Customer Experience in Online-Retailing - An Analysis of the Main Segments in German Online-Retailing

摘要

In line with the continuous growth rates in online retailing, the competitive situation for retailers has intensified. In order to strengthen their market position and exploit further potential, online retailers need to create a strong customer experience. The objective of the paper is to analyze the customer experience at the largest German online retailers with the aim of finding out whether the main four segments (marketplaces, generalists, fashion, consumer electronics) differ with respect to customer experience. This study is based on extensive qualitative (focus groups) and quantitative research (a representative sample of 1,000 German online buyers). The construct "customer experience" was conceptualized and operationalized as a multidimensional construct with five dimensions: customer's cognitive, fulfillment-related, affective, social and sensorial experience. The data from the quantitative survey were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis as well as a structural equation model. Looking at the five individual dimensions, there are significant differences between the four industry segments for four of the dimensions, namely cognitive, fulfillment-related, affective and social customer experience. With regard to the sensorial experience dimension, there are no significant differences.