Zeithaml etOF

JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY

10.1177/009207002236911
al.MARKETING
/ SERVICE QUALITY
SCIENCETHROUGH WEB SITES

FALL 2002

Service Quality Delivery

Through Web Sites: A Critical
Review of Extant Knowledge
Valarie A. Zeithaml
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

A. Parasuraman
University of Miami

Arvind Malhotra
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Evidence exists that service quality delivery through Web

sites is an essential strategy to success, possibly more important than low price and Web presence. To deliver superior service quality, managers of companies with Web
presences must first understand how customers perceive
and evaluate online customer service. Information on this
topic is beginning to emerge from both academic and practitioner sources, but this information has not yet been examined as a whole. The goals of this article are to review
and synthesize the literature about service quality delivery
through Web sites, describe what is known about the topic,
and develop an agenda for needed research.

In the offline world . . . 30% of a companys resources are spent providing a good customer experience and 70% goes to marketing. But online . . . 70%
should be devoted to creating a great customer experience and 30% should be spent on shouting
about it.
Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com
(Business Week, March 22, 1999, p. EB30)

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science.

Volume 30, No. 4, pages 362-375.
DOI: 10.1177/009207002236911
Copyright 2002 by Academy of Marketing Science.

In e-tailings nascent days, Web presence and low price

were believed to be the drivers of success. However, no
amount of presence or low price could make up for the service quality issues that became all too prevalent: consumers could not complete transactions, products were not
delivered on time or at all, e-mails were not answered, and
desired information could not be accessed. Electronic service quality then entered the picture as a differentiating
strategy. To encourage repeat purchases and build customer loyalty, companies needed to shift the focus of ebusiness from e-commerce (the transactions) to e-service
(all cues and encounters that occur before, during, and
after the transactions).
To do so and thereby deliver superior service quality,
managers of companies with Web presences must first
understand how customers perceive and evaluate online
customer service. This involves defining what e-service
quality (e-SQ) is, identifying its underlying dimensions,
and determining how it can be conceptualized and
measured.
While both business and academic researchers have begun to conceptualize and measure electronic service quality, most do not provide definitions of domains. For that
reason, some differences exist in the meaning of Web site
service quality. Some researchers (such as Lociacono,
Watson, and Goodhue 2000) focus their operationalizations
on the technical quality of the Web site itself rather than the
service quality provided to customers through the Web

Zeithaml et al. / SERVICE QUALITY THROUGH WEB SITES

site. Some conceptualizations are limited to the interactions with the site itself, while others include the postWeb
site services of fulfillment and returns. The first formal
definition of Web site service quality, or e-SQ, was provided by Zeithaml, Parasuraman, and Malhotra (2000). In
their terms, e-SQ can be defined as the extent to which a
Web site facilitates efficient and effective shopping, purchasing, and delivery of products and services (Zeithaml
et al. 2000). As can be observed in this definition, the
meaning of service is comprehensive and includes both
pre and postWeb site service aspects. The objectives of
this article are to
1. review and synthesize the literature about how
consumers perceive service quality delivery
though Web sites,
2. describe what we know and do not know about
service quality delivered through Web sites,
3. develop an agenda for future research to bridge
the gaps in our knowledge.
To achieve these objectives, we first discuss the conceptualization of service quality delivery in the literature, including the major criteria that consumers use to evaluate
service quality. Next, we describe the way that academic
and practitioner researchers have measured electronic service quality. We then compare the assessment of e-SQ with
traditional service quality from both the customers and
the organizations perspective. Finally, we evaluate what
we know and do not know about e-SQ, focusing on the research that is needed to learn more about it.
CONCEPTUALIZATION OF
SERVICE QUALITY DELIVERY
THROUGH WEB SITES
Criteria Customers
Use in Evaluating e-SQ
Academic research has identified a number of criteria
that customers use in evaluating Web sites in general and
service quality delivery through Web sites in particular.
These include (1) information availability and content, (2)
ease of use or usability, (3) privacy/security, (4) graphic
style, and (5) fulfillment. A number of studies have examined various aspects of these criteria and will be reviewed
below. It is important to note that when purchasing items
online, customers are typically goal oriented and that
entertainment-related criteria associated with online use in
general (such as flow and other experiential aspects) are
not relevant when the context is purchase.
Information availability and content. The availability
and depth of information are frequently mentioned as an important reason for shopping online (Li, Kuo, and Russell
1999; Swaminathan, Lepkowska-White, and Rao 1999;

363

Van den Poel and Leunis 1999; Wolfinbarger and Gilly

2001; Zellweger 1997). In terms of shopping online versus
offline, online buyers perceive a benefit in obtaining information directly from a site rather than having to go through
salespeople in an offline store. They also believe that they
obtain more information online than through catalog shopping (Van Den Poel and Leunis 1999), partly because their
questions can be answered in the online channel (Ariely
2000; Venkatesh 1998). The reduction in search costs for
products and product-related information has been identified as one of the key benefits of online shopping (Alba
et al. 1997; Ariely 2000; Bakos 1997; Lynch and Ariely
2000). When used as criteria for a particular Web site, having sufficient information to compare products and to
make a selection appear to be important factors.
In terms of information content, the ability to search
price and quality information increases satisfaction with
both the experience and product purchased and improves
intentions to revisit and repurchase from a Web site (Lynch
and Ariely 2000). Furthermore, when users can control the
content, order, and duration (the amount of time the information is present) of product-relevant information, their
ability to integrate, remember, and thereby use information is improved (Ariely 2000).
Ease of use. Given that Internet-based transactions
might seem complex and intimidating to many customers,
it is reasonable to expect the ease of use (EOU) of Web
sites to be an important determinant of perceived e-SQ.
Formal research on EOU of Web sites is sparse, but the
construct has been studied extensively in the context of
technology adoption in workplace environments. Studies
dealing with employees adoption of software products
(e.g., word-processing packages) have examined the effect
of perceived EOU and perceived usefulness (U) on the potential adopters attitudes, behavioral intentions, and actual behavior. The initial research in this line of inquiry
(Davis 1989; Davis, Bagozzi, and Warshaw 1989) developed scales to measure perceived EOU, defined as the degree to which the prospective user expects the target
system to be free of effort, and perceived U, defined as
the prospective users subjective probability that using a
specific application system will increase his or her job performance (Davis et al. 1989:985). This research also empirically demonstrated the impact of the two constructs on
attitudes, intentions, and behavior and discovered a differential impact of EOU and U, with U being a stronger predictor of the dependent variables than was EOU. Several
replication studies (Adams, Nelson, and Todd 1992;
Hendrickson, Massey, and Cronan 1993; Keil, Beranek,
and Konsynski 1995; Segars and Grover 1993;
Subramanian 1994) have confirmed these relationships
and also suggested customer and task characteristics as
potential moderators of the relationships. The consensus
from this research stream highlights the importance of

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FALL 2002

both EOU and U in the adoption of new technologies and,

to the extent that online shopping can be considered akin to
using a new technology, suggests that customers assessment of Web sites will likely be influenced by how easy the
sites are to use and how effective they are in helping customers accomplish their tasks. However, since the research to date on EOU and U focuses on the adoption of
workplace technologies, whether specific findings from
that research will generalize to the assessment of Web sites
needs to be examined through Web sitespecific research.
For instance, one could argue that EOU might be as or
more important than U when consumers evaluate the quality of service delivered by Web sites.
Ease of use has often been termed usability in the online
context (Swaminathan et al. 1999). A sites search functions, download speed, overall design, and organization
are among the key elements that affect usability
(Jarvenpaa and Todd 1997; Lohse and Spiller 1998;
Montoya-Weiss, Voss, and Grewal 2000; Nielsen 2000;
Novak, Hoffman, and Yung 2000; Spiller and Lohse 19971998). Ease of use and perceived channel advantage have
been shown to predict adoption of Internet financial services (Montoya-Weiss et al. 2000).

and quality and the second strongest predictor of loyalty/

intentions to repurchase at a site. In the offline context, reliability is defined as the ability to perform the promised
service dependably and accurately (Parasuraman,
Zeithaml, and Berry 1988:23). This translates online into
on-time and accurate delivery, accurate product representation, and other fulfillment issues. While previous research has not documented other meanings, reliability
may also reflect technical reliability, such as the proper
functioning of the site.

Privacy/Security. Privacy and security are key

evaluative criteria in online services (Culnan 1999; Culnan
and Armstrong 1999; Hoffman, Novak, and Peralta 1999;
Montoya-Weiss et al. 2000; Quelch and Klein 1996).
These two related criteria have been distinguished from
each other. Privacy involves the protection of personal informationnot sharing personal information collected
about consumers with other sites (as in selling lists), protecting anonymity, and providing informed consent
(Friedman, Kahn, and Howe 2000). Security, on the other
hand, involves protecting users from the risk of fraud and
financial loss from the use of their credit card or other financial information. Security risk perceptions have been
shown to have a strong impact on attitude toward use of online financial services (Montoya-Weiss et al. 2000).
Graphic style. Researchers have studied the impact that
graphic style of the site has on customer perceptions of online shopping (Ariely 2000; Hoffman and Novak 1996;
Hoque and Lohse 1999; Lynch and Ariely 2000; MontoyaWeiss et al. 2000; Novak et al. 2000; Schlosser and Kanfer
1999). Graphic style involves such issues as color, layout,
print size and type, number of photographs and graphics,
and animation.
Fulfillment/reliability. The dominant dimension in traditional service quality, reliability, has also been cited as
an important factor in e-SQ (Palmer, Bailey, and Faraj
1999; Wolfinbarger and Gilly 2002). In fact, Wolfinbarger
and Gilly (2002) found that reliability/fulfillment ratings were the strongest predictor of customer satisfaction

Other criteria. While not researched specifically, other

criteria have been mentioned in the literature in relationship with online service quality. These include access, responsiveness, and personalization (Mulvenna, Anand, and
Buchner 2000). In an examination of top 100 U.S. retailers, Griffith and Krampf (1998) found that access and responsiveness of the Web site were key indicators of service
quality delivered through the Web. In their study, access
was operationalized as the provision of a hot-linked e-mail
address and telephone number of customer service agents.
Other studies have operationalized access as the presence
of addresses, e-mail addresses, or telephone numbers to
contact customer service agents. Responsiveness was
measured by the promptness with which the e-tailer responded to e-mails.
MEASUREMENT OF
SERVICE QUALITY DELIVERY
THROUGH WEB SITES
Measurement of service quality delivery through Web
sites is in its early stages. The overwhelming majority of
measurement scales have been developed in business,
either by individual companies or by consulting firms that
sell the scales to businesses. The published scholarly literature is minimal in terms of articles dealing directly with
measuring how customers assess electronic service quality (e-SQ).
Some measures of e-SQ are ad hoc and include only a
few factors. Rice (1997), for example, surveyed visitors to
87 Web sites to determine factors that would induce
revisit. His measures included (1) good content/information, which was the primary driver of revisit, and (2) enjoyable experience on the first visit, which was the second
most important driver. In a more comprehensive framework, Liu and Arnett (2000) surveyed Webmasters for
Fortune 1000 companies to ascertain the factors critical to
Web site success with consumers. Five factors or dimensions were measured and found to be key. First, quality of
information consists of relevant, accurate, timely, customized, complete information presentation. Service, the second factor, involves quick response, assurance, empathy,
and follow-up. Third, system use includes security, correct

Zeithaml et al. / SERVICE QUALITY THROUGH WEB SITES

transaction, customer control on transaction, order-tracking facility, and privacy. Fourth, playfulness perceived by
consumers is determined by customers sense of enjoyment, interactivity, attractive features, and enabling customer concentration. Finally, design of the Web site system/interface involves organized hyperlinks, customized
search functions, speed of access, and ease of correcting
errors.
In their examination of Internet pharmacies, Yang,
Peterson, and Huang (2001) identified and measured six
dimensions of consumer perceptions of service quality:
(1) ease of use, which includes user friendliness, loading/
transaction speed, search capability, and easy navigation;
(2) content contained on the Web site, particularly information that matches the needs of the consumer; (3) accuracy of content; (4) timeliness of response; (5) aesthetics,
involving attractiveness of the site and catalog pictures;
and (6) privacy. The measurement of e-SQ in these
research studies is rather arbitrary, to the extent that the
scales and dimensions used to measure e-SQ have not been
empirically validated. Many of the dimensions and measures used have been picked out from studies on service
quality in the physical retail arena or have been derived
from human-computer interface literature. By doing so,
these research studies may not elicit the comprehensive
dimensionality of e-SQ.
Several businesses have developed their own methodologies to measure service quality provided by online
retailers. BizRate.coms scale is the most widely cited
scale in popular literature. Using consumers as evaluators
of sites in diverse categories (e.g., CDs, books, toys, and
apparel) after they have made purchases, the scale identifies the strengths and weaknesses of individual sites. The
BizRate scale has 10 dimensions: ease of ordering, product selection, product information, price, Web site performance, on-time delivery, product representation, customer
support, privacy policies, and shipping and handling. In
addition to using customers perceptions of e-tailers along
the 10 dimensions, BizRate researchers also measure the
availability of features and service at each retailers Web
site in terms of ordering methods (online, e-mail, telephone, fax, toll-free phone), delivery methods (e.g., immediate, priority next day, standard next-day air), payment
methods (e.g., American Express, Diners Club), and special features (customer information always confidential,
customer information confidential by request, live customer help, available 24 hours a day, online order-tracking
system, online ordering shopping cart, secure ordering/
payment, search on site, you must register, gift services,
one-click ordering, guaranteed security). Research using
BizRate data has shown that the key driver of intent to
return to the site is customer support, and the least important is price.
Gomez.com provides an alternative evaluation system
that uses researchers rather than consumers to evaluate

365

sites. The companys researchers measure the performance of the site and assign ratings based on whether various criteria are satisfied. Measurement involves direct examination of the Web site, performance monitoring of
various pages on the site, pricing transactions, mock transactions (account opening), interaction with customer service representatives, and a questionnaire filled out by each
company. The index obtained from this procedure is then
multiplied by the importance profile of a customer (i.e.,
how would a serious shopper rate the importance of each
of the criteria that are objectively measured by Gomez?).
The categories measured by Gomez are broadly classified
into the following:
ease of use (functionality of the Web site, consistency of design and navigation, smoothness of interactions),
efficient access to information (signifying back-end
integration of data),
customer confidence (breadth and depth of customer service options, including channels of interactions, promptness and accuracy of e-mail
response, privacy policies, guarantees),
reliability (load times and security),
years the Web site or company has been in business,
on-site resources (availability of products, availability of online response to requests, detailed information on each product line),
relationship services (online help/tutorials, recommendations, personalization of information, reuse
of customer information to facilitate future interactions, incentive programs), and
overall cost (total cost of ownership of typical offering baskets, added fees for shipping and handling,
minimum balances and interest ratesfor financial
services companies).
CIO.coms Cyber Behavior Research Center has also
created a survey to measure the quality of service provided
by e-tailers on the Web. It measures the following items:
problems experienced while placing an order, problems
experienced after placing an order (e.g., delivery of wrong
item to the doorstep), ability to contact customer service
representative online while placing an order, and ability to
contact customer service after placing an order. Another
survey by CIO.com focuses only on the ease of navigation
and consists of the following items: (1) Is concise/direct
navigation on a Web site important to you? (2) Given the
type of site you most often visit, what type of overall Web
site navigation design do you most often prefer? (3) How
well do you feel you are able to use a search engine to find
what you are looking for?
Some academic researchers have started to establish
comprehensive e-SQ scales based on more rigorous
empirical testing. Lociacono et al. (2000) established a

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scale called WEBQUAL with 12 dimensions: informational fit to task, interaction, trust, response time,
design, intuitiveness, visual appeal, innovativeness, flow
(emotional appeal), integrated communication, business
processes, and substitutability. Informational fit to task
includes appropriateness of information, quality of information, and presentation of information. Interactivity is
the extent to which Web site users can (1) communicate
with the people behind the Web site, (2) interactively
search for information, and (3) conduct transactions
through the Web site. Maintaining the privacy of information provided by the Web site users is an important determinant of the trust dimension. Response time is the time it
takes for the Web page to load in a users browser and also
the time required to complete subsequent transactions.
Design appeal involves the aesthetics of the Web site,
including information organization and navigability. Intuitiveness refers to the ability of site users to grasp easily
how to move around the Web site. Visual appeal refers to
the presentation of graphics and text on the site.
Innovativeness is the aha (surprise) element associated
with the Web site, including its creativity and uniqueness.
If the use of the site results in an enjoyable and engrossing
experience for the users, it addresses the flow dimension of
WEBQUAL. Integrated communication involves the
seamlessness of communicating with retailers through
multiple channels. Selling or communicating through the
Web site demands that the designers think of how the Web
site fits with the overall business process. The business
process dimension measures the complementarity of the
Web strategy with the general business strategy. Finally,
substitutability is the measure of the effectiveness of Web
site interaction compared to other means such as physical
stores.
Overall, the WEBQUAL scale is geared toward helping
Web site designers to better design Web sites to affect the
interaction perceptions of the users. Therefore, the scale is
more pertinent to interface design rather than service quality measurement. In fact, a dimension called customer service was eliminated from the scale for various methodological reasons. Specifically, customer service could not
be measured because the survey was conducted with students visiting Web sites to evaluate them rather than with
actual purchasers. For the same reason, WEBQUAL does
not include fulfillment as a dimension. WEBQUAL, therefore, is not a scale that captures service quality fully. Other
issues that relate to WEBQUAL include the fact that the
authors did not model overall quality; they simply correlated their factors with overall quality. They also had their
sample of students use researcher-specified categories in
the categorization stage rather than letting those categories
emerge through qualitative study.
Wolfinbarger and Gilly (2002) used online and offline
focus groups, a sorting task, and an online survey of a

customer panel to develop a scale called .comQ. The scale

contains four factors: Web site design (involving the
expected attributes associated with design as well as an
item dealing with personalization), reliability (involving
accurate representation of the product, on-time delivery,
and accurate orders), privacy/security (feeling safe and
trusting of the site), and customer service (combining
interest in solving problems, willingness of personnel to
help and prompt answers to inquiries). Using concepts and
attributes from both the service quality and retailing literatures, their scale contains 14 attributes in these four factors.
Using an online survey, Szymanski and Hise (2000)
studied the role that consumer perceptions of online convenience, merchandising (product offerings and product
information), site design, and financial security play in esatisfaction assessments. This study did not include
aspects of customer service or fulfillment and dealt with
satisfaction rather than service quality.
Zeithaml, Parasuraman, and Malhotra (2000, 2002)
developed e-SERVQUAL for measuring e-service quality
through a three-stage process using exploratory focus
groups and two phases of empirical data collection and
analysis. This process produced seven dimensions
efficiency, reliability, fulfillment, privacy, responsiveness,
compensation, and contactthat form a core service scale
and a recovery service scale. Four dimensionsefficiency,
reliability, fulfillment, and privacyform the core eSERVQUAL scale that is used to measure the customers
perceptions of service quality delivered by online retailers.
These dimensions include the criteria customers use to
evaluate routine online service when they experience no
questions or problems in using the site. Efficiency refers to
the ability of the customers to get to the Web site, find their
desired product and information associated with it, and
check out with minimal effort. Fulfillment incorporates
accuracy of service promises, having products in stock,
and delivering the products in the promised time. Reliability is associated with the technical functioning of the site,
particularly the extent to which it is available and functioning properly. The privacy dimension includes assurance
that shopping behavior data are not shared and that credit
card information is secure.
Zeithaml et al. (2002) also found that three dimensions
become salient only when the online customers have questions or run into problemsresponsiveness, compensation, and contact. These dimensions have been conceptualized as constituting a recovery e-SERVQUAL scale.
Responsiveness measures the ability of e-tailers to provide
appropriate information to customers when a problem
occurs, have mechanisms for handling returns, and provide online guarantees. Compensation is the dimension
that involves receiving money back and returning shipping
and handling costs. The contact dimension of the recovery
e-SERVQUAL scale points to the need of customers to be

Zeithaml et al. / SERVICE QUALITY THROUGH WEB SITES

able to speak to a live customer service agent online or

through the phonerequiring seamless multiple channel
capabilities on the part of e-tailers.
CUSTOMER ASSESSMENT OF
TRADITIONAL SQ VERSUS e-SQ
A comparison of the way consumers evaluate SQ and eSQ reveals differences in the role of expectations, number
and nature of dimensions, and cognitive-emotional content. In addition, there seems to be a greater degree of consumer trade-offs and hence curvilinearity along e-SQ
dimensions than in the case of SQ.
Expectations
Evidence exists that expectations are not as well formed
in e-SQ as they are in SQ. Focus group participants in the
Zeithaml et al. (2000) study of e-SQ reportedly seemed at a
loss to articulate their e-SQ expectations except when it
came to issues of order fulfillment. Respondents were able
to express their expectations about reliability issues such
as having items in stock, delivering what is ordered, delivering when promised, and billing accuracy. However, they
had difficulty expressing expectations about other dimensions. This difficulty is consistent with a key conclusion
reached by Mick and Fournier (1995, 1998) based on their
in-depth probing of consumer reactions to new technologies: In buying and owning technological products, an
individuals pre-consumption standards are often nonexistent, weak, inaccurate, or subject to change as life circumstances shift (Mick and Fournier 1995:1).
Equivalence of Dimensions
and Perceptual Attributes
for SQ and e-SQ
In comparing the dimensions of SERVQUAL
(Zeithaml, Parasuraman, and Berry 1990) and the dimensions that participants discussed in focus groups preceding
the development of e-SERVQUAL (Zeithaml et al. 2000),
several observations can be made. First, approximately
half of the dimensions of SERVQUAL (reflected both in
the original 10-dimension conceptualization and in the
five SERVQUAL factors identified empirically in subsequent research) (Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry 1985,
1988) are also used by consumers when they evaluate eSQ. Second, several new dimensions emerged as important in assessing e-SQ. Third, perceptual attributes related
to the dimensions of the e-SERVQUAL and SERVQUAL
scales tend to differ more than the dimensions themselves.
Participants in the e-SQ focus groups discussed the
themes of reliability, responsiveness, access, assurance,
and customization/personalization frequently, and these

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were also key dimensions or subdimensions of

SERVQUAL. Many of the perceptual attributes pertaining
to Web site service quality remain the same as in
SERVQUALhonoring promises, being available when
the customer wants to do business, having a reputable
name, and knowing customers. However, some of the perceptual attributes of reliability and access dealt with
online-specific issues such as system crashes and operation and availability of the networkattributes not present
in SERVQUAL.
Several of the dimensions or subdimensions of eSERVQUAL are new, including ease of navigation, flexibility, efficiency, site aesthetics, and security. Most, but
not all, new dimensions relate specifically to technology.
Ease of navigation, for example, involves having functions
that help customers find what they need without difficulty
and possessing a good search engine.
Personalization Versus
Personal Service (Empathy)
Personal service (the empathy dimension of
SERVQUAL) is not critical in the transactional aspects of
online service (i.e., the dimensions captured by the core eSERVQUAL scale). While customers seek understanding,
reassurance, courtesy, and other aspects of personal attention in offline contexts, these service requirements did not
seem to be key issues in perceived e-SQ. Only in service
recovery or in highly complex decisions, when customers
sought special assistance (often on the telephone as follow-up), did aspects of personal service appear to be considered. The personal (i.e., friendly, empathetic, understanding) flavor of SERVQUALs empathy dimension is
not required except when customers experience problems.
Many focus group participants were only interested in
having efficient transactions.
Compared to customers assessment of SQ, e-SQ
seems to be a more cognitive evaluation than an emotional
one. Purchasing online appears to be a very goal-directed
behavior. While emotions such as anger and frustration
were expressed when reporting on problems arising from
online transactions, these appeared to be less intense than
those associated with traditional service encounters (see
Zeithaml et al. 2000). Moreover, positive feelings of
warmth or attachment that are engendered in SQ situations
did not surface in the focus groups as being characteristics
of e-SQ experiences.
Curvilinear Relationships
For most (but not all) traditional service quality attributes, more of an attribute was typically better than less. For
instance, most customers wanted as much empathy and
assurance as they could obtain during offline service transactions. In contrast, several of the expressed attributes of

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FALL 2002

e-SQ involved ideal points that varied among customers.

In other words, inverted U-shaped relationships, rather
than linear relationships, appeared to exist between performance and perceived e-SQ on those attributes.
For example, customers wanted responsiveness in
terms of e-mails sent to them about products and services
ordered. Once an order had been placed, customers
expected confirmation of the specifics of the order on the
Web site and through e-mail. At a later point in the order
fulfillment process, they also appreciated a follow-up
e-mail when the order was shipped or delayed. There
existed a point, however, at which there was too much email being sent.
Personalization is another attribute on which desires
vary across customers. Many Web sites ask customers to
provide preference information to personalize the look
and feel of the site for individual customers. To this end,
customers are typically asked to provide detailed shipping,
billing, and credit card information. For some participants,
personalization enhanced perceived e-SQ, but for other
participants who only wanted to buy items and check out
quickly, the personalization decreased e-SQ perceptions.
A final example of the curvilinear pattern involved the
amount of information and graphics presented on a site.
Some respondents wanted a large amount of information
and high-quality graphics to make their choices. They
desired multiple images to view the product from several
angles or three-dimensional, rotating renderings of products. However, other respondents preferred simplicity in
both information and graphics, in part because their presence slowed down the transaction and in part because too
much information became confusing.

Gap 1: Difference between customer expectations and

management perceptions of customer expectations
Gap 2: Difference between management perceptions of
customer expectations and SQ specifications
Gap 3: Difference between SQ specifications and the
service actually delivered
Gap 4: Difference between service delivery and what is
communicated about the service to consumers

TRADITIONAL SQ VERSUS e-SQ FROM

THE ORGANIZATIONS PERSPECTIVE
Zeithaml et al.s (2000) exploratory study on e-service
quality, in addition to facilitating the comparative discussion of customer assessments of SQ versus e-SQ, provided
insight into organizational deficiencies likely to contribute
to poor e-SQ. As we discuss below, organizational shortfalls similar to those that have been identified in the extant
SQ literature are likely to be present in the context of companies designing and operating Web sites.
A conceptual model of SQ developed by Parasuraman
et al. (1985) defines customer-perceived SQ as the magnitude and direction of the discrepancy between service expectations and perceptions and depicts this discrepancy as
a function of four organizational gaps associated with the
design, marketing, and delivery of services:

Although the above gaps were identified in the context

of traditional SQ, Zeithaml et al.s (2000) exploratory research indicated the presence of similar shortfalls in companies interacting with their customers through the
Internet. Figure 1 presents a conceptual model that brings
together in a common framework the following: (1) customer assessment of e-SQ and its consequences (top half
of the model) and (2) organizational deficiencies that
could contribute to poor assessment of e-SQ (bottom half
of the model). The company side shows three potential disconnectsdepicted as the information, design, and communication gapsthat can occur in the process of
designing, operating, and marketing Web sites. These gaps
collectively contribute to the fulfillment gap on the customers side, triggering a chain of adverse effects on perceived e-SQ, perceived value, and purchase/repurchase
behavior.
What a companyin particular, the group of managers
responsible for guiding Web site design and operations
believes to be an ideal Web site for its target market might
be incomplete or inaccurate because of insufficient or
incorrect information about Web site features desired by
customers. The information gap represents the discrepancy between customers requirements concerning a Web
site and managements beliefs about those requirements.
For instance, management might overestimate the importance of including sophisticated, three-dimensional graphics, which could undermine transaction efficiency, an
attribute that customers might consider to be far more critical than site attractiveness.
The significance of the information gap in the context
of e-SQ is heightened by the fact that customers are likely
to desire an optimal level of performance that is neither too
high nor too low on some Web site attributes. As discussed
earlier, even for attributes such as response speed and provision of order status information, more may not always
translate into higher perceived e-SQ. Furthermore, the
optimum performance level on any given attribute might
also vary across customers (e.g., experienced vs. inexperienced customers; customers who are just browsing vs.
those who are ready to buy) and contexts (e.g., purchase of
rare vs. readily available items; a normal vs. a problemplagued transaction). In the absence of regular monitoring

Zeithaml et al. / SERVICE QUALITY THROUGH WEB SITES

369

FIGURE 1
Conceptual Model for Understanding and Improving E-Service Quality (e-SQ)
Customer
LEGEND
Dotted lines linking constructs in the
rectangular boxes represent discrepancies
between them, and the resulting gaps are
shown in the dotted ovals
Solid arrows represent causal links

Fulfillment
Gap
Customer
Web site
Requirements

Customer
Web site
Experiences

Perceived
e-SQ

Perceived
Value

Company

Purchase/
Repurchase

Information
Gap

Design and
Operation
of the
Web site

Marketing
of the
Web site
Communication
Gap

of the marketplace to update the companys knowledge

about Web site attributes desired by customers, some
degree of information gap will persist.

Managements
Beliefs
about Customer
Requirements
Design
Gap

modifications. Existing literature on organizational deficiencies that lead to poor SQ (e.g., Zeithaml, Berry, and
Parasuraman 1988) offers at least indirect evidence of the
presence of the design gap in e-companies.

Design Gap
Communication Gap
The initial design of a Web site should be informed by
the companys knowledge about features desired by customers. Likewise, the ongoing operations of the Web site
should undergo appropriate adjustments in response to
customer feedback. Unfortunately, even when a companys management has complete and accurate knowledge
(i.e., the information gap is absent), this knowledge may
not always be reflected in the sites design and functioning.
The design gap represents the failure to fully incorporate
knowledge about customer requirements into the structure
and functioning of the Web site. As an example, management might be aware that their customers expect to receive
prompt personal support when a problem arises with an etransaction. Yet, for a variety of reasons (e.g., perceived
lack of resources or a propensity to view customers as
being unreasonable), management might fail to act on
their awareness and initiate appropriate Web site

This gap reflects a lack of accurate understanding on

the part of marketing personnel about a Web sites features, capabilities, and limitations. Under the ideal scenario, the marketing of the Web site will be based on sound
knowledge about what it can and cannot offer, with those
responsible for designing and operating the Web site communicating regularly with marketing personnel to ensure
that promises do not exceed what is possible. The lack of
effective communication between marketing and operations documented in traditional SQ contexts (Parasuraman
et al. 1985; Zeithaml et al. 1988) is likely to be present in eSQ contexts as well. In fact, because of the increasing
competitive intensity in the e-commerce arena, with rival
players seemingly ready to do whatever it takes to stake a
claim in it, the propensity for e-marketing to ignore the
reality of Web site capabilities might be even higher.

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The communication gap represents more than just inaccurate or inflated promises about a Web site made through
traditional media such as print and television. It also
includes such promises being made on the Web site itself
(e.g., guaranteed delivery of purchased merchandise by a
certain date), apparently because marketing personnel or
systems making those promises lackor ignoreknowledge about shortfalls in the infrastructure underlying the
Web site. Regardless of whether the erroneous promises
are made through traditional promotional media or
through the Web site, they constitute a form of marketing
that influences customers requirements or expectations
from the site (see Figure 1). Customers Web site experiences (driven by the sites design and operation, as Figure 1
shows) falling short of their marketing-induced requirements are an external manifestation of the internal communication gap and contribute to the fulfillment gap.

which results from the trade-off between the benefits

received and sacrifices endured by customers (Zeithaml
1988), is next in the chain of dependent constructs in Figure 1, followed by purchase/repurchase behavior. The
links from perceived e-SQ to perceived value and from the
latter to purchase/repurchase behavior are consistent with
the extensive extant conceptual and empirical work on the
quality-value-loyalty chain. In addition to the indirect
effects of the fulfillment gap (mediated through perceived
e-SQ and perceived value) on perceived value and purchase/repurchase, Figure 1 also posits direct effects that
are subject to verification through future research.

Fulfillment Gap
The fulfillment gap, occurring on the customer side of
the model in Figure 1, represents the overall discrepancy
between a customers requirements and experiences. This
gap has two distinct forms. One form of the fulfillment gap
occurs because of inflated marketing promises that do not
accurately reflect the reality of the Web sites design and
operationthat is, the communication gap (e.g., marketing promises a money-back guarantee when, in fact, the
Web site lacks the back-end infrastructure to receive and
process complaints from dissatisfied customers). Another
facet of the fulfillment gap is the frustration that e-shoppers might experience even in the absence of external
promises. Shortfalls such as a customers inability to complete an e-purchase transaction are also manifestations of
the fulfillment gap in that they reflect unfulfilled customer
desires. These kinds of customer frustrations are not a
result of exaggerated external promises but rather are due
to deficiencies in the design and operation of the Web site
in terms of their failure to fully incorporate customers
desires. This type of fulfillment gap stems from the cumulative effect of the information and design gaps, just as the
fulfillment gap triggered by inflated promises is a consequence of the communication gap. Thus, as Figure 1
shows, the overall fulfillment gap stems from a combination of the information, design, and communication gaps.
On the customer side of Figure 1, the fulfillment gap
and customer experiences are both shown as key determinants of perceived e-SQ. While the fulfillment gap indirectly captures customer experiences, some experiences
(e.g., pleasant surprises involving Web site attributes that a
customer may not even have thought about) will have a
direct effect on perceived e-SQ as well. Perceived value,

ANTECEDENTS OF WEB SITE

SERVICE QUALITY
As our earlier discussion of criteria that customers use in
evaluating e-SQ suggests, a number of Web sitespecific
attributes such as layout and navigation influence Web site
service quality. However, to our knowledge, there have
been no published studies on whether and how customerspecific characteristics such as demographics and
psychographics influence e-SQ. Virtually all of the extant
literature on customer-specific attributes focuses on the
association between customers attitudes or beliefs about
various technologies and technology-related behaviors.
For instance, a series of studies by Cowles (1989; Cowles
and Crosby 1990) about interactive media suggest that
customers can be segmented based on how they perceive
the media and that the resulting segments differ significantly in terms of acceptance of the media. Similar links
between customers beliefs about technology-based transactions and their propensities to engage in such transactions have been found in studies involving interactive
teleshopping (Eastlick 1996) and technology-based selfservice options (Dabholkar 1996).
One customer-specific construct that is especially relevant for understanding Web-based behaviors is technology
readiness, defined as peoples propensity to embrace and
use new technologies for accomplishing goals in home life
and at work (Parasuraman 2000:308). Technology readiness has four underlying dimensions: optimism (a positive
view of technology and a belief that it offers people increased
control, flexibility, and efficiency), innovativeness (a tendency to be a technology pioneer and thought leader), discomfort (a perceived lack of control over technology and a
feeling of being overwhelmed by it), and insecurity (distrust of technology and skepticism about its ability to work
properly). While optimism and innovativeness are contributors to technology readiness, discomfort and insecurity
are inhibitors. A multiple-item, four-dimensional measure
of this constructcalled the Technology Readiness Index

Zeithaml et al. / SERVICE QUALITY THROUGH WEB SITES

(TRI)has been developed and tested through a series of

qualitative and empirical studies (Parasuraman 2000).
One proprietary study dealing with Internet service
providers (ISPs) that measured customers technology
readiness as well as their perceptions of the ISPs service
quality found a positive correlation between the two
(Parasuraman and Colby 1997). Other research has demonstrated the presence of distinct customer segments that
have unique technology readiness profiles and also differ
significantly in terms of psychographics, demographics,
and various Internet-related behaviors (Parasuraman and
Colby 2001).
In summary, empirical evidence from several studies
suggests a strong association between customers technology readiness and Web behaviors, which seem to be correlated with customers demographics and psychographics.
However, with the exception of the aforementioned proprietary study, which found a positive association between
technology readiness and e-SQ, no research has examined
the direct impact of customer-specific attributes on e-SQ
and their mediated impact on Web behavior.
CONSEQUENCES OF
WEB SITE SERVICE QUALITY
Scant research has identified the consequences of Web
site service quality delivery. Wolfinbarger and Gilly
(2002) found that different dimensions of their measure of
e-SQ (called .comQ) have varying effects on the consequences. For example, they found that (1) reliability/
fulfillment ratings are the strongest predictor of customer
satisfaction, (2) Web site functionality ratings are the
strongest predictor of loyalty/intentions to purchase, and
(3) customer service ratings predict loyalty/intentions to
repurchase and customer satisfaction but not as strongly as
do fulfillment and Web site design. Chen and Wells (1999)
studied a concept called attitude toward the site, which
involved measures including Web site relationship building, intentions to revisit, satisfaction with service, comfort
in surfing, and judgment that surfing the Web site is a good
way to spend time. The most prevalent type of research on
consequences of Web site service quality is business
research that identifies the reasons for abandoning
shopping carts online, including comparison shopping/
browsing (61%), total cost of items too high (43%), checkout process too long (41%), and checkout requires too
much personal information (35%) (see Vividence at
www.vividence.com). BizRate conducted a study about
why e-shoppers come back by examining the correlation
between online shoppers ratings of merchants in selected
categories and their likelihood to buy again from the same
site. The study found that while the customer service and
on-time delivery have high correlations with likelihood to

371

buy again, Web site looks and product price have low correlations (Hanrahan 1999).
SYNTHESIS: WHAT WE KNOW
The study of service quality delivery through Web sites
is in its early stages. What we know is minimal but
includes four points.
First, we know that electronic service quality is not
unidimensional but instead is multifaceted, including
dimensions such as ease of use, privacy/confidentiality,
reliability, and site design. Different dimensions have been
proposed, some of them ad hoc and anecdotal, yet some of
them beginning to be researched more systematically. As
yet, there is no consensus on the component dimensions,
but frequently occurring dimensions include fulfillment,
privacy/security, site design, efficiency, and ease of use.
Second, it appears that recovery service involves different dimensions than core dimensions and that most of the
personal service issues are part of recovery service
rather than core service. For instance, issues of contact and
compensation seem relevant most often when problems
and questions have occurred with consumers. In routine
interactions with sites, consumers seem not to be concerned about how to contact a site, the way the company
handles problems, or whether they receive compensation
if problems do occur.
Third, we know that e-SQ affects satisfaction, intent to
purchase, and purchase. Both behavioral and reported evidence suggests the importance of e-SQ to purchase. Most
of this evidence is either anecdotal or based on surveys
(such as BizRate), but there is sufficient data about abandoning sites and complaints with sites to suggest that e-SQ
is a key driver of repeat purchases from Web sites.
Fourth, we know that technology readiness, a customerspecific construct, is related to perceptions of e-SQ. However, the empirical evidence in this regard is limited.
WHAT WE DO NOT KNOW:
DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH
Rigorous attention to the concept of service quality
delivery through Web sites is needed. This would involve a
comprehensive examination of the antecedents, composition, and consequences of service quality. In terms of the
composition of the construct, Zeithaml et al. (2000) have
suggested a means-end approach to this conceptual development whereby the overall construct of e-SQ is identified
first in terms of its dimensions, then the attributes that
comprise each dimension, and finally the specific concrete
cues that signal each attribute. The e-SERVQUAL scale
that they have developed (Zeithaml et al. 2002) is one

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example of the comprehensive view of the composition of

the concept. The antecedents of e-SQ are likely to be specific concrete cuesitems such as one-click ordering, eTrust symbols, and specific design featuresthat lead to
customer perceptions of the presence of the attributes, followed by assessment of overall service quality. As we have
shown, the consequences of e-SQ have not been fully
developed and could therefore be conceptualized. They
are likely to include intentions (such as to revisit the site, to
purchase and repurchase) as well as actual behaviors (saying positive things about the site, purchase volume, revisiting, comparison shopping). A fuller understanding of eSQ might also be obtained by linking e-SQ to related
abstract, higher level concepts such as perceived value,
perceived control, and perceived convenience.
Further empirical testing of e-SQ scales that currently
have been developed is needed. Because BizRate has been
in existence for the longest period of time, data using the
scale are available and are being used in academic
research. However, the reliability and validity of the
BizRate scale remain to be demonstrated. All scales currently under developmentincluding WebQual, .comQ,
and e-SERVQUALshould be examined for their
psychometric properties and improved where needed.
A key managerial research question involves the degree
to which a measurement scale can be created that can be
used to capture service quality both in online and offline
channels for the same company. Given the differences
between SQ and e-SQ, this may be difficult, yet it would be
valuable for managers to be able to compare their online
and offline service quality.
When concepts and measures of e-SQ have been developed, we will be able to investigate questions about the
importance of different dimensions and perceptual attributes to overall electronic service quality and its consequences. We know from nearly 20 years of research that
reliability is the most important dimension of traditional
service quality, and we need to understand which dimensions are most responsible for driving electronic service
quality. Because the limited conceptual development of eSQ suggests that reliability consists of attributes that are
different from those for SQ, the importance of reliability
relative to other dimensions needs to be reassessed in this
context. Other trade-offs are important to investigate, such
as the trade-off between e-SQ and price in contributing to
perceptions of overall value, intentions to purchase, and
actual purchase.
Building on the foundation of the needed research discussed above, additional research is needed to empirically
study the question of where to invest in electronic service
quality improvement. Should it be core or recovery service? What actions on a Web site most affect the identified
key drivers of revisits or repurchase? A framework such as
return on service quality (Rust, Zahorik, and Keiningham
1994) would be useful in determining where to invest.

Research is also needed to understand the effects of

informational attributes of Web sites on perceptions of eSQ. As we have discovered, one of the main dimensions of
e-SQ is efficiency. The way in which information is organized on Web sites and the various mechanisms that enable
customers to obtain information about products/services
will greatly influence their perceptions of e-SQ. Growing
use of multimedia applications is enabling innovative
delivery of information by e-tailers, but it is imperative
that research be conducted to determine whether there are
adverse impacts on the efficiency dimension of e-SQ with
the use of these innovative approaches. The technical ability to present information through innovative approaches
must be weighed against their impact on e-SQ.
The impact of different types of information on e-SQ
also needs to be investigated. For instance, online retailers
such as Amazon.com offer customer and expert reviews
of books, music, and so on and recommend other items
that might be of interest to the online shopper. Likewise,
using information about customer preferences on a Web
site, some e-tailers offer an interface that is customized to
the shoppers needs (e.g., My eBay, Users Amazon).
While these types of information strategies may enhance
the shoppers perceptions of personalization and search
efficiency, it is also possible that they may be perceived as
intrusive, unnecessary, and detracting from purchase efficiency. Research examining the potential conflicting
effects of such information provision and their net impact
on e-SQ perceptions, purchase behavior, and repurchase
intentions will be illuminating. Such research will contribute to a finer-grained understanding of the trade-offs in
customer perceptions along different dimensions of e-SQ.
A topic in great need of research is personalization/
customization. When is personalization viewed as being
efficient, and when is it viewed as being intrusive? What
types of personalization and customization (such as
receiving e-mails from the company) are seen as timeconsuming, and what types (such as not needing to input
information) are viewed as time saving? How do consumers respond to the different approaches to personalization
and customization? Can customers distinguish among
types of personalization that are based on remembering
individual customer data and those that are driven by techniques to identify similarities across customers? Are these
approaches drivers of e-SQ or not?
Another issue involves the way consumers judge the
privacy of a Web site. Some customers appear to depend
on the trust symbols (such as a key) that appear on sites,
and others read privacy policies. However, two recent
studies (Wolfinbarger and Gilly 2002; Zeithaml et al.
2000) found that consumers really did not know how to
judge privacy with confidence and that even with these
cues, they felt unsure of the privacy/security of a site.
Research could be used to examine other factors (such as

Zeithaml et al. / SERVICE QUALITY THROUGH WEB SITES

brand, company reputation, appearance of the site) that

convey signals of privacy that may be more meaningful.
Many e-tailers are using automated response technologies to answer e-mails from online customers experiencing problems. These technologies are beneficial from an
operational standpoint in that they can reduce costs by
intelligently scanning incoming e-mails and selecting the
most appropriate responses from a database. They can also
greatly reduce response time. However, to date, there has
been no systematic examination of how customers perceive the quality of such automated responses in terms of
their content and helpfulness. There is a need for research
focusing on how the speed versus content aspects of automated responses to customer queries influence the recovery service quality of Web sites.
We know almost nothing about the demographic,
behavioral, and experience correlates of e-SQ. Does age,
gender, or income of customers affect their perceptions of
service quality delivery through Web sites? How is experience with Web sites related? Are there other behavioral
correlates that influence perceptions? All of these questions remain to be investigated.
One area of research that has potential for surfacing rich
insights is the examination of the interrelationships among
technology readiness (TR), e-SQ, and e-shopping behavior (e-SB). Figure 2 presents a framework for guiding such
an examination.
Insights from qualitative research and limited empirical
findings to date suggest three propositions that need more
formal and rigorous testing:
Proposition 1: Customers TR has a positive impact on
their e-SB.
Proposition 2: Customers perceptions of e-SQ have a
positive impact on their e-SB.
Proposition 3: Customers TR has a positive impact on
their perceptions of e-SQ.
In light of TRs hypothesized positive impact on both
e-SQ and e-SB, exploring whether and how TR moderates
the relationship between the two (Proposition 4 in Figure 2)
would also be instructive. For instance, it is possible that
customers high on TR are less likely to be intimidated by
technical snafus and more prone to continue to use technologies despite problems than are low-TR customers; if
so, the impact of e-SQ on e-SB is likely to be weaker for
high-TR customers than for low-TR customers (i.e., TR
may negatively moderate the influence of e-SQ on e-SB).
However, if high-TR customers, by virtue of their greater
knowledge of technologies, are more demanding and have
higher evaluative standards, TR may have a positive
moderating influence on the link between e-SQ and
e-SB (i.e., the link is likely to be stronger for high-TR
customers than for low-TR customers). Thus, the extent

373

FIGURE 2
Impact of Technology Readiness (TR) and
E-Service Quality (e-SQ) on E-Shopping
Behavior (e-SB)

TR
P3A,B,C....

Optimism
Innovativeness
Discomfort
Insecurity

P3 (+)

P1 (+)

P1A,B,C....

P4 (?)
P4A,B,C....

e-SQ

e-SB
P2 (+)

Dimensions of e-SQ
Regular vs. Recovery e-SQ

Search vs.
Purchase
Present vs.
Future

P2A,B,C,...

NOTE: P1 = Proposition 1; P2 = Proposition 2; P3 = Proposition 3; P4 =

Proposition 4.

and nature of TRs moderating effect are issues worthy of

further research.
As Figure 2 shows, each of the three focal constructs
has subfacets: TR has four underling dimensions; e-SQ
also has multiple dimensions, some of which are salient
for regular e-service while others are salient for recovery
e-service; and e-SB can be examined from different perspectives depending on the goals and time frame of customers Web behaviors. As such, each of the four main
propositions can also be partitioned into a series of
subpropositions focusing on links between different facets
of the focal constructs. Theoretical work to identify
subpropositions that are most meaningful, followed by
empirical research to test them, will contribute to a richer,
more in-depth understanding of the linkages among TR,
e-SQ, and e-SB.
Another desirable avenue for research involves company studies to examine the extent and potential causes of
the information, design, and communication gaps (the key
contributors to the fulfillment gap) hypothesized in the
conceptual model of service quality delivery through Web
sites. In-depth interviews of Web designers and managers
of dot.com companies would yield evidence of these gaps
as well as ways that successful companies have closed
them. The results could highlight the areas of focus for
managers of e-commerce efforts and provide a set of recommendations for ways that companies can improve
their e-SQ.
SUMMARY
The goal of this study was to assemble and synthesize
what is currently known about service quality delivery
through Web sites. The article began by conceptualizing

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service quality delivery through Web sites, including

defining the construct and discussing the criteria consumers use to evaluate e-SQ. Collectively, the extant literature
suggests that e-SQ is a multidimensional construct,
although the content of what constitutes e-SQ varies
across studies. A summary of existing measurement
efforts was included in the next section, followed by a
comparison of traditional service quality and e-SQ. While
some of e-SQs dimensions are similar to those of SQ, others are entirely new or consist of new sets of attributes
unique to the context of Web sites. Antecedents and consequences of the construct were described in the next section, leading to the conclusion that with the possible
exception of technology readiness, only scant scholarly
research is available about the determinants and effects of
e-SQ. The final section included a synthesis of what is
known about e-SQ and what needs to be learned through
research.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Valarie A. Zeithaml is the Roy and Alice Richards Bicentennial
Professor and Area Chair at the Kenan-Flagler Business School
of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She obtained an
M.B.A. and doctorate from the University of Maryland and has
devoted the past 20 years to researching and teaching the topics
of service quality and services management. She is the author of
three service books: Delivery Quality Service: Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations, Driving Customer Equity,
and Services Marketing, a textbook now in its second edition.
She has won numerous teaching and research awards, including
the Ferber Award from the Journal of Consumer Research, the
Maynard Award from the Journal of Marketing, the Jagdish
Sheth Award from the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, and the ODell Award from the Journal of Marketing Research. She has consulted with more than 40 service and product
companies.
A. Parasuraman (D.B.A., Indiana University) is a professor and
holder of the James W. McLamore Chair in Marketing at the University of Miami. He has received many distinguished teaching
and research awards. In 1988, he was selected as one of the Ten
Most Influential Figures in Quality by the editorial board of The
Quality Review. In 1998, he received the American Marketing
Associations Career Contributions to the Services Discipline
Award. In 2001, he received the Academy of Marketing Sciences Outstanding Marketing Educator Award. Dr.
Parasuraman has published numerous articles in leading scholarly and managerial journals. He has served as editor of the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science for a 3-year term (19972000). He has authored or coauthored several books, the most recent of which is Techno-Ready Marketing: How and Why Your
Customers Adopt Technology (2001).
Arvind Malhotra is an assistant professor at the Kenan-Flagler
Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. He has conducted award-winning research on how companies exploit information technology to reinvent themselves for
e-business. He teaches e-commerce strategies to executive
M.B.A.s and strategic use of information technology to M.B.A.
students.