Marketing Relationships in a Computer-Mediated Environment

Abstract

We propose a conceptual model of the retailer-consumer relationship in a computer-mediated environment (CME) and suggest that a trust-based approach to consumer marketing relationships be applied. We believe that the relationship between the retailer and their customers can be defined through the dis-confirmation of expected virtual (service brand related) and real (service process related) experiences of flow while shopping on-line.

We argue that the consumer has two experiential images in their mind in the interaction between the consumer and on-line shopping CME: (1) the inter-organisational service brand and, (2) the inter-organisational service process interaction. Consequently, the consumer assesses their overall quality of the on-line shopping service experience through the phenomenological process of dis-confirmation. That is, high levels of service quality are perceived when the actual-real service experience is greater than the expected-virtual experience resulting in the development of trust. In the long term this leads to consumer motivation to the service brand and can be described as leading to loyalty (customer retention) to the on-line shopping service.

The paper uses the setting of an interactive home-shopping supermarket to examine the changing nature of relationships in a computer-mediated environment. We present a discussion of preliminary, qualitative, empirical evidence from executive interview case studies that support our propositions. Implications and future research directions are also considered.