Developing a measure for online shopping mall reputation (OSMR)

Abstract

This study was conducted with the purpose of developing and validating multidimensional reputation criteria for evaluating online shopping malls, which have been growing explosively since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. A Delphi study was conducted with a group of 31 professionals, and the initial items for online shopping mall reputation were derived from that study. Those items were used to devise a questionnaire that was administered to 531 consumers. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis resulted in 17 items based on four factors: reliability, technical skills, customer service, and accessibility. Convergent and discriminant validity were verified between the factors. Finally, structural equation modeling was used to verify the nomological validity of the scale. This online shopping mall reputation scale is expected to provide a standard for companies to effectively manage the reputations of online shopping malls in the future and for consumers to choose online shopping malls they can trust.