The added value of web innovation for customer satisfaction: Experiences with a barbeque catering service

Purpose – Recent studies have explored the effects of e-service quality on satisfaction and loyalty of online customers by extending and supplementing traditional service quality frameworks. This research proposes a combination of traditional service quality and e-service quality frameworks. The central question focuses on how to assess the added value of the web as a service innovation for a traditional service. The setting of the study is a traditional-style barbeque delivery service with a recently installed advanced web-initiated order entry facility now used by a majority of the customers. Design/methodology/approach – An empirical, survey-based cross-sectional study on web-initiated customer experiences of an in-home catering service, involving barbeque food items and cooking equipment. Findings – Findings indicate that adding an innovative e-channel to a traditional business process does not automatically translate to a higher customer satisfaction. Only limited significant effects were found from online ordering on overall satisfaction in contrast to the effect of traditional service dimensions. Research limitations/implications – Further research is needed on the joint analysis of e-services and traditional services. Practical implications – E-service dimensions appear to have a limited impact on overall satisfaction in a traditional business context. Originality/value – This is one of the first empirical studies combining both traditional and e-service dimensions and relating them to customer satisfaction.