Abstract:
This study empirically analyzes the impact of perceived website quality on two variables viz., attitude of online shoppers and their electronic word of mouth (eWoM) intentions. The study further explores the impact of benefits perceived by the online shoppers on both attitude of online shoppers and eWoM. Furthermore, the mediating role of electronic Trust (eTrust) in the model is also evaluated. The authors have used field survey approach to gather respondent data. A structured and self-administered questionnaire is employed to gather data from young adult online shoppers. The hypothesized model is analyzed through partial least square - structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and factor analysis through IBM SPSS Statistics version 25. The findings exhibit that attitude of young adult online shoppers is highly impacted by the benefits they perceive from a particular online retail store and the perceived quality of website as well. Furthermore, the level of eTrust also works as a mediator in the development of their attitude towards a particular online retail store. The owners of online retail stores should focus on building better quality websites so that online shoppers may perceive greater benefits from an online retail store, which would result in positive customer attitudes towards online shopping and positive customer eWoM intentions. The research is only limited to young adult mobile shoppers in Lahore, Pakistan and it is a cross-sectional study, so future researches are encouraged to contribute as a longitudinal study. The originality of this research lies in the proposal and validation of the research model. With the increasing trend in online shopping, the quality of website and perceived website benefits play a key role in developing trust and positive attitude in the minds of online shoppers. Thus, this research is an empirical evidence regarding the factors involved in the development of positive customer attitude in an online shopping environment. Online retail store owners, who are planning to expand their business can formulate and implement the strategies discussed in this research paper.
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