A Study of factors influencing the service quality of cross border e-commerce platforms

Abstract

The current study endeavors to elucidate the influence of cross-border e-commerce platform service quality on Thai consumers' purchasing intentions. Specifically, the objectives are: 1) to identify the service quality aspects that positively impact Thai consumers' purchasing intentions when engaging with cross-border e-commerce platforms. A quantitative research approach was adopted, involving a survey of 323 Chiang Mai university students with prior shopping experiences on such platforms, using simple random sampling. The questionnaire served as the primary tool for data collection, and structural equation modeling was employed for data analysis. The findings reveal that the causality model comprises seven dimensions: usability, security, reliability, responsiveness, caring, appearance design, and purchase intention. This model aligns well with the empirical data, exhibiting favorable fit indices such as CMIN/DF=1.990, CFI=0.910, IFI=0.911, RMSEA=0.055, TIL=0.903, and RMR=0.558, indicating that the variables within the model effectively explain the positive impact on purchasing factors. Among these dimensions, responsiveness had the most significant influence on Thai consumers' purchase intentions, followed by caring, appearance design, safety, reliability, and usability. By leveraging these insights, cross-border e-commerce platforms can identify the service quality factors that exert the greatest influence on consumer purchasing intentions. Consequently, they can tailor platform upgrades and improvements based on their unique circumstances, thereby enhancing operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Furthermore, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the composition and mechanisms of service quality, sheds light on the process and crucial factors underlying consumers' purchase decisions on e-commerce platforms, and enriches the theoretical framework of consumer behavior.