Total Quality Management Vol. 18, No.

4, 363 378, June 2007

The Impact of Website Quality Dimensions on Customer Satisfaction in the B2C E-commerce Context
HSIU-FEN LIN
Department of Shipping and Transportation Management, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, Taiwan

ABSTRACT Business-to-consumer electronic commerce deals with both Web-based information systems and marketing activities. Based on the information systems and marketing literature, this study proposes a research model for understanding the inuences of website quality dimensions (system quality, information quality, and service quality) on customer satisfaction. Two system quality variables (website design and interactivity), two information quality variables (informativeness and security), and three service quality variables (responsiveness, trust, and empathy) are identied as critical variables that have an impact on customer satisfaction. Data from a survey of 297 customers of online bookstores were used to test the research model. Conrmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the validity of the measurement model, and the structural model also was analyzed to examine the associations hypothesized in the research model. The analytical results showed that website design, interactivity, informativeness, security responsiveness, and trust affect customer satisfaction, while empathy does not have a statistically signicant effect on customer satisfaction. Overall, system quality, information quality, and service quality are important antecedents of customer satisfaction. Finally, the ndings in this study are expected to provide helpful guidelines to both practitioners and researchers. KEY WORDS : B2C e-commerce, system quality, information quality, service quality, customer satisfaction

Introduction Business-to-consumer electronic commerce (B2C e-commerce), one of many e-commerce models, is an effective means in which companies and their customers perform online commerce via Internet-based technologies (Ranganathan & Ganapathy, 2002). The proliferation of B2C e-commerce activities has created a need to understand how and why users participate in e-commerce. As Hong et al. (2002) state, the fundamental factors that set a websites success apart are superior information systems (IS) design and marketing services in obtaining customer knowledge and satisfaction. Thus, online retailers may enhance customer

Correspondence Address: Hsiu-Fen Lin, Department of Shipping and Transportation Management, National Taiwan Ocean University, No.2, Beining Road, Keelung 202-24, Taiwan, Republic of China. Email: hin@mail.ntou.edu.tw 1478-3363 Print/1478-3371 Online/07/04036316 # 2007 Taylor & Francis DOI: 10.1080/14783360701231302

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satisfaction and loyalty by providing numerous advantages such as convenience, a welldesigned user interface, customized information, a variety of product information, and competitive pricing (Verhoef & Langerak, 2001; Park & Kim, 2003). Customer satisfaction is a measure of a customers subjective evaluation of any outcome or experience associated with the purchase of a product (Westbrook, 1980). For online retailers, customer satisfaction often leads to favourable results, such as improved customer retention, positive word of mouth and increased prots (Zeithaml, 2000). Moreover, Bhattacherjee (2001) argued that customer satisfaction is more challenging in the B2C e-commerce context than in conventional retailing as customers are more demanding, empowered with the information required to make their own decisions, and want their non-purchase needs met immediately, perfectly, and for free. It is important for online retailers, therefore, to understand customer requirements and to identify the factors affecting customer satisfaction in the context of B2C e-commerce. The Internet environment is a marketing channel for which Albert et al. (2004) articulated a need to understand both IS and online commerce development. Stafford (2003) also stated that e-service is an information system and a marketing channel, the information system view as more of a technology development concept and the marketing view as more service-oriented. Further, researchers suggested that improving the overall quality of online retailers is essential to customer satisfaction in the rapidly growing world of B2C e-commerce (Liu & Arnett, 2000; Janda et al., 2002; Park & Kim, 2003). For example, IS-oriented research explains and predicts customer satisfaction within the setting of B2C e-commerce by assessing the technical specications, such as website usability and design (McKinney et al., 2002; Chen & Yen, 2004; Kim & Stoel, 2004). The marketingoriented research explores which customer service features are signicant predictors of customer satisfaction during online shopping (van Iwaarden et al., 2003; Wolnbarger & Gilly, 2003). Hence, the integration of IS and marketing views should be of critical importance for customer satisfaction in the B2C e-commerce context. However, there has been very limited empirical research into this subject in the B2C e-commerce literature. This study focuses on the integrative approach by considering IS and marketing areas and examines the associations between website quality dimensions (system quality, information quality, and service quality) and customer satisfaction. Two system quality variables (website design and interactivity), two information quality variables (informativeness and security), and three service quality variables (responsiveness, trust, and empathy) are identied as critical variables that have an impact on customer satisfaction. Data were collected from 297 customers of online bookstores. Conrmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test the validity of the measurement model, and the structural model also was analysed to examine the associations hypothesized in the research model, which was supported by LISREL 8.3 software. The ndings of this study may help both B2C e-commerce managers to formulate their marketing strategies to improve online business performance and researchers interested in website quality studies.

Literature Review Dimensions of Website Quality In the context of B2C e-commerce, the website features of online retailers can be categorized into three marketing stages: presales, online sales, and after-sales (Liu & Arnett,

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2000). The presales stage includes the online retailers efforts to attract customers by providing product and price-related information to reduce customers search cost. Customer electronic purchasing activities occur during the online sales stage, in which orders are placed and payments are made electronically. The after-sales stage comprises customer service, delivery, and problem solutions. These stages should generate or foster customer satisfaction if the various needs and expectations of customers are met. Thus, customer satisfaction can be achieved effectively through website usefulness and by the quality of customer service during all three marketing stages. Most studies have either adopted a technical- or customer-oriented perspective in attempting to identify the key features of B2C e-commerce. An IS-oriented view assumes that the determinants of customer acceptance are based on systems features such as website usability, accurate information and transaction security (Janda et al., 2002; Palmer, 2002; Park & Kim, 2003). The services marketing-oriented view argues that to attract and retain customers, online retailers need to have a clear knowledge of what online customers expect for service quality (Long & McMellon, 2004). Moreover, Jarvenpaa & Todd (1997) identied that the success of virtual stores is determined by both a technology-centred view (i.e. were transactions done correctly?) and consumer-centred view (i.e. was the customer treated properly?). The technical components of online retailing are system quality and information quality, while customer support is a product of service quality. Similarly, DeLone & McLean (2003) introduced the e-commerce success model which includes system quality, information quality, and service quality as antecedents of website effectiveness. Despite identifying various attributes of website quality in the B2C e-commerce context, the above studies asserted that website quality is a multi-dimensional construct comprising system quality, information quality, and service quality.

Website Quality and Customer Satisfaction In considering B2C e-commerce as a competitive marketing channel, Bell & Tang (1998) investigated website effectiveness from a customer satisfaction perspective. Jeong et al. (2003) further indicated that customer satisfaction plays a crucial role for long-term welfare of the online retailer. In the B2C e-commerce research, e-satisfaction was dened and operationalized as a measure of satisfaction with Internet shopping, and it was found that consumer perceptions of convenience, merchandising (product offerings and product information), website design, and nancial security were signicant predictors of e-satisfaction (Szymanski & Hise, 2000). A qualitative study of online pharmacy customers found that website customer service quality, product availability, and website features were associated with customer satisfaction (Yang et al., 2001). Moreover, an empirical study of online apparel retailers by Kim & Stoel (2004) found that information t-to-task, transaction capability, and response time were signicant predictors of shopper satisfaction. Despite the fact that previous studies have identied that various quality factors are important determinants of customer satisfaction, IS and marketing have seldom been integrated to examine how system quality, information quality, and service quality affect customer satisfaction.

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Research Model The research model investigated in this study is displayed in Figure 1. Based on the IS and marketing literature, the research model includes a set of seven (two system quality, two information quality and three service quality) antecedent variables that are expected to inuence customer satisfaction in the B2C e-commerce context. Each of the variables in the research model and hypotheses is detailed below. System Quality System quality is manifest in a website systems overall performance and can be measured by customer perceived degrees of user friendliness in shopping at an online retailer. Moreover, system quality in terms of Web-based IS identies the desired characteristics for an online retailer. Website design, access convenience, ease of use, and reliability are examples of qualities valued by online customers (DeLone & McLean, 2003; Bharati & Chaudhury, 2004). User manipulation and utilization of the information provided through a website is signicantly inuenced by levels of interactivity (Palmer, 2002). The features of a website interface are an attractive medium for interaction between an online retailer and its customers (Hoffman & Novak, 1997). Moreover, customers should be provided with a feedback mechanism through an e-mail link or frequently-ask-questions (FAQ) section for productrelated information.

Figure 1. Research model

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In this study, systems quality was viewed as having two aspects: website design and interactivity. Here, website design and interactivity are dened as follows. . Website design: the extent to which the customer perceives user friendliness while shopping at an online retailer. Website usability, reliability, access convenience, and ease of use comprised website design. . Interactivity: the extent to which a customer can participate in an interactive multimedia-based environment. Interactivity includes feedback mechanisms and multiple choice purchasing decisions. Some studies have identied system design quality and interactivity between the customer and online retailer as leading to a websites success (Liu & Arnett, 2000; Udo & Marquis, 2002). Similarly, this study expected that an increase in system quality, such as website design and interactivity, would increase customer satisfaction levels in the context of B2C e-commerce. Hence, the following hypotheses are proposed. H1: Website design in an online retailer positively inuences customer satisfaction. H2: Interactivity in an online retailer positively inuences customer satisfaction.

Information Quality Information quality is a measure of value perceived by a customer of the output produced by a website. Information characteristics, such as being up-to-date, accurate, useful, complete, and its presentation, have been viewed as important determinants of perceived information quality (DeLone & McLean, 2003; Bharati & Chaudhury, 2004). Furthermore, previous studies indicate that online customers often have concerns about providing their personal information to online retailers (Janda et al., 2002; Vijayasarathy, 2004). Both nancial and personal security were identied as measures of online customer satisfaction (Szymanski & Hise, 2000; Park & Kim, 2003). In this study, two factors were adopted as measures of information quality: informativeness and security. They are dened as follows. . Informativeness: the ability to inform customers about product alternatives. Informativeness includes information timeliness, accuracy, usefulness, and completeness. . Security: the extent to which a customer believes that paying online is secure. Information quality is likely to help customers compare products, make informed purchases, and enhance transaction security (Liu & Arnett, 2000; Park & Kim, 2003). This study expected that improved information quality (i.e. Informativeness and security) would lead to high levels of customer satisfaction. Thus, the following hypotheses are proposed. H3: Informativeness in an online retailer positively inuences customer satisfaction. H4: Security in an online retailer positively inuences customer satisfaction.

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Service Quality In the online shopping environment, service quality can be dened as overall customer evaluations and judgments regarding the quality of online service delivery (Santos, 2003). Moreover, Zeithaml et al. (2002) dened e-service quality as the extent to which a website facilitates efcient and effective shopping, purchasing, and product delivery. Service quality is increasingly recognized as playing an important role in inuencing the purchase intentions of online customers. Based on a literature review of the online service quality, DeLone & McLean (2003) noted that service quality dimensions such as responsiveness, trust and empathy are critical to e-commerce success. Here, responsiveness, trust and empathy are dened as follows. . Responsiveness: the extent to which a customer perceives the services provided by an online retailer are responsiveness and helpful. . Trust: the customer perceptions of the level of trust mechanisms provided by an online retailer. . Empathy: the care and individualized attention an online retailer gives its customers, including whether it provides targeted e-mail and personal attention. Based on the customers choices and actions, online retailers providing real-time services and personalized information to customers may become a source of competitive advantage to gain customers repeats visits and satisfaction (Luo & Seyedian, 2003). Additionally, trust is dened as customer willingness to accept vulnerability in an online transaction based on their positive expectations regarding future online retailer behaviours (Kimery & McCard, 2002), because customers rely on trust as primary mechanism to reduce transaction uncertainty. Consequently, increased service quality (e.g. responsiveness, trust, empathy) on the website can make online retailers more effective and appealing, and can help online retailers achieve higher levels of customer satisfaction (Gronroos et al., 2000). The following hypotheses are proposed. H5: Responsiveness in an online retailer positively inuences customer satisfaction. H6: Trust in an online retailer positively inuences customer satisfaction. H7: Empathy in an online retailer positively inuences customer satisfaction.

Method Measures This study adapted the measures used to operationalize the constructs included in the investigated model from IS and marketing literature, making minor wording changes to tailor these measures to the B2C e-commerce context. System quality was measured by eight items capturing two variables, namely website design and interactivity. These items described web-based system design and feedback mechanisms in order to understand user perceptions about system quality of the online retailer (Kim & Lee, 2002; Palmer, 2002). Six items measuring the two information quality variables, i.e. informativeness and security, were taken from previous applications of IS effectiveness

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(Srinivasan, 1985; Park & Kim, 2003). These items included questions on the information accuracy and transaction security. Eight items that assess various aspects of perceived web-based service performance measured service quality such as responsiveness, trust, and empathy (Parasuraman et al., 1988; Kimery & McCard, 2002; DeLone & McLean, 2003). Additionally, based on Devaraj et al. (2002), customer satisfaction with the online retailer was assessed with the following three questions: The online retailers information content meets my needs, It is possible for me to buy the product from the online retailer, and Overall, I am satised with this online experience. All items were measured using a seven-point Likert-type scale (ranging from 1 strongly disagree to 7 strongly agree). With the establishment of content validity, the questionnaire was rened through rigorous pre-testing. The pre-testing focused on instrument clarity, question wording and validity. During the pre-testing, 15 experienced online shoppers were taken as subjects and invited to comment on the questions and wordings. The comments of these 15 individuals then provided a basis for revisions to the construct measures. Table 1 lists the nal questionnaire items used to measure each construct. Subjects and Procedure A total of 305 questionnaires were distributed to senior-year undergraduate students taking the course on Electronic Commerce at St. Johns and St. Marys Institute of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan. The student subjects were selected in this study for three reasons. First, according to the 2004 Taiwan Internet users survey report (http://survey.yam.com/ survey2004/index.html, 2005), about 40% of Internet users in Taiwan are college students. Moreover, college students are the greatest proportion of Internet users. Second, online customers generally are younger and better educated than conventional customers, meaning that the student subjects closely resemble the online customer population (McKnight et al., 2002). Finally, the use of students as subjects in this study can decrease the effect of variance in web-based literacy. The study was conducted in the following stages. First, the subjects were instructed to navigate online bookstores (such as www.amazon.com, www.books.com.tw, and www.silkbook.com.tw) and search for books related to the Electronic Commerce course they were taking. Next, the subjects were asked to select a textbook or reference book related to the course that they would like to buy from an online bookstore, noting that fullment time cannot be over 30 days. The subjects were given two tasks representing the online transaction process. The rst task was to register with an online bookstore, search for the book selected by the participants and place it in the shopping cart. The second task involved lling out certain payment and delivery data. After completing these two tasks, all the 305 students completed the task successfully and the questionnaires were distributed in class. The response rate was 100%, but since eight questionnaires were later discarded because of missing data, the effective response rate was approximately 97%. Table 2 lists descriptive statistics about the sample. Statistical Analysis The structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was used to validate the research model. This approach was chosen because of its ability to test casual relationships

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Table 1. Results of CFA for measurement model

Construct System quality

Variables/Items Design The online retailer is visually appealing. The user interface of the online retailer has a well-organized appearance. The online retailer is reliability. The online retailer is convenient to access. The online retailer is easy to use. Interactivity The online retailer provides quick feedback. The online retailer gives me a variety of choices for purchasing decisions. The online retailer has natural and predictable screen changes. Informativeness The online retailer provides up-to-date information. The online retailer provides accurate information. The online retailer provides useful information. The online retailer provides complete information. Security Using credit card to make purchase on the online retailer is safe. In general, making payments on the online retailer is secure. Responsiveness I think the online retailer gives prompt service. I believe the online retailer is always willing to help customers. I believe the online retailer is never too busy to respond to customer requests. Trust I believe the online retailer is trustworthy. The online retailer instils condence in customers. Empathy The online retailer provides the targeting e-mail to customers. The online retailer provides the recommendation of books by customers preferences. The online retailer provides customers free personal homepage. Customer satisfaction The online retailers information content meets my needs. It is possible for me to buy the product from the online retailer. Overall, I am satised with this online experience.

Factor loading 0.81 0.78 0.74 0.76 0.86 0.88 0.91 0.80 0.84 0.77 0.75 0.81 0.72 0.63 0.78 0.86 0.73

Information quality

Service quality

0.74 0.85 0.87 0.76 0.68

Satisfaction

0.92 0.87 0.83

between constructs with multiple measurement items (Joreskog & Sorbom, 1996). Numerous researchers have proposed a two-stage model-building process for applying SEM (Hoyle, 1995; Joreskog & Sorbom, 1996; Hair et al., 1998). Conrmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test the validity of the measurement model, and the

Website Quality Dimensions and Customer Satisfaction

Table 2. Sample characteristics (n 297) Demographic characteristics Gender Male Female Age , 25 25 35 . 35 Computer skills Poor Fair Good Very good Internet experience (years) , 1 year 13 47 . 6 year Frequency of online buying 15 69 10 20 More than 20 Frequency 159 138 203 80 14 28 72 111 86 7 38 175 77 195 68 29 5 Percent (%) 53.5 46.5 68.4 26.9 4.7 9.4 24.3 37.4 28.9 2.4 12.8 58.9 25.9 65.7 22.9 9.8 1.6

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Cumulative (%) 53.5 100 68.4 95.3 100 9.4 33.7 71.1 100 2.4 15.2 74.1 100 65.7 88.6 98.4 100

structural model was also analysed to examine the associations hypothesized in the research model. Results Measure Reliability and Validity Internal consistency reliability is a statement about the stability of individual measurement items across replications from the same source of information (Straub, 1989). Computing Cronbachs alpha assessed the internal consistency reliability. The alpha coefcients for each measure of this study are presented in Table 3. The values range from 0.75 (for security) to 0.90 (for interactivity). The Cronbachs alpha of all measures exceeded the benchmark of 0.7 recommended by Hair et al. (1998). The measurement model was assessed by CFA. Table 1 presented the results of CFA for the measurement model. Previous research has noted that the normed-x2 (the ratio between x2 and the degree of freedom) provides direct statistical evidence for the test of model goodness of t (Joreskog & Sorbom, 1996). The observed normed-x2 for the measurement model was 1.73 (x2 323.47, df 187) which is smaller than the 3 recommended by Bagozzi & Yi (1988). Other t indexes also show good t for the measurement model. The goodness-oft index (GFI) is 0.92 and comparative t index (CFI) is 0.95, which exceed the recommended cut-off level of 0.9 (Joreskog & Sorbom, 1996). The adjusted goodness-of-t index (AGFI) is 0.86, which is slightly low but still acceptable (Bagozzi & Yi, 1988). The root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) is 0.051, which is below the cut-off level of 0.08 recommended by Brown & Cudeck (1993). In summary, the measurement model exhibited a fairly good t with the data collected.

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Table 3. Reliability, average variance extracted, and discriminant validity

Variables 1. Design 2. Interactivity 3. Informativeness 4. Security 5. Responsiveness 6. Trust 7. Empathy 8. Customer satisfaction

Reliabilitya 0.78 0.90 0.84 0.75 0.81 0.85 0.78 0.88

1 0.63b 0.28 0.54 0.49 0.11 0.30 0.22 0.46

2 0.78 0.25 0.32 0.16 0.22 0.37 0.26

0.68 0.20 0.38 0.28 0.31 0.17

0.58 0.21 0.35 0.24 0.13

0.65 0.47 0.36 0.12

0.67 0.29 0.51

0.61 0.37

0.77

Note: Diagonals represent the average variance extracted, while the other matrix entries represent the square correlations a Cronbachs alpha b Variance extracted: (summation of the square of the factor loadings)/{summation of the square of the factor loadings} (summation of error variances)}

Convergent validity is the degree to which multiple attempts to measure the same concept are in agreement. Table 1 presented the factor loadings of the measurement items. The factor loading for all items exceeds the recommended level of 0.6 (Chin et al., 1997). Discriminant validity is the degree to which the measures of different concepts are distinct. Discriminant validity can be examined by comparing the squared correlations between constructs and variance extracted for a construct (Fornell & Larcker, 1981). The analysis results showed that the square correlations for each construct is less than the variance extracted by the indicators measuring that construct, as shown in Table 3, indicating the measure has adequate discriminant validity. In summary, the measurement model demonstrated adequate reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity.

Testing the Hypotheses The structural model analysis has a good t, as judged from the goodness of t indices (GFI 0.91; AGFI 0.88; CFI 0.93; RMSEA 0.064), and the Chi-square index being signicant (x2 381.96; df 201; x2/df 1.9) (Bagozzi & Yi, 1988). The results of the analysis, including the standardized coefcient, t-statistic, and hypothesis testing results are reported in Table 4. All hypotheses, except for hypothesis H7, were supported by the data. The hypothesized predictors (H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6) of customer satisfaction were found to be signicant in the proposed directions. Altogether, the two system quality variables (website design and interactivity), two information quality variables (informativeness and security), and two service quality variables (responsiveness and trust) explained 61% of the variance in customer satisfaction. Contrary to H7, empathy in an online retailer had no signicant impact on customer satisfaction. The results of hypotheses testing are also depicted in Figure 2, with signicant paths in bold lines and insignicant paths in dashed lines.

Website Quality Dimensions and Customer Satisfaction

Table 4. Hypothesis-testing results Hypothesis H1: H2: H3: H4: H5: H6: H7: Website design ! Customer satisfaction Interactivity ! Customer satisfaction Informativeness ! Customer satisfaction Security ! Customer satisfaction Responsiveness ! Customer satisfaction Trust ! Customer satisfaction Empathy ! Customer satisfaction Standardized coefcient 0.36 0.29 0.24 0.32 0.21 0.42 0.14 t-statistic 3.91 3.37 2.96 3.77 2.27 4.86 1.52

373

Result Supported Supported Supported Supported Supported Supported Not supported

Note: p , 0.05, p , 0.01

Discussion and Conclusions Discussion of Findings This study explores the IS and marketing perspectives with regard to customer satisfaction. Exactly how website quality dimensions (system quality, information quality, and service quality) affect customer satisfaction is also examined. The analytical results of this study are discussed below. System quality, including website design and interactivity, were found to be signicant determinants of customer satisfaction. Between them, website design has the stronger

Figure 2. Hypotheses testing results

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impact on customer satisfaction with online retailers. This nding implies that website system-oriented variables, such as website design, reliability, access, convenience, and ease of use are the primary factors in measuring customer perceptions of website performance. The nding of this study also showed that online interactively is associated with customer satisfaction in the B2C e-commerce marketplace. Consistent with the previous research (Chen & Yen, 2004), the benets of adding interactivity to a website include improved online presence and increased user satisfaction. This nding implies that appropriate feedback mechanisms and purchase alternatives need to be provided in order to attract and retain customer interest at online retailers. Consistent with the hypotheses, both information quality variables, i.e. informativeness and security, can lead customers to gain more satisfaction in using the online retailer. That is, high-quality information suited to the customers needs enables customers to reduce the costs of information searching and processing. This nding implies that to satisfy customers information needs, online retailers should provide up-to-date, accurate, useful, and complete information on their websites. Moreover, the security of online transactions is a critical feature that affects customer satisfaction. This nding is consistent with the previous discussion that identied transaction security as playing a signicant role in inuencing customer attitudes toward online shopping (Liao & Cheung, 2001; Vijayasarathy, 2004). This nding also implies that employing secure modes for online transactions helps increase levels of customer satisfaction, resulting in increased customer retention. Of the three service quality variables examined in the research model, trust demonstrated the strongest effect on customer satisfaction. This is consistent with Gefen (2000), who found that trust is a strong determinant of e-service performance and identied trust as a key driver of customer satisfaction. In order to improve the service quality of Internet shopping to customers needs, online retailers should strengthen customer trust beliefs, such as competence (ability of the online retailer to do what the customer needs), benevolence (online retailer caring and motivation to act in the customers interests), and integrity (online retailer honesty and promise keeping) to overcome the negative perceptions regarding the transaction uncertainty (McKnight et al., 2002). Additionally, responsiveness has a relatively smaller but signicant effect on customer satisfaction. This nding might be the cause by the fact that customers expect high responsiveness from the prompt delivery of products, but might tolerate slower nancial transactions if such transactions have increased security (van Riel et al., 2001). However, the path from empathy to customer satisfaction is not signicant, which may indicate that customers are afraid the online retailers will sell personal information to other organizations without their knowledge or permission. Specically, increasing numbers of online customers have expressed concern regarding potential misuses of personal information and abuses of privacy (Than & Grandon, 2002). Therefore, online retailers should try to ensure that customers receive relevant information while simultaneously protecting their privacy, because personal attention should not be intrusive. This study extends the B2C e-commerce literature with several contributions. First, this study theorizes the associations between website quality dimensions (system quality, information quality, and service quality) and customer satisfaction. Second, in the context of B2C e-commerce, this study is an integration of IS and marketing views in order to investigate empirically the importance and implications of website quality dimensions, thus contributing to the applicability and generalization of website quality and Internet marketing literature. Finally, the dual nature of online customers as website end-users

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and Internet shoppers means that both IS quality and service quality are essential for online retailers. This study found that online retailers consider online shopping not only as a Web-based IS, but also as a vehicle that provides presales, online sales, and after-sales stages in a transaction process of nding, ordering, and shipping. Implications for Practitioners This study has the following implications for businesses initiating or currently conducting B2C e-commerce. First, because online e-commerce lacks face-to-face contact, only online retailers that design websites based on meeting customer needs and wants will survive and prosper. Ultimately, easy-to-use navigation and real-time online communication will improve customers long-term satisfaction. Second, online retailers should understand that online customers are already information-overloaded (Luo & Seyedian, 2003). In order to provide adequate information and accurate completion of online transactions, online retailers should implement search engines, information agents, and information-customization software to avoid information overload. Third, online retailers, like traditional retailers, need to adopt a customer-oriented strategy. Online retailers should establish a service-oriented mechanism for transaction processes that provide satisfactory resolution of customer-related problems. Finally, many researchers have recognized the signicance of utilizing and presenting a privacy protection policy as an effective means of reducing both transaction-specic and system-specic uncertainty (Elliot & Fowell, 2000; Liao & Cheung, 2001; Grabner-Krauter & Kaluscha, 2003). Online retailers should devote signicant attention to developing safety standards and systems equipped with a variety of online safety measures, including secure browsers, to ensure account and transaction security, as these measures can enhance transactional trust. Implications for Researchers There are several future research directions that will further an understanding of the perceived determinants and importance of the nature of B2C e-commerce. First, future research can use different methodologies, such as case studies, focus groups and interviews to examine the relationship between website quality dimensions and customer satisfaction in the B2C e-commerce context. Second, although the results show that the IS quality and service quality affect the customer satisfaction in the B2C e-commerce context, it is important to realize that other factors may also play a crucial role in the evolution of customer expectations. These factors include customers self-efcacy, peer inuence, and innovation characteristics (i.e. perceived relative advantage, compatibility and complexity) of B2C e-commerce. Further research considering these factors could enhance an understanding of success determinants for online retailers. Third, although the scales used for measuring dimensions of website quality are similar to existing scales, further research might consider developing more elaborate measures to allow for a richer coverage of website quality scales. Fourth, previous studies found that culture plays a signicant role in Internet user behaviour (Liao & Cheung, 2001). Knowledge of how cultural factors affect the customer satisfaction in the B2C e-commerce context will heighten the generalizability of B2C e-commerce research. An understanding of different cultural factors would allow this study to be applied to different cultures and thus provide cross-cultural comparisons. Finally, as the growth of B2C e-commerce

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activities will continue, a longitudinal study is desirable in monitoring the perceived performance of salient website quality dimensions.

Limitations This study had three primary limitations. First, the sample employed student subjects, which may not be representative of the general population of online shoppers. The analytical results presented here thus may have limited generalizability. Second, since this study only considered online bookstores, it is unclear whether the analytical results can be generalized to other online marketplaces. Further research can apply the research model to examine other types of online retailers, because customer perceptions of website quality are context-dependent and thus their detailed effects on customer satisfaction may be related to specic products and services. Finally, since the sample was collected in Taiwan, generalizability to other countries might be limited due to cultural differences in online customer behaviours.

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