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Examining how online store managers’ responses to negative reviews affect potential shoppers

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Abstract

We investigate the effect of online grocery shopping (OGS) business operators’ responses to negative online customer reviews (NOCRs) on prospective shoppers’ attitudes toward OGS. Previous research indicates online customer reviews (OCRs) affect purchasing decisions and trust. We consider the occurrence of NOCRs as a service failure and appropriate managerial responses (apology, compensation) as service recovery efforts. Equity theory suggests managerial responses affect perceived justice and generate trust, enhancing intention to use. A scenario-based experiment was conducted to examine the impact of managerial responses on prospective shoppers’ perceived justice, trust, and intention to use. The results revealed that an apology has a more significant effect on perceived justice than on compensation, influencing trust and intention to use. We defined NOCRs as service failures exposed to prospective shoppers and evaluated the effect of managerial responses on perceived justice. We provide practical implications for OGS by suggesting appropriate responses to NOCRs.

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Notes

  1. Market Kurly is a specialized online grocery shopping mall in South Korea, known for its fresh food and grocery delivery services.

  2. Coupang is a major online shopping platform in South Korea, renowned for its diverse range of products and swift delivery services.

  3. SSG.com is an online shopping mall operated by the Shinsegae Group, offering a variety of products and services.

  4. OASIS is a South Korean online food delivery platform, particularly known for providing fresh ingredients to customers through online channels.

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  1. Eugene Kim and Choong C. Lee have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Information, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Eugene Kim, Choong C. Lee & Jaeyoung An

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  1. Eugene Kim
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Appendices

Appendix A

See Table 16.

Table 16 Measurement instrument
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Appendix B

See Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

Fig. 6
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Experimental scenario for group 1

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Experimental scenario for group 2

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Fig. 8
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Experimental scenario for group 3

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Fig. 9
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Experimental scenario for group 4

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Fig. 10
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Experimental scenario for group 5

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Kim, E., Lee, C.C. & An, J. Examining how online store managers’ responses to negative reviews affect potential shoppers. Electron Commer Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-024-09842-5

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