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CUSTOMER-BASED ONLINE REPUTATION: A CAUSAL MODEL
With the development of e-commerce, firms have now a greater interest than before in investing in intangible assets, especially their e-reputation. The literature review shows that studies in the field of e-reputation are still limited. Furthermore, existing studies (e.g. Walsh et al., 2009) tend to focus on antecedents and consequences of reputation that are associated with the offline context, but do not analyze variables related to e-consumer behavior. The objectives of this paper are hence twofold: (1) examining the dimensions of the customer-based online reputation; (2) introducing a causal model that associates online reputation with some key antecedents and consequences. Our results show that a high level of trust positively impacts the online reputation. The same is true for heritage, but with less impact, maybe because the online commerce is relatively new, and e-commerce websites do not have a heritage yet compared to well-established brick and mortar companies. In terms of consequences, a favorable reputation increases the customer commitment toward the website, meaning that online customers will have a higher desire to maintain this valued relationship. In addition, the positive influence on WOM is very important especially in our digital era where brand choices and personal influences are increasingly taking place online. As for the measure of e-reputation, our results confirm that it can be assessed through 8 specific factors: Customer orientation, Reliable Delivery, Innovativity and Singularity, High Standard Offerings, Price, Social and Environmental Responsibility, Good employer, and Financially Strong Company. From an operational point of view, the customer-based e-reputation scale could be used repeatedly as a barometer enabling to periodically asses the e-reputation of diverse online companies. Our results also point out some potential managerial implications as far as improving customer-based online reputation is concerned. From the perspective of antecedents, increasing trust should be the choice in order to improve online reputation. With regards to the consequences, online reputation is a significant indicator of customer commitment to the website and spreading a positive word-of-mouth. Hence, and in order to have a positive e-WOM, managers should focus on enhancing their online reputation.
