Exploring the relationships between e‐service quality, satisfaction, attitudes and behaviours in content‐driven e‐service web sites

TLDR

The study focuses on content‑centric websites within the professional sports domain. The study develops and empirically tests a conceptual model linking e‑service quality to consumer satisfaction, attitudes, and behavioural intentions on content‑driven professional sports websites, and proposes that the framework can be applied to other online service sectors and cultural contexts. Data from an online survey of 518 consumers were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling to test the model. Higher e‑service quality was found to increase consumer satisfaction, positive attitudes, and behavioural intentions, and the model provides managers with a framework to prioritize quality attributes for improved outcomes.

Abstract

Purpose The objective of this paper is to develop a conceptual model to examine the relationships among e‐service quality, consumer satisfaction, attitudes towards the web site and behavioural intentions in the context of content‐driven web sites. Design/methodology/approach Data from an online survey of 518 consumers were collected with the partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modelling technique used to empirically test the model. Findings Findings suggest that positive evaluations of e‐service quality influences positive levels of consumer satisfaction, consumer attitudes towards the web site and behavioural intentions within the specific service context of content‐driven professional sports web sites. Research limitations/implications The study specifically focuses on content‐centric web sites within a single service domain being professional sport. Future research can apply the framework to other service sectors on the internet, as well as to other cultural settings. Practical implications The study suggests that practitioners can use the model developed in this study to assist in allocating resources to the essential, or under‐performing, e‐service quality attributes needed to drive positive consumer satisfaction, attitudes and behavioural intentions. Originality/value The paper proposes and empirically supports the idea that e‐service quality influences consumer attitudes as well as consumer satisfaction and behavioural intentions in the context of content‐driven (professional sports) web sites. Moreover, the results of this study provide managers with a useful framework to manage content driven e‐services, as well as for researchers interested in the issue of managing e‐service quality.