Introduction
This paper’s goal is to assess the effects of customer participation behavior on perceived e-service quality and satisfaction in Greek e-shops. The author builds on and expands previous efforts by investigating customer participation using a multi-dimensional construct developed by Yi and Gong (2013) with the goal of dwelling deeper in the effects of individual dimensions of customer participation (i.e. information seeking, information sharing and responsible behavior) on consumers’ perceptions. The findings show that one of the three dimensions of customer participation behavior, namely responsible behavior, positively affects both perceived service quality as well as customer satisfaction, while information seeking affects only e-service quality and information sharing does not affect any of the two dependent variables.
Theoretical development
The author, in agreement with the service-dominant view proposed by Vargo and Lusch (2004; 2008), emphasizes the notion that the customers of a provided service are not just simple recipients of a final product, but also co-creators in its production process. Research on customer participation, has revealed its positive influence on perceived quality (Cermak et al., 1994) and satisfaction (Yang et al., 2017), while in some cases studies pointed out when this relationship does not hold, as well as investigate moderators affecting it (Yim et at., 2012). There have been studies that support the positive effect that aspects of customer participation have on customer satisfaction (Dong et al., 2015; Yim et al., 2012; Chan et al., 2010; Kellogg et al., 1997) and perceived service quality (Dong et al., 2015). At the same time, there have been few studies probing into the relationship between customer participation behavior and perceived service quality and satisfaction in the context of the production and distribution of services from self-service technologies, where a high level of customer/user activity and low provider activity is required (Wünderlich et al., 2013), which stresses the importance of the customers’ role in attaining value co-creation. According to Yi and Gong (2013) customer value co-creation behavior comprises two dimensions; customer participation behavior and customer citizenship behavior. This study focuses on customer behavior that is necessary for value co-creation, namely on customer participation behavior, since it is this that is usually manifest in the context of the interaction of customers with an e-shop. In accordance with the terminology utilized by Kelley et al. (1990), this study focuses on customer technical quality- as expressed by information seeking, information sharing and responsible behavior, according to Yi and Gong (2013)- since interaction with an e-shop is usually standardised and does not facilitate the development of interpersonal relationships between customers and employees.
Research design
To check the hypotheses formulated in this study, the services offered by e-shops in Greece were examined and assessed. What drew attention on the e-commerce and e-shopping sector, was the fact that through the long lasting economic crisis in Greece, it was one of the few that managed to flourish. A survey was carried out using a structured questionnaire for a sample of 335 adults, customers of 125 Greek e-shops. Customer participation behavior (composed of three dimensions, namely information seeking, information sharing and responsible behavior) was measured using Yi and Gong’s (2013) multidimensional and hierarchical scale that consists of 11 items, rated on a seven-point Likert format. E-service quality was measured through the use of a one-item scale developed expressly for this purpose by Lee and Lin (2005), who also used a one-item scale to measure customer satisfaction.
Result and conclusion
The results obtained from the analysis, supported the propositions that customer information seeking and customer responsible behavior enhance perceived service quality, while at the same time customer responsible behavior increases customer satisfaction. Claims that customer information seeking, or customer information sharing enhance customer satisfaction, could not find any support, as did the proposition that customer information sharing enhances perceived service quality. These results provide useful insight when it comes to designing an on-line store in a way that it would enhance the customers’ perceptions on the attained service quality, as well as their perceptions on their satisfaction. In order to succeed, enterprises should develop organisational socialisation (Kelley et al., 1990; Kelley et al., 1992) in such an extent, that it would establish a climate of trust that will lead customers to assume a responsible behavior towards the e-shop.

• Thomas Fotiadis(Democritus University of Thrace, Greece)