of this study have implications for
practice that can be adopted by firms using e-commerce applications in Jordan. Such
findings can support the managers of Jordanian firms and provide them with a focus for
increasing their understanding of the essential areas of e-commerce applications that can
increase online customers’ trust, satisfaction and loyalty. By doing so, Jordanian firms
can improve their e-commerce strategies and achieve their long-term objectives.
It is important to consider that online loyalty is significantly affected by online trust,
online satisfaction and eWOM. Furthermore, the antecedents of those three constructs are
different. It is worth highlighting the essential roles of online trust and satisfaction in
developing online loyalty. Thus, while online transactions are linked to high levels of
uncertainty and risk, trust and satisfaction are considered key in the context of online
shopping. Hence, online vendors should consider that when developing online loyalty, it
is crucial to first establish online satisfaction and trust.
UIQ is found to be a key determinant of OCS. Designers and developers of
e-commerce applications should note that UIQ represents tangible cues that can be
employed to improve OCS. As a result, a well-established and high quality user interface
that presents information in a worthwhile manner is necessary. Intuitive and usable
interface design reduces the cost and time in searching, processing and consuming
information which in turn leads to higher online satisfaction.
Furthermore, the findings highlight the critical role of both PS and privacy in
developing online trust and satisfaction. This suggests that guaranteeing the security of
personal information decreases customers’ fears about the illegal exposure of their
personal data and disclosure of their transaction data, resulting in enhanced levels of
online satisfaction and trust (Kim et al., 2009). Accordingly, to eliminate customers’
concerns regarding information security and privacy, online vendors should post their
policy and practices with respect to information privacy and security on their websites.
Such actions inform customers about how online vendors will use, collect and store
personal information and about any secondary use of their private information.
Additionally, online vendors are required to explain their information security procedures
and demonstrate that customer payment information will be secure and protected.
Information quality is shown to be a key driver of online trust and satisfaction. In the
online environment, customers do not have face-to-face interactions with online vendors
and they cannot conduct a physical examination of the products they want to purchase.
Customers rely on online vendors to pick the correct order from the warehouse and
deliver it to them. Hence, online vendors need to assure customers that they will deliver
their products as ordered and expected. Delivering the right product within the expected
timeframe and receiving the product in the appropriate condition are concerns when
online shopping. For instance, customers are concerned about receiving the wrong or
damaged products, and about delays in delivering them. As a result, online vendors are
advised to provide quality, reliable, detailed and accurate information regarding product
specifications, delivery processes and timeframes, and their return and refund policies.
Thus, an increase in the quality of information can effectively boost customers’ online
trust and satisfaction levels.
Finally, besides the direct and positive influence of eWOM on OCT, it is found to
have the strongest significant positive influence OCL. Many scholars argue that eWOM
is a key influence on a customers’ desire to revisit an e-commerce website to purchase
services and products (Matute et al., 2016; Gruen et al., 2006). In general, shopping is
recognised as a social activity (Al-Adwan, 2018; Xu and Lee, 2018). The advancement of
Web 2.0 technologies has turned online shopping into a social experience. EWOM and its
forms (e.g., reviews, ratings and recommendations) allow customers to access a social
experience, share knowledge and information about their products, services and online
vendors. As a result, customers are more informed and have a better understanding of
their online purchase decisions (Wang and Zhang, 2012). Uncertainty and risk are present
in online shopping, and customers try to reduce or eliminate this by observing the
opinions and recommendations of other customers who have had prior experiences with a
specific e-commerce website. Such opinions and recommendations are available through
different forms of eWOM and provide the customer with the opportunity to acquire
sufficient information through user-generated content, knowledge exchange and
information sharing. All of which can effectively decrease the levels of uncertainty and
risk involved in online purchasing. The more that uncertainty and risk are reduced, the
more customers are likely to hold trusting beliefs and repurchase from e-commerce
websites.
Previous research (Wang et al., 2015) demonstrates that customers recognise eWOM
as independent and more trustworthy than information from seller. Additionally, it is
suggested by Sen and Lerman (2007) that customers are significantly influenced by
WOM because they trust peer customers more than they trust online vendors and
marketers. Thus, online vendors should incorporate different forms of eWOM (e.g.,
reviews and recommendations) into their websites which in turn could make customers
see the websites as more credible and trustworthy. Such acts indicate to customers that
online vendors are providing transparent information and avoiding opportunistic
behaviour.
7.3 Limitations and future studies

While this study is one of the earliest pieces of research examining OCL in Jordan, it has
several limitations that could be addressed in further studies. This study adopts a uni-
dimensional conceptualisation of eWOM to investigate the influence of eWOM on online
trust and loyalty. However, according to Matute et al. (2016), eWOM has several
characteristics (i.e., quality, quantity). Thus, additional studies are required to consider
other dimensions of eWOM. Likewise, UIQ is considered a multi-faceted concept (Chang
and Chen, 2009), and this study focused only on the elements of customer interface
quality related to e-commerce websites. Therefore, investigating other elements could
produce different findings. The context of this study is B2C e-commerce, it did not
consider the other classes (i.e., B2B, C2C) and restricted findings to one single class.
From a methodological viewpoint, this study is purely quantitative in nature and is
only based on a survey questionnaire as a data collection method. Thus, as suggested by
Al-Adwan (2017), future studies are required that adopt a mixed method approach
(qualitative and quantitative methods) to explore any further constructs that might
influence OCL. Additionally, further studies could carry out experiments to test and
strengthen the findings of this study. The sample for this study was drawn from the
student population in Jordan, so it would be useful to target other populations, and it
would be beneficial to replicate the research model in other countries.
8 Conclusions
This study was conducted to identify the antecedents of B2C e-commerce customer
loyalty, satisfaction and trust in Jordan. A research model was proposed to hypothesise
the main factors influencing the three key constructs. The factors include: PS, PP, UIQ,
PIQ and eWOM. The results demonstrate that PS, PP and PIQ were all significant
facilitators of OCT and satisfaction. On the other hand, UIQ was only influential on
online satisfaction. Furthermore, eWOM is shown to have an important role in the
shopping experience and the formation of OCT and loyalty. EWOM has influenced both
online trust and loyalty positively and significantly.
This study aimed to examine the mediation role of both OCT and satisfaction on
Jordanian customers’ online loyalty. OCT is found to have a positive significant effect on
OCL, and on mediating the effects between PP, PS, PIQ, eWOM and OCL. OCS is
significantly influential on OCL and has a mediating role between UIQ, PP, PS, PIQ,
eWOM and online loyalty. Based on these findings, this study has valuable implications
that can be used by both Jordanian and international e-retailers to retain their customers.
References
Al-Adwan, A and Berger, H. (2015) ‘Exploring physicians’ adoption behavioural intention towards
the adoption of electronic health records: an empirical study from Jordan’, International
Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp.89–111.
Al-Adwan, A and Kokash, H. (2019) ‘The driving force of Facebook social commerce’, The
Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp.15–32.
Al-Adwan, A and Smedley, J. (2012) ‘Implementing e-learning in the Jordanian higher education
system: factors affecting impact’, International Journal of Education and Development using
Information and Communication Technology (IJEDICT), Vol. 8, No. 1, pp.121–135.
Al-Adwan, A. (2017) ‘Case study and grounded theory: a happy marriage? An exemplary
application from healthcare informatics adoption research’, International Journal of
Electronic Healthcare, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp.294–318.
Al-Adwan, A. (2018) ‘Novel research framework for social commerce purchase intention’, Journal
of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology, Vol. 96, No. 14, pp.4390–4404.
Al-Adwan, A., Al-Adwan, A and Berger, H. (2018a) ‘Solving the mystery of mobile learning
adoption in higher education’, International Journal of Mobile communication, Vol. 16, No. 1,
pp.24–49.
Al-Adwan, A., Al-Madadha, A and Zvirzdinaite, Z. (2018b) ‘Modeling students’ readiness to adopt
mobile learning in higher education: an empirical study’, International Review of Research in
Open and Distributed Learning, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp.221–241.
Al-Adwan, A., Alrousan, M., Al-Soud, A. and Al-Yaseen, H. (2019) ‘Revealing the black box of
shifting from electronic commerce to mobile commerce: the case of Jordan’, The Journal of
Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp.51–67.
Alam, S. and Yasin, N. (2010) ‘An investigation into the antecedents of customer satisfaction of
online shopping’, Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness, Vol. 5, No. 1,
pp.71–78.
Al-Debei, M., Akroush, M. and Ashouri, M. (2015) ‘Consumer attitudes towards online shopping:
the effects of trust, perceived benefits, and perceived web quality’, Internet Research, Vol. 25,
No. 5, pp.707–733.
Algharabat, R., Alalwan, A.A., Rana, N.P. and Dwivedi, Y.K. (2017) ‘Three dimensional product
presentation quality antecedents and their consequences for online retailers: the moderating
role of virtual product experience’, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Vol. 36,
No. 1, pp.203–217.
Al-Manasra, E., Abu Zaid, M. and Qutaishat, F. (2013) ‘Investigating the impact of website quality
on consumers’ satisfaction in Jordanian telecommunication sector’, Arab Economic and
Business Journal, Vol. 8, No. 1–2, pp.31–37.
Anderson, E., Fornell, C. and Lehmann, D. (1994) ‘Customer satisfaction, market share, and
profitability: findings from Sweden’, The Journal of Marketing, Vol. 58, No. 3, pp.53–66.
Anderson, R. and Srinivasan, S. (2003) ‘E-satisfaction and e-loyalty: a contingency framework’,
Psychology & Marketing, Vol. 20, No. 2, pp.123–138.
Awan, A. and Rehman, A. (2014) ‘Impact of customer satisfaction on brand loyalty – an empirical
analysis of home appliances in Pakistan’, British Journal of Marketing Studies, Vol. 2, No. 8,
pp.18–32.
Bauboniene, Z. and Guleviciute, G. (2015) ‘E-commerce factors influencing consumers’ online
shopping decision’, Social Technologies, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp.74–81.
Belanger, F., Hiller, J. and Smith, W. (2002) ‘Trustworthiness in electronic commerce: the role of
privacy, security, and site attributes’, The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, Vol. 11,
Nos. 3–4, pp.245–270.
Brilliant, M. and Achyar, A. (2013) ‘The impact of satisfaction and trust on loyalty of e-commerce
customers’, ASEAN Marketing Journal, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp.51–58.
Chang, H. and Chen, S. (2009) ‘Consumer perception of interface quality, security, and loyalty in
electronic commerce’, Information & Management, Vol. 46, No. 7, pp.411–417.
Chaudhuri, A. and Holbrook, M. (2001) ‘The chain of effects from brand trust and brand affect to
brand performance: the role of brand loyalty’, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 65, No. 2, pp.81–93.
Cheung, C. and Lee, M. (2008) ‘Online consumer reviews: does negative electronic word-of-mouth
hurt more?’, AMCIS 2008 Proceedings, Toronto, Paper 143.
Chou, S., Chen, C. and Lin, J. (2015) ‘Female online shoppers: examining the mediating roles of
coming back?’, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 30, No. 4, pp.465–473.
Coulter, K. and Coulter, R. (2002) ‘Determinants of trust in a service provider: the moderating role
of length of relationship’, Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp.35–50.
Cyr, D. (2008) ‘Modeling website design across cultures: relationships to trust, satisfaction
and online customer loyalty’, Journal of Management Information Systems, Vol. 24, No. 4,
pp.47–72.
Davis, F. (1989) ‘Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and user acceptance of information
technology’, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp.319–340.
Department of Statistics (2017) Jordan in Figures [online] http://dosweb.dos.gov.jo/DataBank/
JordanInFigures/JORINFIGDetails2017.pdf (accessed 29 October 2018).
Dharmesti, M. and Nugroho, S. (2012) ‘The antecedents of online customer satisfaction and
customer loyalty’, paper presented at International Trade & Academic Research Conference,
London, UK.
Eid, M. (2011) ‘Determinants of e-commerce customer satisfaction, trust, and loyalty in Saudi
Arabia’, Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp.78–93.
Ethier, J., Hadaya, P., Talbot, J. and Cadieux, J. (2006) ‘B2C web site quality and emotions during
online shopping episodes: an empirical study’, Information & Management, Vol. 43, No. 5,
pp.627–639.
Fishbein, M. and Ajzen, I. (1975) Belief, Attitude, Intention, and Behaviour, 1st ed.,
Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA.
Fisher, A. (2001) ‘Winning the battle for customers’, Journal of Financial Services Marketing,
Vol. 6, No. 1, pp.77–83.
Flavian, C. and Guinaliu, M. (2006) ‘Consumer trust, perceived security and privacy policy: three
basic elements of loyalty to a web site’, Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 106,
No. 5, pp.601–620.
Gefen, D. (2000) ‘E-commerce: the role of familiarity and trust’, Omega, Vol. 28, No. 6,
pp.725–737.
Gefen, D. (2002) ‘Customer loyalty in e-commerce’, Journal of the Association for Information
Systems, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp.27–52.
Goodwin, C. (1991) ‘Privacy: recognition of a consumer right’, Journal of Public Policy &
Marketing, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp.149–166.
Gruen, T., Osmonbekov, T. and Czaplewski, A. (2006) ‘EWOM: the impact of C2C online
knowhow exchange on customer value and loyalty’, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 59,
No. 4, pp.449–456.
Gummerus, J., Liljander, V., Pura, M. and Allard, V. (2004) ‘Customer loyalty to content-based
web sites: the case of an online health-care service’, The Journal of Services Marketing,
Vol. 18, No. 2, pp.175–186.
Hair, F., Hult, G. and Ringle, M. (2013) A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation
Modeling (PLS-SEM), Sage, Thousand Oaks.
Hajli, M., Hajli, M. and Khani, F. (2013) ‘Establishing trust in social commerce through social
word of mouth’, Proceedings of 7th International Conference on E-Commerce in Developing
Countries: With Focus on e-Security (ECDC), Iran, pp.1–22.
Hellier, P., Geursen, G., Carr, R. and Rickard, J. (2003) ‘Customer repurchase intention: a
general structural equation model’, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 37, Nos. 11/12,
pp.1762–1800.
Henseler, J., Hubona, G. and Ray, P.A. (2016) ‘Using PLS path modeling in new technology
research: updated guidelines’, Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 116, No. 1,
pp.2–20.
Hidayat, A., Saifullah, M. and Ishak, A. (2016) ‘Determinants of satisfaction, trust, and loyalty of
indonesian e-commerce customer’, International Journal of Economics and Management,
Vol. 10, No. 1, pp.151–166.
Hou, Y. (2005) ‘Service quality of online apparel retailers and its impact on customer satisfaction,
customer trust and customer loyalty’, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, pp.236–236, The
University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Order No. 3206302.
Hsu, C., Chen, M. and Kumar, V. (2018) ‘How social shopping retains customers? Capturing the
essence of website quality and relationship quality’, Total Quality Management & Business
Excellence, Vol. 29, Nos. 1–2, pp.161–184.
Hsu, M., Chang, C. and Chuang, L. (2015) ‘Understanding the determinants of online repeat
purchase intention and moderating role of habit: the case of online group-buying in Taiwan’,
International Journal of Information Management, Vol. 35, No. 1, pp.45–56.
Husain, S. (2017) ‘The determinants of loyalty in online commerce – an exploratory study in
India’, The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, Vol. 81,
No. 1, pp.1–17.
Jasperson, J., Sambamurthy, V. and Zmud, R.W. (1999) ‘Social influence and individual IT use:
unravelling the pathways of appropriation moves’, Proceeding of the 20th International
Conference on Information Systems, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, pp.113–118.
Jin, B. and Park, J. (2006) ‘The moderating effect of online purchase experience on the evaluation
of online store attributes and the subsequent impact on market response outcomes’, Advances
in Consumer Research, Vol. 33, No. 1, pp.203–211.
Kassim, N. and Ismail, S. (2009) ‘Investigating the complex drivers of loyalty in e-commerce
settings’, Measuring Business Excellence, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp.56–71.
Kelly, E. and Erickson, S. (2005) ‘RFID tags: commercial applications v. privacy rights’, Industrial
Management & Data Systems, Vol. 105, No. 6, pp.703–713.
Kim, J., Jin, B. and Swinney, J. (2009) ‘The role of etail quality, e-satisfaction and e-trust in online
loyalty’, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp.239–247.
Kokash, H. (2012) ‘Jordanian travel agencies’ websites assessment: experts vs. tourists’
perceptions’, International Journal of Marketing Studies, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp.80–92.
Kuster, I., Vila, N. and Canales, P. (2016) ‘How does the online service level influence consumers’
purchase intentions before a transaction? A formative approach’, European Journal of
Management and Business Economics, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp.111–120.
Kwong, K and Wong, K. (2013) Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM)
Techniques Using SmartPLS [online] http://marketing-bulletin.massey.ac.nz/V24/MB_V24_
T1_Wong.pdf (accessed 29 November 2018).
Lee-Kelley, L., Gilbert, D. and Mannicom, R. (2003) ‘How e-CRM can enhance customer loyalty’,
Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 21, No. 4, pp.239–248.
Liang, L., Choi, H. and Joppe, M. (2018) ‘Understanding repurchase intention of Airbnb
consumers: perceived authenticity, electronic word-of-mouth, and price sensitivity’, Journal of
Travel & Tourism Marketing, Vol. 35, No. 1, pp.73–89.
Matute, J., Polo-Redondo, Y and Utrillas, A. (2016) ‘The influence of EWOM characteristics on
online repurchase intention: mediating roles of trust and perceived usefulness’, Online
Information Review, Vol. 40, No. 7, pp.1090–1110.
Matute, J., Polo-Redondo, Y. and Utrillas, A. (2016) ‘The influence of EWOM characteristics on
online repurchase intention: mediating roles of trust and perceived usefulness’, Online
Information Review, Vol. 40, No. 7, pp.1090–1110.
Mayer, R., Davis, J. and Schoorman, F. (1995) ‘An integrative model of organizational trust’,
Academy of Management Review, Vol. 20, No. 3, pp.709–734.
McKnight, D., Choudhury, V. and Kacmar, C. (2002) ‘Developing and validating trust measures
for e-commerce: an integrative typology’, Information Systems Research, Vol. 13, No. 3,
pp.334–359.
Merrilees, B. and Fry, M. (2003) ‘E-trust: the influence of perceived interactivity on e-retailing
users’, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp.123–128.
Molinillo, S., Pérez-Aranda, J., Gómez-Ortiz, B. and Navarro-García, A. (2017) ‘Building
customer loyalty: the effect of experiential state, the value of shopping, and trust and
perceived value of service on online clothes shopping’, Clothing and Textiles Research
Journal, Vol. 35, No. 3, pp.156–171.
Moorman, C., Deshpande, R. and Zaltman, G. (1993) ‘Factors affecting trust in market research
relationships’, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 57, No. 1, pp.81–101.
Mosavi, A. and Ghaedi, M. (2012) ‘Role of perceived value in explaining trust and
repurchase intention in e-shopping’, African Journal of Business Management, Vol. 6, No. 1,
pp.4910–4920.
Oliver, R. (1980) ‘A cognitive model of the antecedents and consequences of satisfaction
decisions’, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 17, No. 4, pp.460–469.
Oliver, R. (1999) ‘Whence consumer loyalty?’, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 63, No. 1, pp.33–44.
Oumar, T., Mang’Unyi, E., Govender, K. and Rajkaran, S. (2017) ‘Exploring the e-CRM –
e-customer- e-loyalty nexus: a Kenyan commercial bank case study’, Management &
Marketing, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp.674–696.
Papadopoulou, P., Andreou, A., Kanellis, P. and Martakos, D. (2001) ‘Trust and relationship
building in electronic commerce’, Internet Research, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp.322–332.
Pappas, O.I., Pateli, A.G., Giannakos, M.N. and Chrissikopoulos, V. (2014) ‘Moderating effects of
online shopping experience on customer satisfaction and repurchase intentions’, International
Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 42, No. 3, pp.187–204.
Park, C. and Kim, Y. (2003) ‘Identifying key factors affecting consumer purchase behavior in an
online shopping context’, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management,
Vol. 31, No. 1, pp.16–29.
Pavlou, P. (2003) ‘Consumer acceptance of electronic commerce: Integrating trust and risk with the
technology acceptance model’, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, Vol. 7, No. 3,
pp.101–134.
Prasad, S., Gupta, I., and Totala, N. (2017) ‘Social media usage, electronic word of mouth and
purchase-decision involvement’, Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, Vol. 9,
No. 2, pp.134–145.
Rao, S., Goldsby, T., Griffis, S. and Iyengar, D. (2011) ‘Electronic logistics service quality
(e-LSQ): its impact on the customer’s purchase satisfaction and retention’, Journal of Business
Logistics, Vol. 32, No. 2, pp.167–179.
Reibstein, D. (2002) ‘What attracts customers to online stores, and what keeps them coming
back?’, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 30, No. 4, pp.465–473.
Reichheld, E. and Schefter, P. (2000) ‘Online customer loyalty: your secret weapon on the web’,
Harvard Business Review, Vol. 78, No. 4, pp.105–113.
Riel, A., Lilander, V. and Jurriens, P. (2001) ‘Exploring consumer evaluations of e-services:
a portal site’, International Journal of Service Industry Management, Vol. 12, No. 4,
pp.359–377.
Rodgers, W., Negash, S. and Suk, K. (2005) ‘The moderating effect of online experience on the
antecedents and consequences of online satisfaction’, Psychology and Marketing, Vol. 22,
No. 4, pp.313–331.
Roy, M., Dewit, O. and Aubert, B. (2001) ‘The impact of interface usability on trust in web
retailers’, Internet Research, Vol. 11, No. 5, pp.388–398.
Sadeh, S., Sadeh, E., Mousavi, L. and Asgari, F. (2011) ‘The effects of website quality dimensions
on customer satisfaction in e-retailing system’, Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research,
Vol. 10, No. 3, pp.366–369.
Sen, S. and Lerman, D. (2007) ‘Why are you telling me this? A examination into negative
consumer reviews on the web’, Journal of Interactive Marketing, Vol. 21, No. 4, pp.76–94.
Shafiee, M. and Bazargan, N. (2018) ‘Behavioral customer loyalty in online shopping: the role of
e-service quality and e-recovery’, Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce
Research, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp.15–32.
Shin, J., Chung, K., Oh, J. and Lee, C. (2013) ‘The effect of site quality on repurchase intention in
internet shopping through mediating variables: the case of university students in South Korea’,
International Journal of Information Management, Vol. 33, No. 3, pp.453–463.
Sobel, M. (1982) ‘Asymptotic confidence intervals for indirect effects in structural equation
models’, Sociological Methodology, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp.290–312.
Song, J. and Zinkhan, G. (2003) ‘Features of web site design, perceptions of web site quality, and
patronage behavior’, in ACME 2003 Proceedings, USA, Georgia, pp.106–114.
Srinivasan, S., Anderson, R. and Ponnavolu, K. (2002) ‘Customer loyalty in e-commerce: an
exploration of its antecedents and consequences’, Journal of Retailing, Vol. 78, No. 1,
pp.41–50.
Szymanski, D. and Hise, R. (2000) ‘Online customer satisfaction: an initial Examination’, Journal
of Retailing, Vol. 76, No. 3, pp.309–322.
Tan, P.J.S., Sharma, R.S. and Theng, Y.L. (2009) ‘Effective e-commerce strategies for small online
retailers’, Int. J. Electronic Business, Vol. 7, No. 5, pp.445–472.
Thaw, Y., Mahmood, A. and Dominic, P. (2009) ‘A study on the factors that influence the
consumers’ trust on e-commerce adoption’, International Journal of Computer Science and
Information Security, Vol. 4, Nos. 1–2, pp.153–159.
Tielman, R.J. (2003) ‘Relationships among trust in, satisfaction with, and loyalty toward web
merchants among united states, Dutch, and German consumers’, ProQuest Dissertations and
Theses, pp.204–204, Alliant International University, San Diego, Order No. 3094904.
Torres-Moraga, E., Vasquez-Parraga, A.Z. and Zamora-Gonzalez, F. (2008) ‘Customer satisfaction
and loyalty: start with the product, culminate with the brand’, Journal of Consumer Marketing,
Vol. 2, No. 5, pp.302–313
Vijayalakshmi, R. and Thyagarajan, V. (2016) ‘Customers’ loyalty towards online retail stores’,
International Journal of Advanced Scientific Research & Development, Vol. 3, No. 3,
pp.9–15.
Vinzi, V., Chin, W. and Henseler, J. (2010) Hand Book of Partial Least Squares, Springer,
Germany.
Wang, C. and Zhang, P. (2012) ‘The evolution of social commerce: the people, management,
technology, and information dimensions’, Communications of the Association for Information
Systems, Vol. 31, No. 5, pp.105–127.
Wang, S., Cunningham, N. and Eastin, M. (2015) ‘The impact of eWOM message characteristics
on the perceived effectiveness of online consumer’, Journal of Interactive Advertising,
Vol. 15, No. 2, pp.151–159.
Wang, Y., Hernandez, M. and Minor, M. (2010) ‘Web aesthetics effects on perceived online
service quality and satisfaction in an e-tail environment: the moderating role of purchase task’,
Journal of Business Research, Vol. 63, Nos. 9/10, pp.935–942.
Wangenheim, F. and Bayon, T. (2004) ‘The effect of word of mouth on services switching:
measurement and moderating variables’, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 38, Nos. 9/10,
pp.1173–1185.
Warrington, T., Abgrab, N. and Caldwell, H. (2000) ‘Building trust to develop competitive
advantage in e-business relationships’, Competitiveness Review: An International Business
Journal, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp.160–168.
Winch, G. and Joyce, P. (2006) ‘Exploring the dynamics of building and losing consumer trust in
B2C e-business’, International Journal of Retail &Distribution Management, Vol. 34, No. 7,
pp.541–555.
Wu, P.C. and Wang, Y.C. (2011) ‘The influences of electronic word-of-mouth message appeal and
message source credibility on brand attitude’, Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics,
Vol. 23, No. 4, pp.448–472.
Xu, J., Benbasat, I. and Cenfetelli, R. (2011) ‘The effects of service and consumer product
knowledge on online customer loyalty’, Journal of the Association for Information Systems,
Vol. 12, No. 11, pp.741–766.
Xu, Y. and Lee, M. (2018) ‘Shopping as a social activity: understanding people’s categorical item
sharing preferences on social networks’, in Companion Proceedings of the 23rd International
on Intelligent User Interfaces: 2nd Workshop on Theory-Informed User Modeling for
Tailoring and Personalizing Interfaces (HUMANIZE).
Yang, Z. and Peterson, R. (2004) ‘Customer perceived value, satisfaction, and loyalty: the role of
switching costs’, Psychology & Marketing, Vol. 21, No. 10, pp.799–822.
Yuan, X. and Chu, K. (2013) ‘When and how information quality matters: perceived customer
orientation and customer satisfaction’, Advances in Information Sciences and Service
Sciences, Vol. 5, No. 9, pp.105–113.
Zhang, Y., Fang, Y., Wei, K., Ramsey, E., McCole, P. and Chen, H. (2011) ‘Repurchase intention
in B2Ce-commerce – a relationship quality perspective’, Information and Management,
Vol. 48, No. 6, pp.192–200.
Zins, A. (2001) ‘Relative attitudes and commitment in customer loyalty models: some experiences
in the commercial airline industry’, International Journal of Service Industry Management,
Vol. 12, No. 3, pp.269–294.

Al Adwan

Uploaded by

Document Informationclick to expand document information

Document Informationclick to expand document information

Copyright:

Available Formats

Al Adwan

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Al Adwan

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

278 Int. J. Electronic Marketing and Retailing, Vol. 11, No.

Building customer loyalty in online shopping:

Ahmad Samed Al-Adwan*

Husam Kokash and Ahmad Al Adwan

Abstract: Various scholars have empirically investigated customer beliefs

Copyright © 2020 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

proposed model, a self-administered paper-based survey questionnaire was

Keywords: online loyalty; online shopping; e-commerce; online satisfaction;

Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Al-Adwan, A.S.,

Biographical notes: Ahmad Samed Al-Adwan is the Chairman of Information

Husam Kokash is the Chairman of Marketing Department and an Assistant

Ahmad Al Adwan is an Assistant Professor of Online Marketing; he is

Alaa Alhorani is currently an Associate Professor of Accounting and Finance at

Husam Yaseen is an Assistant Professor of Information Systems at the

2.1 Online customer loyalty

Perceived privacy (PP) is defined by Goodwin (1991) as “consumer’s ability to

Figure 1 Research model

3.1 Online customer trust

3.2 Online customer satisfaction

3.3 Electronic word of mouth

effect of WOM information on customers’ decisions to purchase is greater in situations

3.4 Perceived security

3.5 Perceived information quality

3.6 Perceived privacy

3.7 User interface quality

4.1 Instrument development

Construct Items Source

Table 1 Scale items (continued)

Construct Items Source

4.2 Sampling and procedures

Based on Hair et al. (2013), a principle component factor analysis (PCA)-varimax

Table 4 CFA analysis

PIQ UIQ OCL PP OCS PS OCT EWOM

Table 5 Discriminant validity

Latent variable correlations

Figure 2 Path analysis

Hypothesis β P value Result

Independent construct Mediator Dependent construct T-statistic P-value

7.1 Theoretical implications

7.2 Practical implications

7.3 Limitations and future studies

You might also like