The Relationship Between Satisfaction with Complaint Handling and Repurchase Intentions: Detecting Moderating Influences in E-Tail

ABSTRACT This paper examines which factors affect the relationship between consumers' satisfaction with complaint handling and repurchase intentions. We present a conceptual framework that explains why satisfaction with complaint handling (SATCOM) does not necessary lead to repurchase intention (RI) for online shoppers. The authors test five moderating variables of the relationship between SATCOM and RI: relationship quality (relational factor), economic value, alternative attractiveness (marketplace factor), inferred motives and stability of the failure (failure-related factors). To test our hypotheses, we conducted an online survey with e-shoppers and used moderated regression analysis and a bootstrapping procedure. The findings show that all moderators help to explain the nonlinearity between SATCOM and RI. Hence, this study makes theoretical and managerial contributions related to failures in shopping experiences and repurchase intentions in e-tail.

摘要：本研究旨在探究影响消费者投诉处理满意度与回购意愿之间关系的各类因素。针对在线购物场景，本研究提出一套概念框架，用以解释为何投诉处理满意度（SATCOM）未必会转化为回购意愿（RI）。本研究针对SATCOM与RI之间的关联，检验了五类调节变量：关系质量（关系层面因素）、经济价值、替代吸引力（市场层面因素）、失败归因动机与失败稳定性（失败相关因素）。为验证研究假设，本研究面向电商购物者开展了线上调研，并采用了调节回归分析与自举法（bootstrapping）流程。研究结果表明，所有调节变量均有助于阐释SATCOM与RI之间的非线性关联。综上，本研究在购物体验失败与电商零售回购意愿相关领域，兼具理论与实践管理层面的学术贡献。