The moderating effect of customer perceived value on online shopping behaviour

Purpose The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of e‐service quality, customer perceived value, and customer satisfaction on customer loyalty in an online shopping environment. Design/methodology/approach There were two studies performed in this research. Study 1 validated the self‐regulating processes; Study 2 tested the moderating effects of customer perceived value between satisfaction and loyalty. Structural equation modelling techniques and linear hierarchical regression models were used to test the causal model. Findings The study demonstrated that e‐service quality and customer perceived value influence customer satisfaction, and then influence customer loyalty. In addition this study found that customers with a high perceived value have a stronger relationship between satisfaction and customer loyalty than customers with a low perceived value. Research limitations/implications We found that there are emotional and rational routes influencing customer loyalty in the online shopping process. This will contribute to other research that clarifies the influencing process of online shoppers' motivation and behaviour. Practical implications In the pre‐purchase stage, online retailers should focus on attracting consumers by the quality of e‐service. In the purchase stage, online retailers should address the emotional factors, such as customer satisfaction. In the post‐purchase stage, rational factors – such as customer perceived value – play important roles because they can strengthen the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty. Originality/value This study viewed the purchase process as a different stage as consumers may make a choice at each of the purchase stages. Moreover this study found a way to examine the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty by exploring the moderating effects of customer perceived value.