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Building Consumer Loyalty in B2C E-commerce: TheBusiness Perspective1IntroductionAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Monthly Retail Trade Survey, Internet retail sales for 2000 were $25.8 billion,or 49% higher than 1999 sales of $17.3 billion (Reichheld, 2000, p.105). This rapid growth of e-retailing reflects the compelling advantages that it offers over conventional brick-and-mortar stores. However, e-retailing also comes with its own set of challenges. Competing businesses in the world of electronic commerce are only a few mouse clicks away. As a result, consumers are able to compare and contrast competing products and services with minimal expenditure of personal time or effort. According to Kuttner(1998, p.20), ―The Internet is a nearly perfect market because information is instantaneous and buyers can compare the offerings of sellers worldwide. The result is fierce price competition and vanishing brand loyalty.‖ Given the reduction in information asymmetries between sellers and buyers, there is a growing interest in understanding the bases of consumer loyalty in online environments.From a seller’s perspective, consumer loyalty has been recognized as a key path to profitability. The Harvard Business School estimates that a 5% increase in consumer loyalty can increase your profitability by 25-80% (Reichheld, 1993, p.64). The high cost of acquiring customers renders many customer relationships unprofitable during early transactions. Only during later transactions, when the cost of serving loyal customers falls, do relationships generate profits. With millions of websites clamoring for attention, e-vendors have a tenuous hold at best on a large number of ―eyeballs.‖ In order to reap the benefits of loyal customer base, e-vendors need to develop a thorough understanding of the antecedents of e-loyalty, that is, consumer loyalty to a business that sells online. Such an understanding can help e-vendors gain a competitive advantage by devising strategies to increase e-loyalty. The main objectives of this thesis are therefore to identify those managerially actionable factors that impact e-loyalty and investigate the nature of their impact.This article is structured as follows. First, the basic concepts of consumer loyalty in traditional business as well as e-loyalty are discussed. The factors that may lead to e-loyalty are explored. Then the consequences of e-loyalty are suggested. Finally, some advice to building e-loyalty is proposed accordingly.2Consumer Loyalty: Basic Concepts2.1Consumer Loyalty in Traditional BusinessBased on the literature reviewed, consumer loyalty is defined as the totality of feelings or attitudes that would incline a customer to consider the re-purchase of a particular product, service or brand or re-visit a particular company, shop or website. Consumer loyalty has always been critical to business success and profitability.Engendering and enhancing consumer loyalty is a core objective of loyalty marketing—a strategy employed by businesses in order to increase the loyalty of customers and other stakeholders in the drive to meet and exceed commercial objectives.The fundamental assumption in loyalty marketing is that keeping existing customers is considerably less expensive than acquiring new ones. The Harvard Business School claimed that only a 5% improvement in customer retention can lead to an increase in profitability between 25% and 85% (Reichheld, 1993, p.64), depending upon industry sector. Therefore increased ―consumer loyalty‖ has a direct relationship with increased profitab ility. Increased ―consumer loyalty‖ has a direct relationship with increased profitability.2.2Consumer Loyalty in B2C E-commerce—e-LoyaltyThe concept of e-loyalty extends the traditional concept of loyalty to online consumer behavior. E-loyalty can be defined as feelings or attitudes that incline a customer to re-visit a website for information, communication or entertainment purposes, or to re-purchase a particular product or service from an online business. While many online business models exist, e-loyalty is critical to business success and profitability. E-loyaltyis generally similar with consumer loyalty; increased e-loyalty also has a direct relationship with increased profitability. Although the internet can help e-vendors find more customers, but internet based loyalty marketing have a low switching cost, it is also a risk for e-vendor, because customers just need to click the mouse, and then they can find out many e-venders in internet, they can switch everywhere, therefore they less possible to become commitment customers, so the consumer loyalty is more difficult to establish in e-marketing.3The Status Quo of Consumer Loyalty in B2C E-commerce Anderson and Srinivasan (2002) investigate consumer loyalty in the context of e-commerce and define c onsumer loyalty as a customer’s favorable attitude toward the e-vendor that leads to repeat buying behavior. Although the underlying theoretical foundations of traditional loyalty and the newly defined phenomena of e-loyalty are generally similar, they have unique aspects related to Internet based marketing and buyer behavior. Research concerning the antecedents of e-store loyalty is scarce (Balabanis et al., 2006). However, a number of practitioner oriented studies have investigated how to build loyalty online. For example, Mobasher et al. (2000, p.142) find that Internet firms have a growing ability to tailor their customer interfaces and services to specific needs via personalization technologies; it is hoped that these technologies will enhance customer lock in and retention. Furthermore, Srinivasan et al. (2002, p.42) identify customization, contact interactivity, cultivation, care, community, choice and character as generating e-loyalty. These factors use online environmental characteristics to facilita te customers’abilities to access and find out about products of interest to them (Balabanis et al., 2006, p.215). Wang and Emurian (2005, p.105) indicate that Internet users admit to making intuitive and on-the-spot decisions when shopping online based on the merchants’ online websites.4Factors Leading to e-LoyaltyThe author has got the conclusion from literatures research that customer satisfaction,customer trust and switching cost will make sense in the forming process of E-loyalty. Besides, customer satisfaction includes customization, convenience, character and care. Customer trust forming by reputation, security, community and contact interactivity.4.1SatisfactionRecent studies have demonstrated that satisfaction is an antecedent of e-loyalty, with increased satisfaction leading to increased e-loyalty. .Satisfaction is one of the most important consumer reactions in Internet shopping, and its importance is reflected in the ability to help build consumer loyalty, enhance favorable word of mouth, lead to repeat purchases and improve the company’s market share and profitability.After literatures studies, author got a conclusion that there have four secondary factors which under customer satisfaction also have impact e-loyalty. The four factors are customization, convenience, character, and care.4.1.1CustomizationCustomization is the ability of an e-vendor to tailor products, services, and the transactional environment to individual customers. In the current study, customization is operationally defined as the extent to which an e-vendor’s website can recognize a customer and then tailor the choice of products, services, and shopping experience for that customer.There are multiple reasons why customization is expected to affect e-loyalty. Customization increases the probability that customers will find something that they wish to buy. A survey by NetSmart Research indicated that 83% of Web surfers are frustrated or confused when navigating sites (Lidsky, 1999, p.98). By personalizing its site, an e-vendor can reduce this frustration. Customization also creates the perception of increased choice by enabling a quick focus on what the customer really wants. In addition, customization can signal high quality and lead to a better real match between customer and product. Finally, individuals are able to complete their transactions more efficiently when the site is customized. A large product selection can, in fact, irritate consumers and drive them to use simplistic decision rules to narrow down the alternatives.4.1.2ConvenienceConvenience refers to the extent to which a customer feels that the website is simple, intuitive, and user friendly. Accessibility of information and simplicity of the transaction processes are important antecedents to the successful completion of transactions. The quality of the website is particularly important because, for e-vendor, it represents the central, or even the only interface with the marketplace.According to Schaffer (2000, p.194), 30% of the consumers who leave a website without purchasing anything do so because they are unable to find their way through the site. Sinioukov (1999, p.53) suggested that enabling consumers to search for information easily and making the information readily accessible and visible is the key to creating a successful e-retailing business. If customers are frustrated in their efforts to seek information or consummate transactions, they are less likely to come back. A website that is logical and convenient to use will also minimize the likelihood that customers make mistakes and will make their shopping experience more satisfying. These outcomes will likely enhance customer e-loyalty.4.1.3CharacterCreative website design can help an e-vendor build a positive reputation and characterization for itself in the minds of consumers.Character can be defined as an overall image or personality that the e-vendor projects to consumers through the use of inputs such as text, style, graphics, colors, logos, and slogans or themes on the website. Character is particularly important because websites can be rather impersonal and boring to deal with in the absence of the person-to-person interaction that pervades conventional brick-and-mortar marketplaces. Beyond general presentation and image, websites can use unique characters or personalities to enhance site recognition and recall.4.2TrustE-trust is defined as a general belief in an e-vendor that results in e-loyalty. This isthe combination of security, reputation, community and contact interactivity which increases e-loyalty via reduced risk among inexperienced potential consumers. Online consumers tend to desire that the e-vendor be willing and capable of reacting to consumer interests, to maintain honesty in transactions, and to be capable of delivering ordered goods and services as promised.4.2.1SecurityWith regard to e-trust, transactions security on the Internet has received a considerable amount of attention in theory and practice, both directly in the form of safe and accurate transfers of money or payment-credit information, as well as indirectly in the form of transaction risks–transaction costs. The issue of online transaction security was the primary concern that persuaded customers to stay with traditional agents. A survey targeted e-consumers shows off that security is the main factor drives e-consumer re-visit an e-vendor, not the low price of the e-vendor’s products or services.4.2.2ReputationThe reputation plays an important role in e-trust. The positive reputation information help e-vendors acquired more e-consumer s’ trust. The reputation of an e-vendor can show off from performed the contract on time, ensured the quality of the products or services, and dealt with complaint in fair.4.2.3CommunityCommunities have the potential to increase consumer loyalty. There are several reasons why a community could potentially affect consumer loyalty. Hagel and Armstrong (1997, p.55) found that communities are highly effective in facilitating word-of-mouth. Frank (1997, p.31) discerned that the customer’s ability to exchange information and compare product experiences can add to consumer loyalty. Many consumers regularly turn to other consumers for advice and information regarding products and services that they wish to purchase. By facilitating this informational exchange among customers through the community, an e-vendor can further increasee-loyalty among its customers.4.2.4Contact InteractivityContact interactivity refers to the dynamic nature of the engagement that occurs between an e-vendor and its customers through its website. Several researchers have highlighted the significance of interactivity to consumer loyalty in electronic commerce. Lack of interactivity is a problem for a majority of websites. They are often hard to navigate, provide insufficient product information, and answer inquiries via e-mail only after a delay of a day or two. According to Salvati (1999, p.6), e-vendor will not be able to capture significant market share until they ―muster the full measure of dedication needed to achieve and capitalize upon electronic interactivity.‖4.3Switching CostSwitching costs are considered an affective factor influencing the consumer’s beliefs upon B2C e-commerce as well as e-shops. Switching costs are defined as consumer perceptions of the time, money, and effort associated with changing from one website to another (Wu et al., 2007, p.162). Switching costs can increase consumer dependence on an existing provider. In e-commerce, high switching costs are assumed to make it costly for customers to take their business to other websites with better offers. Despite the ease of making comparisons online, evidence suggests that e-vendors perform less comparison shopping and tend to switch suppliers less frequently than brick and mortar shoppers (Srinivasan et al., 2002, p.45). Switching costs is the combination of choice and transfer risk inter activity which increases e-loyalty via enlarge switching cost among the present customers.4.3.1ChoiceNumerous consumers do not want to deal with multiple vendors when shopping online. In a study of online search behavior, Adamic and Huberman (2001, p.44) find that the top 1% of websites capture 50% of all web traffic, indicating that shoppers limit their search to just a few popular sites. The most reasonable explanation for this phenomenonis that consumer search costs associated with shopping across e-vendors increase with the number of competing alternatives, and an increase in the number of available alternatives at a single e-vendor can greatly reduce the opportunity costs of time and the real costs of inconvenience and search expended in virtual store hopping. The e-vendor that offers greater choice can emerge as the dominant, top-of-mind destination for one-stop shopping, thereby engendering e-loyalty.4.3.2Transfer RiskTransfer risk is sorts of risks which consumers should undertake when they switching to another e-vendor. Transfer risk means consumers should pay for extra searching time, spirit, money and building e-trust to a new e-vendor. Therefore the higher transfer risks the higher switching cost.5Building Consumer Loyalty in B2C E-commerce: Business Perspective5.1Customization MarketingIf the e-vendor is able to accurately tailor or narrow choices for individual customers, it can minimize the time customers spend browsing through an entire product assortment to find precisely what they want. These advantages of customization make it appealing for customers to visit the site again in the future. Before you operate customization marketing, you should developed a consumer database and then target the right customers—most valuable customers (MVCs), Design your Website for your most valuable customers (MVCs), not your average customers. Designing for best customers means thinking through each process in your Website-the content, advertisers, product sold, tone, etc.-with your best customers’preferences and needs in mind. Focusing on your MVCs will lead to higher retention of the right customers and ultimately increased profits.5.1.1Developing Consumer DatabaseDeveloping consumer database is critical step for e-commerce. Take the reins of customer data and information; make use of promotion activities to attract customers who are interested in. Through the establishment and management of the complete customer database, e-businesses can be more profound understanding expectations, attitudes and behaviors of customers, so that enterprises can provide better services. Therefore, a new e-vendor should targeting the most value customers, and then establishing a most value consumers’database. The database contained information including: age, occupation, marital status, income; the expectation, preference and behavior of customers; customer complaints, advisory services; customer’s geographical location; the frequency of buying products, the type and quantity; the time and place that customers buy products at the last time; how customers buy products, etc. After collecting this information of MVCs, analyzing this information, sand then classifying this information. The e-vendor knows more about customers the better service e-vendor can offer.Once a database is in place, the e-vendor can try to encourage customers to buy more or in other categories. Consider the approach of . Amazon .com tried to do by introducing new features. When consumers searched for a particular book, they were provided with a list of other books of potential interest. Consumers received e-mail updates when their favorite author’s latest book hit the market.5.1.2Email Marketing and Community MarketingAfter the new e-vendor established a MVCs’ database, and then the e-vendor should use email and community to server, communicate, and care their MVCs. Consumer loyalty and customer retention are attributing to email marketing strategy plus community marketing strategy.E-customers are busy and may not have time to search through hundreds or thousands of items to find what they want. They want e-vendor to tell them which items are most popular and which ones are being offered at the best possible price. So e-vendor should use email marketing strategy to developing your consumer loyalty. According to your customer database, targeting the right customers and sending out corresponding product advertisement. Of course all of these actions based customers allowed. It is anefficient way to do product advertising, at the same time e-vendor can server and care their customer.When writing each email you always have the recipient in mind. Write the email as if you were sending it to just one person and imagine you are the person you are sending the email to. How would you feel when you read it? Would you think that it was just another email by someone trying to push a product? Or would you think ―T here’s some really useful stuff here‖? Here’s a tip. After you write each email send it to yourself. That way you get to see the email from the recipient’s point of view.In particular, some customers may remain loyal because they value the input of other community members, and others may be loyal because they enjoy the process of providing such input to the community.Communities also enable individual customers to identify with a larger group. According to Bhattacharya and Sen (2003, p.78), identification is ―the perception of belonging to a group with the result that a person identifies with that group.‖ Customers who identify with a retailer or a brand within the context of a community can develop strong, lasting bonds with those entities. For instance, Harley Davidson customers, who call themselves ―hogs,‖ frequently develop bonds with their community members that act as strong deterrents to buying any other motorcycle brand. It’s a good way leading to word-of-mouth.5.2Building Credibility in Corporate SitesBuilding a trustworthy website is important for e-vendor, because it not only gives e-consumer a good first impression to the e-vendor, attracts e-consumer search information in it, but also leads to e-trust. E-trust leads to e-loyalty. Seven golden rules are suggested to help e-vendor build credibility in the website:1. Make it sticky. ―Stickiness‖is a measure of how users perceive your site. A sticky Website has contents that draw people back to it frequently. For example, if most of your visitors spend the bulk of their time viewing specific information, then you should provide more of that type of information.2. Make it easy. Jakob Nielsen of the Nielsen Norman Group is one of the Web’sleading proponents of the importance of ―usability.‖A Website should be structured in such a manner that visitors can find what they need and do what they want easily, insists Nielsen. Don’t disregard the importance of a clean interface.3. Make it private. There are four core suggestions to help e-vendor acquire e-trust from e-consumers. The first is to give consumers notice of what information is collected and how it is used. The second is to let consumers choose whether to allow secondary uses of information (for example, to decide whether their name can be used for follow-up marketing from the company or be sold to a third party). The third is to give consumers ―reasonable access‖ to their information and let them correct any errors. The fourth is to ensure the information’s security.4. Make it fast. Web surfers are looking for material that gets to the point quickly. The easiest way to communicate over the Web is with short bits of text along with illustrations, graphs and/or diagrams. But do make sure those entire graphics load quickly.5. Make it strong. Supporting systems need to work as well as their Web-based front ends. It is found that call centers and fulfillment services are the most vulnerable components of the Internet selling chain.6. Make it professional. It is reported that despite the critical need for more substantial customer support, the number of e-mail queries being answered is decreasing. Online marketers may need to start implementing multi-channel-automated strategies to retain existing customers and attract new ones. It is important to make sure that services are in place to handle higher than anticipated usage. Unanswered e-mails (and in Internet time ―unanswered‖ translates to within 24 hours) reflects badly on your company.7. Make it win-win. The ability to seek out and act upon the demands of the market is what makes one e-business different from another. Call it customer relationship management, value adding or just plain common sense; the ability to act fast on data gathered is what differentiates an e-business from a corporation that simply has a Web site.6ConclusionThe antecedents of consumer loyalty in the traditional brick-and-mortar marketplace have been studied in detail. Several researchers have suggested that initiatives such as improving the appearance of the storefront and the positive presentation of service personnel will increase the loyalty of customers in the traditional retail environment. However, there are several variables unique to e-retailing that have not been evaluated in the existing consumer loyalty literature. The present research has identified three main factors that potentially affect e-loyalty. Of the three main factors considered, customer satisfaction, customer trust and switching cost were found to have a significant impact on e-loyalty.With the Internet and other telecommunications innovations drawing us ever closer to the economist’s concept of a perfect market, many products and services will be increasingly perceived more like commodities. Consequently, electronic markets will lead to intense price competition resulting in lower profit margins. To compete successfully, e-vendors will need to develop and maintain consumer loyalty. Toward this task, e-vendor must first thoroughly understand the antecedents and the consequences of e-loyalty. 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