Role of flow in online store loyalty

During the past decade, researchers have used the psychological concept of flow to examine diverse aspects of online consumer behavior. Flow is likely to play a role in online store loyalty formation, yet this role of flow has not been investigated. To address this issue, the relationship between flow and online store loyalty is examined empirically in this research. The authors also account for some traditional antecedents of store loyalty, such as store reputation, perceived value, and convenience. In addition this paper examines the effects of the antecedents on different components of online store loyalty (conative and action). The authors generate a set of hypotheses and test them by developing a structural equation model that is calibrated on data collected through online surveys. The findings indicate support for most of our hypotheses. The authors find that store reputation, perceived value, convenience and flow have significant positive relationships with the different dimensions of loyalty. The findings have important managerial implications for marketing managers.