Web Systems Design and Online Consumer Behavior [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Introduction

Consumer complaint behavior (CCB) is usually defined as
a set of all behavioral and non-behavioral responses which involve communicating something negative
regarding a purchase episode and is triggered by perceived dissatisfaction with that episode (Singh
& Howell, 1985). As such, CCB has generally been viewed as falling into one of a set of
consumer responses: voice responses (e.g., seeking redress from seller), private responses (e.g.,
word-of-mouth communication or exit), and third-party response (e.g., reporting to a consumer
agency or taking legal action against the firm) (Singh, 1990a).

The emergence of the Internet and its communication capabilities has changed the way
consumers communicate their negative experiences with products and services. Before the Internet,
the name of the game was one-to-one communication between the consumer and the business. Most of
the previous research in CCB literature therefore sought to identify factors that led dissatisfied
consumers to exit silently rather than to voice their complaints. With the Internet, however, the
game is now played out in the open and on a broader communication continuum (Widdows, 2001).

Through the Internet, for the first time in human history, consumers can make their thoughts,
feelings, and viewpoints on products and services easily accessible to the global community of
Internet users. The Internet becomes a sort of super-megaphone, giving any individual’s
word-of-mouth (WOM) the kind of reach way beyond anything previously possible (Solovy, 2000). Many
online retailers even encourage consumers to post their reviews of products and services (e.g.,
www.epinion.com,
www.elance.com). These “published” opinions
are actively sought out by other consumers with the goals of specific information input to purchase
decision, the desire for support and community, and, perhaps, some degree of entertainment motives
(Schindler & Bickart, 2002). Furthermore, the online feedback has worked as a viable mechanism
for building trust in electronic markets, which is otherwise a very risky trading environment
(Dellarocas, 2003).

Given the increase of Internet usage and the potential damage that negative WOM information
posted on the Web can do to the bottom line, companies have worked hard to integrate online
communication into their consumer service function (Strauss & Hill, 2001). A cursory
examination of company Web sites indicates the significant presence of interactive capabilities for
consumers to send in comments and complaints. Cross-media promotion such as an e-mail or Web site
address printed on product packages with an 800 number under the line of “comments or complaints?”
is also very common these days.

Clearly, developing Web sites with all the bells and whistles of interactive functions is not
a difficult task for companies these days. The challenges that face today’s business, however, are
how to engage consumers in a one-to-one relationship so that dissatisfied consumers will make use
of the company’s Web sites to voice their dissatisfaction. This will require an in-depth
understanding of the psychological mechanisms that underlie CCB. The purpose of this chapter is to
provide a comprehensive assessment of the Internet as a viable complaint communication channel. An
integrated conceptual model of CCB that describes the psychological processes consumers with a
dissatisfying marketplace experience go through is provided. Based on this conceptual model, an
assessment of online technology as a complaint communication channel and its related threats and
opportunities are laid out. Finally, managerial implications and recommendations for practical
implementation are suggested.