THE FACTORS INFLUENCING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AMONG ONLINE CONSUMERS IN MALAYSIA

Customers' experiences have shifted to the forefront of business operations both locally and globally as a result of globalization. A recent survey found that many managers throughout the world have devoted all of their attention, resources, and effort to improving the customer experience within their organizations. Customer experience, according to Ha and Perks (2005, p. 438), is how a firm interacts with its clients. In other words, it refers to how customers feel about their interactions with the business. Similarly, Li, et al (2012, p 120) defined customer experience as the manner in which companies operate both locally and internationally, customer experience has become the main point of focus. According to a recent study, many managers internationally have put their entire focus attention and resources in facilitating customer experience within their companies. Ha and Perks (2005, p 438) defines customer experience as the manner or the relationship which the company has with its customers. In other words, it refers to how client rate their relationship with the company. Similarly, Li, et al (2012, p 120) defined customer experience as the manner in which consumers engage with the company and its brands throughout their life experience with the business. Consequently, the company can enhance their customer experience through proper proclaim, constant and prompt feedback to the issue raised, among many other promotion methods that are aimed to spur their interactions. In order for companies to enhance their customer experience, qualified employees are not an option for any organization (Palmatier et al., 2006, 136). The company has to build its human resource personnel to ensure that they fully understand and manage consumer needs adequately in a beneficial manner both to the company and to the client.
Apparently, building a strong customer experience is significant to the performance of any given company. The rise in focus on customer experience can be attributed to the increase in different means through which companies interact with their customers (Li, et al., 2012, p 120). Apparently, customers can interact with their customers through many different new channels. For instance, customers can use either print media or other online interaction platforms. The increase in such platform over which customers can interact with their customers has resulted in complex customer experience (Ha and Perks, 2005, p 438).
Problem Statement
Extensive globalization has made the world to be exposed to a different trading environment, which deals with different clients who originates from different backgrounds (Li, et al., 2012, p 120). Due to the need to meet the ever-growing need of their clients, companies have been forced to hire some of the most experienced staffs to propel their mission objectives of enhancing customer experience. Nevertheless, companies continue to perform poorly due to challenges with client experience. Nevertheless, according to Li, et al (2012, p 120) the effort seems to be fruitless. Despite the fact that millions of dollars are annually invested in advertising the company's products and services, the results, however, have consequently shown negative results. This is because less attention placed on managing deviant behavior among its employees and customers.
Past studies on this topic such as Constantin ides, 2004, p 106) has explicitly exposed that the quality of the customer satisfaction forms one of the core determinants of company growth. This implies that the success of the company is purely based on the relationship that is formed between the workers and customers. Studies have shown that consumer experience is in most cases associated with antisocial, derogative, reclusive, and dysfunctional behavior that in most instances is exhibited by company staffs to objectively cause harm to other individuals within the company. Practically, the behavior has the consequences of defying and violating the set norms or social conduct within an organization.
Recent researchers such as Palmatier et al (2006, 136) have noted that companies are losing a lot of revenue as result of the consumer experience. Premised these grounds, the management of deviant conduct by the frontline employees becomes paramount. Therefore, there is a need for a research to be carried out and assess the strategies used by frontline employees in handling irregular activities among consumers. This is because the poorly developed customer experience behaviour is deleterious to many companies (Li, et al., 2012, p 120). To address the current gap of knowledge in contemporary literature, this present study objected to conduct an analysis with the aim of establishing the factors that determinants of successfully customer experience using online consumer in Malaysian capital city.
Research Gap and Justification
The role played by online consumers in Malaysian economy cannot be downplayed owing to the fact that there has been a drastic increase in online business within the company over a short period of time, subsequently, online consumers have been reported to have contributed greatly to the country's GDP in the recent few decades (Palmatier et al., 2006, 136). Consequently, customer interaction in such online communities can have a significant impact on the company. Firms can utilize such information to enhance their customer relations. Past studies have indicated that there are three main factors that are directly influencing customer experience with businesses (Palmatier et al., 2006, 137).
The main factors which have been focused on past include service quality, product quality, and consumer attitudes. However, the proceeding studies have delved the topic and opened up that there is need to focus on online customer experience in line with factors like brand quality among many other factors. Therefore, for business to build a sound customer experience within their premises, it would be better to look into such factors and investigating their effects and contribution to enhanced customer experience (Li, et al., 2012, p 120). Lack of knowledge of key factors which influence customer experience in Malaysia among consequently, there is need to focus more on determinants of customer experience among online consumers in Malaysia. Poor customer experience can cost company billions of revenues as the client are negatively affected sand likely to shy off from the product offered by the enterprise. There has been an increase in the need to enhance the customer experience in Malaysian online market to capitalize on the ever-growing consumer needs.
Despite the fact that there has been a growing concern in online customer experience within the online community, it is imperative for companies for companies in Malaysia to understand customer experience within the online community and how consumer interaction among other channels of communication impacts their experience with the company. Many past studies have been focusing on loyalty on customers and product quality concerning distinct components of customer satisfaction. Nevertheless, no efforts have been made to combine the entire components determining consumer experience in Malaysia as an overview of how all the factors affecting customer experience in Malaysian online market. Consequently, this analysis will address the gap by addressing the impacts of different aspects affecting customer experience in Malaysia with specific regard to the online market.
Customer experience is a unique outcome created in the consumers' minds, which is later stored in their mind toward the company. It has the ability to transform the impression that clients have towards the company. Several studies conducted on this area with the aim of investigating the relevance of consumer experience.
Research Objective
1. To find out how product variety within a company affects customer service
2. To investigate the effects of promotional activities on consumer experience.
3. To investigate the how customer support affects the customer experience.
4. To explore the effects of value added to developing customer experience.
Research Questions
1. Does product variety within a company affect customer experience?
2. Does customer support have effects on customer experience?
3. Do promotional activities on consumer experience?
4. Does value added to developing customer experience?

Literature Review
Theoretical Review
a) Disconfirmation theory
The theory argues that consumer experience is based on satisfaction levels they are subjected to by a company. For instance, the theory assumes that consumer experience is primarily determined by five main constructs that include customer support, promotion actions, value added and product variations. The theory assumes that in case there is an undesirable change in the constructs named above, then consumers are likely to shift their experience with respect to the triggered shift. Consequently, the change may enhance their experience or distort it completely. Customer support and product value have been found to be the most constructive of the theory that directly determines consumer experiences (Liao and Chuang, 2004, p 41).
b) Negativity Theory
The basic assumption of this theory is that any inconsistency in the performance of any company is likely to influence individual experience with the firm. Negativity theory assumes that when consumers have held high expectations, consumers are less likely to respond to disconfirmation. Among the factors that were found to cause negative influence among consumers, include product quality, company support, the value of the products and even advertisement or promotion activities. Consequently, any form of disruption caused by changes in above-mentioned variables will result in negative experience among clients (Constantinides, 2004, p 106).
Variable Definitions
Customer Services
Customer service refers to all activities designed by the company to such as support systems, complaint address systems, order processing and friendliness (Thakor and Lavack, 2003, p 344). Customer service has the capacity of enhancing the profitability of many companies if well implemented in a company. Customer satisfaction can be achieved through enhanced experience between the company and the customers. Verhoef et al (2009, p 32) found out that customers are likely to become indignant about the company if their complaints are not considered. In such situations, customers will be compelled to opt for other products or service from competitors. Additionally, in case of an online scenario, network breakdown, which takes a long time to be rectified, is like to cause great inconvenience to customers and thus reducing their levels of experience. Additionally, a study conducted by finding out that customer support was useful in determining the; level of their experience with the company. Customers who were found to obtain positive customer support from support staffs were likely to enhance their relationship with the firm while those who felt that their concerns were not well addressed by the support staff could simply move on with other brands in the market. Clients who waited for long waiting online to be assisted felt that they were not being served well and thus dissatisfied with the company and probably contemplating on how to move on with other products.
Promotion
Promotion refers to the different ways through which companies can use to reach target consumers. According to a study (Kim, Park and Jeong, 2004, p 146) in South Korea, they established that promotion activities had a significant role to play in establishing consumer experience with the firm. As a result, consumers could easily obtain a lot of information from advertisement made and thus promoting their relations. Additionally, the study found out that during product promotion, many consumers could directly relate to a given product by asking the promoter direct questions about the product which was seen as key in building their experience. The findings strongly correlated with a study done (Hanif, Hafeez and Riaz, 2010, p 46) who found out promotion factors were among the top ten factors, which influenced customer experience in supermarkets, and thus many retail stores utilized the techniques to retain and build their customer experience.
Value-added
The concept refers to the enhancement that certain products or services offer to their clients. The main components include the price, quality among many other features that are meant to add benefits to consumers. According to a study conducted by Hanif, Hafeez and Riaz (2010, p 46) found out that consumer experience was greatly influenced by not only by the prices charged by the company but more on the additional value which they obtained from the products being consumed. More benefits could simply enhance customer experience and enhance clients' satisfaction.
Product variety
Product variety this the process by which a company offers different products to the clients. Studies conducted have shown that product variety have the capacity of enhancing customer experience effectively (Hanif, Hafeez and Riaz, 2010, p 46).
Moderating and Mediating Factors
Moderating factors can be considered to be situational or consumer moderators/psychological factors. Situational factors may directly influence the experienced customer have with the stores in regard to the type of store and its location, economic situation, or competition. Psychological mediating actors include perceived use, consumption experience, switching costs, and loyalty.
Research hypotheses
H1 Product variety positively affects customer experience
H2 Customer service directly affect customer experience
H3 Promotional activities have positive effects on customer experience
H4 Product value added has positive effects on customer experience.
Conceptual Framework

Figure 2.1 Proposed research conceptual framework

Methodology
Research Approach and Research Design
The general reach design that was adopted by researchers in this study was a descriptive design that was qualitative and quantitative in nature. Verhoef and Lemon (2009, p 31) notes that this form of research design is used in cases where the investigators aim at describing, explaining and defining certain behavior as well as the perception of people in regard to a given set of condition.
Furthermore, Verhoef and Lemon (2009, p 32) recommend that the benchmark for carrying out a descriptive study is to simply achieve or obtain diverse objectives which include the establishment of perceptions as well as behaviour of a defined and distinct group consisting of peculiar elements in a given organization in relation to an identified system. The researchers selected an exploratory study design because the researchers are tasked to conduct an all-round investigation over a wide range of elements and thus making the study more conclusive. Walsh (2011) noted that an exploratory study in most cases seeks to establish the relationship existing between the variables that are being studied.
Sampling Design
Online consumers within Malaysia will and company management will form the target population. The study targeted 60 employees and managers selected from companies operating within Malaysian capital city. Purposive sampling was used to sample the respondents in this study. This was because by using the purposive sampling technique, the researchers were able to narrow down to the study focus.
Questionnaire Design
Owing to the nurture and the focus of this study, the researchers adopted questionnaire as a major research instrument. Researchers have stated that the use of questionnaires is fruitful especially for those studies that seek information regarding human behavior, attitude, and beliefs and opening. In this study, the questionnaire is fit for use, as it will open up the human behavior concerning consumer misbehavior.
According to Hanif and Riaz (2010, p 34.) questionnaire has been associated with many benefits that are accrued to its usage. For instance, it saves on time, it is less costly, it has the ability to cover an extensive geographical location and finally, it offers the respondent adequate time to make the wise judgment before answering the questions asked. However, questionnaires tend to have some disadvantages, which include miss interpretation by the respondents, and the fact that they tend to be less in depth. Nevertheless, all these were addressed as the investigators made extensive consultations. Part one of the questionnaire was structured based on demographic aspects of the consumers such as age, education, income among many other factors that are included on the questionnaire. Part two of the questionnaire was designed to incorporate various sentiments which related to study constructs which include value added, promotion, customer support and
Data Collection Method
The study will gather the needed data using surveys in the selected companies and among the consumers who would have verb selected to take part in the study. According to surveys are necessary when a researcher wants to establish the effects of the solution under study over a lager are buy including many respondents possible. The method is easy to use, quick to manage and less costly compared to other data collection methods.
Data Analysis Method
Data analysis for the study will be done using different methods. Preliminary analysis will be done using common methods variance, and multicollinearity analysis. Descriptive analysis will be applied to demographic factors that will include calculation of mean and other standard measures. Reliability will be tested using Cronch Alpha on different scales used. Factor analysis will also be done. In addition, an inferential analysis, which includes bivariate and multiple regressions, will be conducted to explain the connection between constructs (Brakus et al., 2009, p 52).
Research Ethics
According to Brakus et al (2009, p 52) all individuals who wish to undertake any research are to be guided by the set forth standards which are to ensure that the participants are not misused. Scholars have regarded such standard as ethics. Consequently, ethics refers to the established moral standards that are followed by a given investigation. According to Van der Heijden (2003, p 547) since the researchers were to collect primary information from the respondents, there was a need to explain why the study was being conducted. Therefore, the research intent and purpose was made known to the participants before data collection. Van der Heijden (2003, p 543) advocated that the confidentiality of those respondents who are willing to participate in the investigation to be made private. Thus, anonymity was preferred (Brakus et al., 2009, p 52)














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