Video website operators work in a highly competitive market and, thus, cultivating evangelists who keep coming back and spreading positive word-of-mouth (WOM) referrals is important to retain market share and boost sustainability. This study empirically tests a model proposing that social presence elicited by the emerging bullet screen (“DanMu” in Chinese or “Danmaku” in Japanese) system in video websites serially affects immersive experience and perceived benefits, which in turn influence viewers’ e-loyalty. Data collected from 523 participants provide strong support for the proposed model. The results indicate that compelling immersive experience and perceived benefits are important mediators explaining the theoretical mechanism of how social presence affects loyalty. The presence of moderators such as group identification reinforces the influence of social presence on immersion. In addition, this study also suggests that perceived benefits differentially affect the two facets of e-loyalty (i.e., revisit intention and positive WOM). Specifically, revisit intention is mainly driven by the perceived hedonic benefit while positive WOM likelihood is largely determined by the utilitarian and social benefits. This study is the first to provide theoretical insights into understanding how increased social presence triggered by DanMu comments inspires the desired e-loyalty responses.

Purpose: – The purpose of this paper is to develop and test an empirically grounded comprehensive framework of e-quality that is the composite of the relationship between e-satisfaction and e-loyalty. This study’s objectives were: first, to develop a comprehensive measurement scale of perceived quality from an operations perspective, based on the classic Engel-Kollat-Blackwell (EKB) decision-making process; second, to develop a framework that integrates dimensions of quality and measures perceptions of e-quality during the customer’s decision-making process; and third, to examine the predictive capability of quality attributes in relation to service operations that rely on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Design/methodology/approach: – Following review of the related literature, focus group protocols were developed and interviews conducted. Based on the focus group input, surveys were developed and administered. Survey data from 717 online customers allowed testing the research hypotheses, and structural equation modeling allowed validation of the research framework. Findings: – The study determined that “e-channel quality”, “e-service quality” (including “web site quality” and “transaction quality”), and “product quality” positively influence customer e-satisfaction within an online operation. These constructs, in turn, influence customer e-loyalty in the e-commerce domain. The findings contribute valuable theoretical and managerial implications that can improve e-service operations. Originality/value: – The paper fills a relevant gap in the e-commerce and services operations literature by empirically developing and validating a new and robust quality measurement scale based on the EKB consumer decision-making process. The study also makes an important research contribution by providing empirical evidence that quality is pivotal in gaining customer loyalty and a competitive e-commerce edge.