Chen, Y. L., Chiu, H. C., Hsieh, Y. C., and Chang, W. H. 2006. Relationship between Relational Bonds and Customer Satisfaction on Internet: A Study across Various Price Conscious Customers. NTU Management Review, 16 (2): 051-072
Yi-Ling Chen, Doctoral Student, Graduate Institute of Business Administration, National Taiwan University
Hung-Chang Chiu, Associate Professor, Graduate Institute of Technology Management, National Chung Hsing University
Yi-Ching Hsieh, Associate Professor, Department of Information Management, National Central University
Wen-Hua Chang, Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, National Taipei University of Technology
Abstract
The objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between the relational bonds of the e-commerce and the consumers' overall satisfaction across customer perceptions of the prices on products. Apparently, e-commerce changes the ways of competition. Based on the past researches, administering relationship marketing is important to cultivate competitiveness since holding existing customers increases profit and decreases cost for enterprises. In this paper, two major results are shown. First, the financial and the structural bonds have positive impacts on online shoppers' satisfaction; however, the social bond does not. Second, when the customers who perceive lower price of products, the financial, social and structural bonds are helpful in improving their satisfaction. On the other hand, for the customers who perceive higher price of products, only structural bond is helpful to strengthen their overall satisfaction.
Keywords
Relationship marketing Relational bonds Customer satisfaction