Studies about the website design quality have shown the connection between experienced design usability and website satisfaction and loyalty.
Within the traditional conceptualization of satisfaction the concept is defined as the outcome of the subjective evaluation that the chosen alternative meets or exceeds expectations (Bloemer &
Ruyter, 1998, p. 501). The literature on the role of satisfaction in loyalty emphasizes that satisfaction is a key determinant of the loyalty (Castañeda, 2011).
Earlier researchers of customer studied considered and studied loyalty towards actual products.
However, Gremler and Brown (1996) extend the concept of loyalty from the tangible products to the intangible products and services and define it as the degree to which a customer exhibits repeat purchasing behavior from a service provider, possesses a positive attitudinal disposition towards the provider, and considers using only this provider for the future (Gremler & Brown, 1996, p. 173).
Flavián, Guinalíu & Gurrea (2006) suggest that good website design may not be a guarantee for consumer satisfaction, but it does have some power. The researchers found that consumer trust
and satisfaction positively and directly depended on perceived usability. They also observed that higher levels of trust and satisfaction had a significant effect on website loyalty (Kvikne, 2013).
Cyr (2008) defines e-loyalty as “. . . . creation of positive shopping experiences that encourage shoppers to return to the Web site or to purchase from it in the future” (Kvikne, 2013, p. 33).
In their model of expectation-disconfirmation effects on web-customer satisfaction McKinney, Yoon and Zahedi (2002) separated the information content from the content delivery mechanism and came up with two types of website qualities: information quality (IQ) and system quality (SQ). They defined the Internet information quality as: “the customer’s perception of the quality of information presented on a Web site”, and the Internet system quality as: “the customers’
perception of a Web site’s performance in Information retrieval and delivery”. The researchers suggest that the visitor may for example not be satisfied with the layout and navigational features, but may to some degree be satisfied with the reservation process, and thus, intend to continue using the website (Kvikne, 2013, p. 32)
Luarn & Lin (2003) found that in an e-service context customer satisfaction and perceived value were each directly related to the customer loyalty. They suggest that loyalty, and therefore, commitment, should develop if the formation of customer satisfaction, trust, and perceived valueis appropriately managed. Based on their findings Luarn and Lin (2003) note that consumer perceived value is improved through increasing product and service and website quality, and pricing the products/services reasonably. In other words, the attention should be placed in
developing satisfying, trustworthy and highly valued e-service to ensure that customers will have
repeat Internet purchase behavior and show loyalty towards specific e-service brand (Luarn &
Lin, 2003).
In their study, Wolfinbarger and Gilly (2003) came up with four factors that influence the website visitor’s satisfaction and loyalty. They were: 1. Fulfillment/reliability, an accurate display and description of the product, so customers receive what they expected; 2. Website design, including the elements of the consumer’s experience; navigation, information search, order processing, appropriate personalization and product selection; 3. Customer service, being responsive and helpful towards customers inquiries; 4. Security/privacy, of payment methods and privacy of the information. Moreover, the researchers found that website visitors who frequently purchased at a particular website gave the biggest weight to the website design while predicting the quality of the products or services exposed on the website. Website design was also found as the strongest factor predicting the loyalty towards the website. The researchers note that even if the purchase was satisfying, the customer was less likely to use the website again if it was
difficult to use. It was found that negative performance attributes had a greater impact on overall satisfaction and repurchase intentions then positive performance did (Kvikne, 2013).
Flavian, Gunaliu and Gurrea (2005) performed a research to determine the influence that perceived website usability has on the user’s loyalty and satisfaction. They suggested that website usability results in increased trust towards the system, leading to the website loyalty (Flavian, Guinaliu, & Gurrea, 2006). Their findings are confirmed by Lowry and his co-researchers (2006), who conducted the study to discover the link between interactivity and website usability. They found evidence that improved interactivity leads to increased customer
trust and thereafter to increased satisfaction, which was perceived as an important component and indicator of the website usability (Lowry et al., 2006).
In their study of online users Law and Bai (2007) found that buyers considered quality
information, purchase information, and services or products information vital. Moreover, layout and graphics were important for both buyers and website users. Furthermore, the factors of functionality and usability were found positively associated with each other, and these two positively correlated to customer satisfaction. Availability of needed information and the navigation possibility were also necessary conditions for satisfaction from a website purchase (Law & Bai, 2007).
In her study, where Cyr (2008) took the sample of Canadian, German and Chinese users the researcher used three elements of design: navigation design- referred to navigational scheme used to help or hinder users as they access different sections of the website; visual design- referring to the elements connected to the balance, emotional appeal, aesthetics, and uniformity of the website overall graphical look and information design- including the website elements that convey accurate or inaccurate information about products or services to user. The researcher found that there was a significant relationship between the satisfaction and all three design standpoints of the website for the visitors of all three countries (Cyr, 2008).
Polites, Williams, Karahanna, and Seligman (2012) note that the satisfaction is not enough to gain loyalty. They state that e-satisfaction and loyalty consist of several perspectives. A consumer may be dissatisfied with characteristics of the website itself, the product, the service
associated with the site or a single transaction conducted through the site. Customers may also be loyal to the vendor or to a specific product that the vendor sells (Polites, Williams, Karahanna, &
Seligman, 2012).
To summarize, the researchers suggest that good website design may not be a guarantee for consumer satisfaction, but it has a significant influence. (Kvikne, 2013). Cyr (2008) defines e-loyalty as creation of positive shopping experiences that encourage visitors to return to the website or to purchase from it in the future (Kvikne, 2013). Different researchers point out various factors of the website and provide different theoretical frameworks to assure customer satisfaction of the website and their loyalty towards the website.