E-Service Quality: Preferences of Online Shoppers in Five Indian Cities

Abstract

Shopping via Internet is a fairly new development for Indian consumers. Even then its reach and impact in modern day marketing are remarkable. One of the foundations for long term growth of any business is the investment in quality consumer experience, and e-commerce is also not an exception. In the e-commerce context, this consumer experience can be delivered through e-service quality (e-SQ) in the absence of traditional brick and mortar stores and showrooms. E-SQ has gained popularity in academic discourses as the urge to understand the online shoppers’ behaviour is increasing. The paper discusses the result of a study on preferences for various dimensions of e-SQ as expressed by online shoppers in five different cities of India namely Bangalore, Delhi, Guwahati, Kolkata, and Mumbai. The assertions of the online shoppers with regard to different e-SQ variables differ significantly across common classification variables like gender, place of residence, age, occupation etc. For the online marketers, such a varied response is imperative to note so that it helps in informed decision making.

Keywords: Online Shopping, E-SQ Dimensions, Demographic Variables

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