The impact of website quality on buying intention in e-commerce sector in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between the quality of a website, consumer satisfaction from interaction with the website, and the intent to buy from it in the e-commerce industry in Ho Chi Minh City. Through convenience sampling, four hundred eighty-five customers who surf the web and intend to buy through e-commerce in 06 past six months were surveyed by Google Docs. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to analyze the data collected from website visitors to understand website quality dimensions: Complementary Relationship, Usefulness, Entertainment, and Ease of use influence the satisfaction customers derive from it and, subsequently, their intention to purchase. The study also ascertained the mediator role of customer satisfaction between website quality and purchase intention. The principal results include that the dimensions of website quality significantly impact website quality, and overall website quality substantially impacts the level of customer satisfaction, which, in turn, is positively related to the intention to purchase; besides, customer satisfaction has a significant mediation effect. The findings of this study present specific substantial implications for e-commerce companies’ managers and marketers in helping them to develop strategic plans and the application of tools for the development of their e-commerce performance.