Purpose This paper investigates the impact of complaint behaviour and service recovery satisfaction on consumer intentions to repurchase through Internet channels. Design/methodology/approach Using survey data from large consumer samples from 15 European countries, the authors classify consumers according to: a) whether they had negative experiences with online purchases, b) whether they complained, and c) whether they were satisfied with the complaint handling. A logistic regression analysis assesses the effects of these experiences on repurchase intentions. Findings Remarkable differences arise among the consumers with respect to intentions to repurchase on the Internet. Consumers with negative experiences who complained expressed higher repurchase intentions than consumers with no reason to complain and also than consumers who had negative experiences but did not complain. Yet the highest repurchase intentions arose among consumers who complained and expressed satisfaction with the complaint handling, in support of the service recovery paradox in an online setting. Originality/value This project is one of the first empirical studies of the consequences of dissatisfaction and complaints related to online purchase behaviour.
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Previous investigations of consumer subcultures in the CCT tradition focused primarily on consumer behaviours, feelings, experiences and meanings of consumption. This paper advocates that in order to deeply understand and interpret a particular subculture, researchers in consumer culture should consider more thoroughly the interaction between consumers and producers in consumption markets. This argument is illustrated with a research project on lifestyle sports. From the results of this study it appears that producers play a vital and interdependent role in meaning and interpretation processes. It is argued that processes in which consumers give meaning to activities can not be isolated from the processes in which producers ascribe meanings to activities, settings and markets. In this 'circuit of culture', production and consumption are not completely separate spheres of existence but rather are mutually constitutive of one another (Du Gay, Hall, Janes, Mackay, & Negus, 1997).
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The Internet introduces new business choices for customer interaction. In this article we introduce two claims. Firstly, we will show that the way companies shape their customer interaction, and not their sector or size, determine the market segmentation. Secondly, Internet dynamics and its effect on customer interaction rebalances the companies’ marketing and sales function: the Internet shortens the time window for new market opportunities and makes everyone a salesman. Therefore, traditional marketing activities become more and more part of Sales. Corporate communication and branding become more vital.
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