Modeling customer-perceived value: an empirical investigation of on-line tourism purchase in Taiwan

The purpose of this study is to investigate online customer-perceived value in relation to the online purchase of tourism products in Taiwan. The concept of value has been discussed in different fields for a long time. This study synthesises findings from these areas in order to identify the key antecedents and consequences which influence customer-perceived value in a B2C e-commerce setting. The customer-perceived value model which is developed broadens the value literature by integrating a range of key variables (i.e. price, quality, sacrifice and satisfaction) into a single theoretical framework. A systematic process of model development is followed to ensure a robust foundation for assembling the measure. A mixed-method research approach has been employed in order to gather in-depth data from a wide area, thereby enhancing the reliability and validity of the analysis. 40 company respondents from 18 companies and 45 consumers were interviewed in the exploratory phase, which enabled the components of the customer-perceived values to be considered. By co-operating with Taiwanese travel agents 914 usable consumer questionnaires were collected in the main survey. The model was tested in a retail setting using a sample of real consumers who were in the process of searching for a tourism product. The findings suggest that Taiwanese consumers, place greater importance on the sacrifice associated with purchasing tourism products than they do on the price, quality and satisfaction elements. The proposed customer-perceived value model explains greater variance in the value construct than other models from the literature, indicating strong analytical support for the framework