In e‐commerce, loyal customers are considered extremely valuable. Loyalty is generally attributed to satisfaction with the quality of service. Since online transactions involve many uncertainties for the customer, trust is a condition for exchange. Trust in the electronic medium – here called “e‐trust” – is believed to increase online customer loyalty, but empirical confirmations are scarce. The present study empirically investigates the roles of service quality, satisfaction and trust in an e‐commerce context. In the study, e‐trust is found to directly affect loyalty. The e‐service quality dimension of assurance, i.e. trusting the merchant, influences loyalty via e‐trust and e‐satisfaction. Other e‐quality dimensions, such as ease of use, e‐scape, responsiveness, and customization influence e‐loyalty mainly indirectly, via satisfaction. Managerial implications and suggestions for further research are provided.

The commercial importance of e‐services, accessed via Internet or mobile phone, grows steadily. There is a clear need to develop a better understanding of how consumers evaluate these services and develop e‐loyalty. An empirical study of an Internet portal was tied in with extant theories about service quality, customer satisfaction and loyalty. Data were collected by means of an on‐line survey. The effect of customer satisfaction with three service components on value perception and overall satisfaction was measured. Customers’ overall satisfaction was influenced by their satisfaction with the core service, supplementary services and the user interface. A strong positive effect of overall satisfaction on the intention to continue using the portal was found. Noteworthy was the predominant effect of satisfaction with supplementary services on value perception. No significant direct effects were found of satisfaction with the user interface on value perception. Some implications as well as future research directions are provided.

Past e‐service research has largely concentrated on customer responses to online retailers. The present study sheds light on the determinants of customer loyalty to a content‐based service, a healthcare Web site. Content‐based service providers must build a loyal customer base in order to attract advertisers and sponsors. Lack of trust has been one of the most important reasons for consumers not adopting online services involving financial exchanges, but trust appears to be equally important to exchanges that require divulging sensitive information, such as health issues. Results reveal that loyalty to the health site is satisfaction‐driven, but that trust is the main antecedent of satisfaction. Need fulfilment, responsiveness, security and technical functionality of the Web site are shown to influence trust. Managerial implications are provided.