E-Service Quality from Attributes to Outcomes: The Similarity and Difference between Digital and Hybrid Services

• Main Authors: Natalia Vatolkina, Elena Gorbashko, Nadezhda Kamynina, Olga Fedotkina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-11-01
• Series: Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market and Complexity
• Subjects: e-service; e-service quality; customer experience
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2199-8531/6/4/143

Our research goal is to offer an e-service quality model based on experience and multidimensional quality and compare its applicability for e-services to find differences and similarities in consumer perceptions and behavioral intentions. Additionally, we seek to compare attributes that compose quality dimensions for hybrid and digital e-services. The study was based on an online survey conducted in July–September 2019 among citizens and foreign residents in the Russian Federation. Respondents had to answer questions concerning a specific e-service brand to capture real consumer behavior. The data of 365 questionnaires were analyzed using the Spearman correlation to determine the relationship between the model components. Customer experience is a valid outcome variable in the e-service model that strongly influences customer satisfaction and repurchase intentions. The model proved to be equally valid for hybrid and digital e-services. The key differences between digital and hybrid e-services lie within the distribution of e-service attributes between quality dimensions. Ease of use and perceived usefulness are the most essential attributes that have a direct influence on customer satisfaction. The findings show the necessity of best practices diffused between different types of e-services and present an opportunity to widely spread research findings between different e-service sectors.