CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
5.3 RESEARCH LIMITATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
Although the empirical findings are useful and may contribute to the existing literature by further validation, there are some limitations of this research that should be considered when interpreting its findings.
Firstly, this study was based on an on-line survey from a sample of on-line bookstore customers. However, the questionnaire items may be too more for respondents that may cause them to tire of responding. Besides, it is extremely difficult to know exactly what the characteristics of the population who have ordered books on-line and picked them up at convenience stores are. We cannot know whether the respondent is exactly the buyer who ordered books and picked up himself or just someone helping the buyer. Furthermore, the sample is somewhat skewed in favor of female, single, northerner, better-educated consumers. It is recommended for future sampling plan to gather similar sample size of each classification.
Secondly, this study separates the service quality of on-line bookstores into two parts, e-service quality and logistics service quality. Furthermore, the effect of switching costs to customer loyalty only considered with direct effect. It may cause the research model did not fit the data as well as expected. Since the research model of this study did not include all possible variables and all possible paths that affect consumer decision-making for services. For future studies, it is recommended to refine the decision-making variables and then develop a similar composite model to fit the data better.
Thirdly, this study did not discuss the on-line bookstores’ after-sales service, including returning and exchanging books. It also did not mention service recovery when customers occurring service failures. It is an important part of on-line shopping services. Furthermore, this study did not discuss information flow and cash flow either. Thus, the future work is suggested covering these kinds of segments to increase the completeness of research regarding on-line bookstores services.
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APPENDIX
Dear Respondents-
Firstly, we appreciate your help in completing the questionnaire. This is a questionnaire about “ order books in on-line bookstores and pick-up at convenience stores”. The purpose of this questionnaire is to understand the relationships among website service quality, logistics service quality, and customer loyalty. This questionnaire is purely for academic research and no personal information will be made public. We deeply appreciate you taking time to complete the questionnaire.
!
Thank you!
Institute of Traffic & Yransportation, National Chiao Tung University Advisors: Dr. Cheng-Min Feng Dr. Yu-Kai Huang Researcher: Yi-Shan Yeh!
Part One- The experiences of ordering books in on-line bookstores 1.Which on-line bookstore would you visit the most frequently?
!KingStone !BOOKS.com !PChome !ESLITE !San-Min
!CWBOOK.com !SoIdea !SILKBOOK.com !Yuan-Liou !Others 2. Which on-line bookstore would you visit the second frequently?
!KingStone !BOOKS.com !PChome !ESLITE !San-Min
!CWBOOK.com !SoIdea !SILKBOOK.com !Yuan-Liou !Others
3.How long did you use on-line bookstores to order books and pick-up the orders at convenience stores?
! More than 5 years !3 - 5 years !2 - 3 years !1 - 2years
! 0.5 - 1 year ! Less than six months
4.how the average frequency did you order books in on-line bookstores one time?
!1 week !1 – 2 weeks !2 – 4 weeks !1 – 2 months !2 - 3 months
!3 – 6 months ! More than 6 months
5.How the average amount of money did you spend in on-line bookstore one time?
! Less than 250 dollars !251 – 500 dollars !501 – 1000 dollars
!1001 – 1500 dollars !1501 – 2000 dollars !2001 – 2500 dollars
! More than 2501 dollars
6. Which types of books did you order the most frequently?(choice multiple)
! Philology ! Finance and economics ! Life & Arts
! Comics & Graphic Novels ! Children’s Books ! Science & Humanism
! Education ! Mind & Health
7. Which type of packing would you prefer?
! Paper bag ! Plastic bag !Others
Part Two- The website service quality of on-line bookstores
According to your experiences of ordering books in on-line bookstores, how the important level of these items?!
! Very
Important! Important! Common! Not Important!
Not Very Important!
1. I can find the books what I need by using
search engine easily. !! !! !! !! !!
2. The site records all the books I have ever browsed, and it allows me to browse them
again conveniently. !! !! !! !! !!
3. The hyperlinks make it convenient to
browse the books that interest me. !! !! !! !! !!
4. The shopping procedure is easy to
understand. !! !! !! !! !!
5. It enables me to complete a transaction
quickly. !! !! !! !! !!
6. The site is simple to use. !! !! !! !! !!
7. There are special measures for protecting
information about my on-line transaction. !! !! !! !! !!
8. My personal information will not be
stolen or disclosed. !! !! !! !! !!
9. Advertisements will not be mailed to me
without my permission. !! !! !! !! !!
10. The site has passed a security review
and has the secure symbols. !! !! !! !! !!
11. The site is attractively designed and is
visually pleasing. !! !! !! !! !!
12. The display of objectives and graphics is
appealed. !! !! !! !! !!
13. The site can provide most of the covers of books, and it makes the pages look more
orderly. !! !! !! !! !!
14. The text and graphics are clear and easy
to understand. !! !! !! !! !!
15. The information about books is accurate. !! !! !! !! !!
16. The site provides information about new
books. !! !! !! !! !!
17. The site provides information about
best-selling books. !! !! !! !! !!
18. The information about books is
sufficient. !! !! !! !! !!
19. The site will send an e-mail or message
to me to confirm my book order. !! !! !! !! !!
20. I can follow the conditions of my orders. !! !! !! !! !!
21. The site provides complete illustrations
for returning and changing books. !! !! !! !! !!
22. The site loads its pages quickly. !! !! !! !! !!
23. It provides the functions for interaction. !! !! !! !! !!
24. It gives me numerous options of
merchandise other than books. !! !! !! !! !!
25. It provides numerous premiums, like
bonuses and e-coupon. !! !! !! !! !!
26. It gives me numerous options for
payment. !! !! !! !! !!
27. It gives me numerous options for
delivery. !! !! !! !! !!
According to your experiences of ordering books in on-line bookstores, how the satisfied level of these items for the most and second frequently used on-line bookstores?!
the most frequently used on-line bookstore!
the second frequently used on-line bookstore!
Strongly Agree! Agree! Common! Disagree! Strongly Disagree!
!
Strongly Agree! Agree! Common! Disagree! Strongly Disagree!
!! !! !! !! !! 1. I can find the books what I need by using
search engine easily. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !!
2. The site records all the books I have ever browsed, and it allows me to browse them again
conveniently. !! !! !! !! !!
information about my on-line transaction. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! 8. My personal information will not be stolen or
13. The site can provide most of the covers of books, and it makes the pages look more
orderly. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! 14. The text and graphics are clear and easy to
understand. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! 15. The information about books is accurate. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! 16. The site provides information about new
books. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! 17. The site provides information about
best-selling books. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! 18. The information about books is sufficient. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! 19. The site will send an e-mail or message to
me to confirm my book order. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! 20. I can follow the conditions of my orders. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! 21. The site provides complete illustrations for
returning and changing books. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! 22. The site loads its pages quickly. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! 23. It provides the functions for interaction. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! 24. It gives me numerous options of
merchandise other than books. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! 25. It provides numerous premiums, like
bonuses and e-coupon. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! 26. It gives me numerous options for payment. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! 27. It gives me numerous options for delivery. !! !! !! !! !!
Part Three-The logistics service quality of retailing delivery provided by on-line bookstores.
According to your experiences of ordering books in on-line bookstores and picking up at convenience stores, how the important level of these items?!
Very
Important Important Common Not Important
Not Very Important
1. The e-map interface lets me choose a pick-up
point conveniently. ! ! ! ! !
2. It gives me numerous options to choose the
pick-up point. ! ! ! ! !
3. The information of convenience stores on the
e-map is accurate. ! ! ! ! !
4. After my books arrived at the convenience store, it will send a message to remind me to pick up the books.
! ! ! ! !
5. When I use an e-map, the information is
processed quickly. ! ! ! ! !
6. Time between ordering books and receiving
books is short. ! ! ! ! !
7. Books arrive on the date promised. ! ! ! ! !
8. It reliably delivers my books to the
convenience store I chose. ! ! ! ! !
9. When I pick-up the books I ordered, the bar
code information is accurate and can be read. ! ! ! ! !
10. Damage rarely occurs during transportation
of my books. ! ! ! ! !
11. The books I received are undamaged. ! ! ! ! !
12. When I pick up, the convenience store staff
can quickly find the books I ordered. ! ! ! ! !
13. When I pick up, the convenience store staff
have good manners. ! ! ! ! !
14. The convenience store staff have good
manners even though they are busy. ! ! ! ! !
15. When there is a problem with delivery, the convenience store staff can immediately tell me what to do.
! ! ! ! !
According to your experiences of ordering books in on-line bookstores and picking up at convenience stores, how the satisfied level of these items for the most and second frequently used on-line bookstores?!
the most frequently used on-line bookstore!
the second frequently used on-line bookstore!
Strongly Agree! Agree! Common! Disagree! Strongly Disagree!
!
Strongly Agree! Agree! Common! Disagree! Strongly Disagree!
!! !! !! !! !! 1. The e-map interface lets me choose a
4. After my books arrived at the convenience store, it will send a message to remind me to
pick up the books. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! 5. When I use an e-map, the information is
9. When I pick-up the books I ordered, the bar code information is accurate and can be
read. !! !! !! !! !!
15. When there is a problem with delivery, the convenience store staff can immediately
tell me what to do. !! !! !! !! !!
Part Four- The perceived sacrifice and switching costs
Please mark the items aim for the on-line bookstore you most frequently chose.!
! Strongly
Agree Agree Common Disagree Strongly Disagree
I think the prices charged for ordering books from
this on-line bookstore are reasonable. ! ! ! ! !
I think ordering books in this on-line bookstore does
not take much time. ! ! ! ! !
I think ordering books in this on-line bookstore is
easy. ! ! ! ! !
I am used to choosing the same on-line bookstore to
order books. ! ! ! ! !
I feel troublesome about some procedures for joining
a new on-line bookstore to order books. ! ! ! ! !
If I choose another on-line bookstore, the pick-up
place is not convenient for me. ! ! ! ! !
If I choose another on-line bookstore, I will lose
some premiums. ! ! ! ! !
If I choose another on-line bookstore, I need to spend
some effort to know the service well. ! ! ! ! !
Part Four- The service value, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty
Please mark the items aim for the on-line bookstores you most and second frequently chose.!
the most frequently used on-line bookstore!
the second frequently used on-line bookstore!
Strongly Agree! Agree! Common! Disagree! Strongly Disagree!
!
Strongly Agree! Agree! Common! Disagree! Strongly Disagree!
!! !! !! !! !!
I think that the service provided by this on-line bookstore compared to the price I had
to pay is acceptable. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! I think that it is more worthwhile to use
this on-line bookstore than others. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !!
Compared to the price, I think the service provided by this on-line bookstore is very
valuable. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! In general, the service from this on-line
bookstore conformed to my expectations. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! In general, I am satisfied with the service
that this on-line bookstore provided. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! Shopping on this on-line bookstore is a
wise decision. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! I will recommend this on-line bookstore to
my friends. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! If I want to buy books, I will choose this
on-line bookstore first. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! I am willing to do other business in this
on-line bookstore. !! !! !! !! !!
!! !! !! !! !! Compare to other on-line bookstores, I
prefer this on-line bookstore. !! !! !! !! !!
Personal Information /Gender
!Male! !Female
"Age
! Less than 15 years old ! 16 - 18 years old ! 19 – 22 years old
! 23 – 29 years old ! 30 – 40 years old ! 41 – 50 years old
! More than 51 years old
" Marital Status
! Single! ! Married (have kids)! ! Married (no kids)! !Others
" Education
! Junior high school or less ! Senior high school ! College/University
! Graduate school or more
" Occupation
! Student ! Housekeeping ! Soldier ! Government Employee ! Teacher
! Professional ! Freelancer ! Employee of Company ! Manufacturing
! Information Technologist ! Retailing ! Others
"Income (N.T dollars per month)
!Less than 5000 dollars !5001 - 10000 dollars !10001 - 20000 dollars
!20002 - 30000 dollars !More than 30001 dollars
"Area
!Northern Taiwan !Central Taiwan !Southern Taiwan !Eastern Taiwan
!Offshore Taiwan !Others