E-tailer Equity: Scale Development and Validation

This paper presents the procedures followed in developing and validating a scale to measure e-tail brand equity (eBREQ). Following a comprehensive literature review, an exploratory research study involving depth interviews with experts and consumers was undertaken to identify the facets of brand equity in an e-tail environment. An initial pool of 82 items was generated to reflect these facets. The results from a subsequent web based survey showed e-tail brand equity to be a second-order construct with three correlated but distinct dimensions: emotional connection, online experience, and responsive service nature. A series of psychometric tests demonstrated that the resulting 8-item eBREQ scale is both valid and reliable. The implications of this research for marketing researchers and practitioners are discussed