The impact of site-communality on the attitudinal and behavioural components of site-loyalty : a cross-sectional study

• Main Author: Tomiuk, Daniel, 1967-
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: McGill University 2005
• Subjects: Web site development.; Motivation research (Marketing); Marketing > Psychological aspects.; Electronic commerce > Psychological aspects.
• Online Access: http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=85960

We examine whether the precepts of what have been termed 'close', 'intimate', or, more specifically, 'communal' relationships in Social Psychology may be communicated via Web site content and whether this positively impacts Site-Loyalty. We introduce a variable called Site-Communality defined as the extent to which Web site content signals that a company's relationship with its customers goes beyond the formal, 'tit for tat' business dealings that are typically expected from purely commercial exchanges, and instead, more closely abide by the norms and behaviours evocative of friendships and/or family relations. We develop multi-dimensional measures of Site-Communality and Site-Loyalty. Using Structural Equation Modelling (LISREL VIII), we then empirically investigate the influence of Site-Communality on the attitudes and behavioural intentions associated with Site-Loyalty using cross-sectional data collected from 305 subjects asked to explore and evaluate one among many real Web sites chosen so as to maximize variability on Site-Communality. === Our results show that Site-Communality has a strong, direct, positive effect on the attitudes and behavioural intentions associated with Site-Loyalty. This directly contradicts conjectures from several authors dismissing as unimportant or irrelevant to Web site design, the affective/relational aspects more closely associated with traditional, interpersonal, face-to-face commercial encounters (e.g., Cox & Dale, 2001; Zeithaml, Parasuraman, & Malhotra, 2001, 2002). Generally, such factors were believed to loose their relevance in self-service, Web-based commercial environments, at best, becoming contingently important only when customer/employee communications actually occurs (i.e., emails/telephone conversations). === However, contrary to our expectations, our results show that the positive relationship between Site-Communality and Site-Loyalty is attenuated (rather than accentuated) by the visitor's 'Communal-Orientation in Traditional Commercial Environments' which is defined as the extent to which a consumer enjoys 'getting to know' employees (i.e., waitress, bank teller, hair stylist) and relating with them on a more personal-level than is typically required for the effective delivery of a service. One possible explanation for this unexpected result is that when highly communally-orientated consumers are exposed to a Web site high in Site-Communality, they may be reminded of what they are missing out on if they choose to conduct their business online rather than in more traditional business environments.