Customer satisfaction as a basis for targeting online buyers

Abstract

In selected segments of the event management industry, online buyers are being targeted in order to realise cost savings in the areas of registration, confirmation and client database management. Yet little is known about possible revenue-side impacts of targeting online versus traditional buyers. This study examined multiple measures of postconsumption satisfaction for a well-known annual event and looked for differences between online versus traditional buyers. At issue is whether online buyers are intrinsically more (less) satisfied than traditional buyers. Also, the relationships between customer expectations and satisfaction and between satisfaction and repurchase intent are examined for both online and traditional buyers.