Effects of online purchase e-CRM activities and e-customer satisfaction on e-Loyalty during COVID-19 : the mediating effects of e-customer satisfaction

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence between online purchase e-CRM activities and e-customer satisfaction on e-loyalty. In particular, it focuses on the mediating effect of e-customer satisfaction in the relationship between online purchase e-CRM activities and e-loyalty. Design/methodology/approach: The data was collected from customers who have purchased online products in South Korea for a week. The study used 1307 questionnaires in the quantitative analysis and the proposed research model and a set of hypotheses were tested using a structural equation model (SEM). Findings: The findings of this study indicate that online purchase e-CRM activities (including e-Marketing, e-Sales, e-Support and e-System) have a significant positive impact on e-customer satisfaction. E-Marketing and e-Sales were found to have a statistically significant positive influence on e-loyalty, but e-Support and e-System did not have a statistically significant effect on e-loyalty. This study also found that e-customer satisfaction significantly mediated the link between online purchase e-CRM activities (including e-Marketing, e-Sales, e-Support and e-System) and e-loyalty. Research limitations/implications: The limitation of this study is that since the data only targets customers in their 20s and 40s, it is difficult to say that it represents customers of all ages. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out research on e-CRM activities for customers of different ages who have experience in online purchasing in the future. Moreover, as the e-commerce market using digital technology grows, companies need to preemptively respond to the expansion of "un-tact" (non-face-to-face) services in the post-COVID-19 era. Therefore, the results of this study presented theoretical and practical implications for improving online purchase e-CRM activities, e-customer satisfaction, and e-loyalty to e-commerce companies. Originality/value: The recent COVID-19 pandemic has caused great losses and considerable difficulties in various industries around the world, but to overcome this, the e-commerce market has expanded and has led to the advancement of the digital transformation era. Therefore, the originality of this study suggested the importance of e-CRM activities reflecting the purchasing trend of the online market in line with the trend of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and IT era, and it is significant in that it provides theoretical and managerial marketing and strategic implications for better recognition and utilization of these e-CRM activities from corporate and customer perspectives.