Abstract:
Internet and online shopping are gaining more attention and momentum, and businesses are moving online, not as a matter of choice, but as a matter of necessity. Online shopping satisfaction, loyalty and repurchase intentions are now at the forefront for most online shops’ strategies. Investigating this phenomenon within a South African context is crucial, considering the fact that online shopping is a recent trend in the country. Most studies have investigated the determinants of satisfaction and loyalty in online shopping. Very few studies examined the factors that entice consumers to repurchase using online channels.
Businesses discovered the importance of online shopping as a key success factor. Thus, customer satisfaction, loyalty and repurchase intentions are the topics that have received much attention since the 1990s, as relationship marketing has become a popular marketing scheme. The purpose of this study was to examine online shopping satisfaction, loyalty and repurchase intentions of Generation X consumers to better understand the development of the online shopping sector. There is an absence of research conducted in this direction, resulting in a lack of existing literature. To assist in filling this gap, this study attempted to measure the relationships between these variables. Previous research has shown that consumers’ intent to repurchase online is highly driven by their satisfaction; several articles were reviewed.
The target population comprised of Generation X online consumers in southern Gauteng (Vaal region). A snowball sampling method was employed to identify the respondents fitting the predetermined sample criteria. A total number of 326 questionnaires were received. Topical areas, research methods and data acquiring procedures were described.
This study develops a model, which aims to describe the degree to which the three variables relate to each other; satisfaction, loyalty and repurchase intentions. The model describes the extent to which online repurchase intention is affected by satisfaction and loyalty, and the degree to which loyalty is influenced by satisfaction. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses and the relationships. A key contribution of the SEM is the incorporation of the variables under analysis. The analysis finds that satisfaction has a positive significant relationship with repurchase intention, satisfaction also affects loyalty, and loyalty has a positive relationship with repurchase intentions.
Lastly, based on the findings of this study, limitations were discussed along with the recommendations and concluding remarks
