Title: Towards an integrative model of e-relationship development

Authors: Arifin Angriawan, J. Michael Pearson

Addresses: Marketing, HR and Management Department, School of Management, Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, IN 46323, USA. ' Department of Management, COBA, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA

Abstract: E-commerce has become an important medium of exchange. Two related issues that face e-merchants are increased competition and trust development. The relationship between the vendor and the customer is an important and complex issue, especially in e-commerce settings. Many researchers have studied the issues related to e-relationships. This paper integrates the previous research into an integrative model of e-relationship. E-relationships are about attracting and maintaining customers in e-commerce settings. We integrate the commitment-trust theory with the current literature. We argue that satisfaction, trust and commitment are important mechanisms in loyalty and, thus, relationship development. We treat satisfaction and trust as antecedents of commitment. We argue that the antecedents of satisfaction and trust are website effectiveness, product performance, privacy, security and reputation.

Keywords: electronic marketing; e-marketing: electronic retailing; e-retailing; trust; electronic relationships; e-relationships; consumer loyalty; commitment; customer relationship management; CRM; e-tailing; e-commerce; electronic commerce; website effectiveness; product performance; privacy; security; reputation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEMR.2009.021809

International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing, 2009 Vol.2 No.3, pp.256 - 267

Published online: 04 Dec 2008 *

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