JOE ILSEVER: Exploring e-loyalty

November 4 , 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Just what does it take for someone to make an on-line purchase? What makes them want to come back? Do shoppers become "e-loyal" the same way they do to a particular product or store? And can e-loyalty be measured?

The questions intrigued Douglas College Marketing instructor Joe Ilsever so much that he made them the focus of his PhD thesis. In the end, he found that e-loyalty exists.

"We have e-loyal customers," said Ilsever. "The challenge for me has been, is it possible to validate all that stuff in some sort of mathematic model?"

After four years of research, writing and number-crunching, Ilsever has demonstrated that e-loyal customers always go with the flow.

"Flow" means a peak, positive, satisfying experience. Satisfaction depends on how easy it is to navigate a site. If a shopper gets frustrated, they leave within two minutes and don't come back.

"It may be a good site, it may have good information, products, good services, but if the navigation is not feasible, not user-friendly, you'll find that the customer will pack up and disappear and go," Ilsever said.

"It has to be a very clear path, navigable site which can hold your hand and guide you through... if you have a positive experience, the intent to return to the same site will be very visible, and that's the kind of intent I was measuring."

The American Marketing Association has already recognized the worth of Ilsever's work and have invited him to present his findings to the association in 2005.

Despite the growing popularity of on-line sales - there's been an increase of 25 per cent a year in Canada alone -- the field of e-commerce is in its infancy, and Ilsever's research provides valuable insights into its dynamics.

To measure e-loyal customer behaviour, Ilsever used mathematical models known as "hierarchical linear models," which test how data fits into a proposed model. "Best fit" models are considered to explain a phenomenon better than a poor fit. Ilsever's models scored high on this index.

Ilsever has been an instructor at Douglas College for 14 years. He received his degree October 18 through the School of Interactive Arts and Technology at SFU.

For more information, please call Don Hauka at 604-527-5731.

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