An empirical test of a proposed customer satisfaction model in e‐services

Purpose – This research aims to build on recent advances in services marketing theory to propose and evaluate empirically a model of online customer satisfaction and its key antecedent and consequent constructs. This research also aims to establish the role of attribution and disconfirmation within this context. Design/methodology/approach – An online survey is utilized to collect data and the proposed theoretical model is estimated using structural equation modeling via the AMOS software. Findings – The findings indicate that perceived value may both directly and indirectly (via disconfirmation) affect not just satisfaction, but it may also indirectly affect attribution via disconfirmation. Originality/value – This research contributes to extant literature via further extending theory related to customer satisfaction in the online environment. For example, one major contribution of the study pertains to illustrating the role of perceived value in affecting an online shopper's satisfaction. Since satisfaction and attribution further influence website loyalty and repurchase intentions, websites that desire long‐term customer loyalty and resultant success must ensure that customers perceive their website to provide them with great value. Such companies must also strive to establish systems to ensure that all the company's marketing activities and practices are geared toward ensuring that customers consistently perceive good value. Other ways in which the current study provides significant value to extant research is by exploring the role of attribution and disconfirmation in the online context.