The impact of website quality dimensions on customer satisfaction in the B2C e-commerce context

Business-to-consumer electronic commerce deals with both Web-based information systems and marketing activities. Based on the information systems and marketing literature, this study proposes a research model for understanding the influences of website quality dimensions ( system quality, information quality, and service quality) on customer satisfaction. Two system quality variables ( website design and interactivity), two information quality variables (informativeness and security), and three service quality variables ( responsiveness, trust, and empathy) are identified as critical variables that have an impact on customer satisfaction. Data from a survey of 297 customers of online bookstores were used to test the research model. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the validity of the measurement model, and the structural model also was analyzed to examine the associations hypothesized in the research model. The analytical results showed that website design, interactivity, informativeness, security responsiveness, and trust affect customer satisfaction, while empathy does not have a statistically significant effect on customer satisfaction. Overall, system quality, information quality, and service quality are important antecedents of customer satisfaction. Finally, the findings in this study are expected to provide helpful guidelines to both practitioners and researchers.