Table 5.
Summary of findings
| Proposition | Theoretical Mechanism | Findings | Conclusion |
|---|---|---|---|
|
H1a: When the firm’s first established touchpoint is the store, customers who visit the website will weigh favorable disconfirmation more heavily than customers who visit the store H1b: Customers who visit the website will weigh price fairness more heavily in evaluating their SE satisfaction when compared with customers who visit the store (positive moderating effect) |
Spatial distance. The store, as the first established and proximal touchpoint, serves as the (primary) holistic referent. The website is spatially distant such that (holistic) cognitive dimensions (favorable disconfirmation, price fairness) are weighed more heavily for website SEs than store SEs | Positive moderator effect (p < .0001) | Supported |
| Positive moderator effect (p < .0001). Replicated in second study (p < .05) | Supported | ||
| H2: Customers who visit the website will weigh the affective dimension (i.e., emotional qualities)—such as inspiration—less heavily in evaluating their SE satisfaction than customers who visit the store | Affective distance: The (distal) website evokes high-level construal, which offsets (proximal) concrete emotional qualities for website SEs versus store SEs | Negative moderator effect (p < .0001) | Supported |
| H3: Customers who visit the website will weigh the sensorial dimension of CX—such as (a) attractive environment and (b) product appeal ─ less heavily in evaluating their SE satisfaction when compared with customers who visit the store | Central features of touchpoint: Customers use broader categories for mental representations of (distal) websites versus stores, so they weigh (concrete) sensory qualities less heavily for website SEs versus store SEs | Negative moderator effect (p < .0001). Replicated in second study (p < .001) | Supported |
| Negative moderator effect (p < .0001) | Supported | ||
| H4: Customers who visit the website will weigh ease-of-use more heavily in evaluating their SE satisfaction when compared with customers who visit the store | Congruency of construal level: Customers find it easier to process mental representations at the same construal level, and both website and ease-of-use are abstract mental representations | Positive moderator effect (p < .001). Replicated in second study (p < 0.05) | Supported |
| H5: Customers who visit the website will weigh catalog use less heavily in evaluating their current SE satisfaction when compared with customers who visit the store | Hypothetical distance: Websites and catalogs are less congruent than catalogs and stores with respect to vividness, which reduces hypothetical distance | Negative moderator effect (p < .0001) | Supported |
| H6: Customers who visit the website will weigh a prior interaction with a service representative less heavily in evaluating their current SE satisfaction when compared with customers who visit the store | Social distance: The concrete procedural aspects of social experiences are not thematically consistent with website SEs, so they are weighed less heavily | Negative moderator effect (p > .01) | Not supported |