Leveraging the Power of Online Referral for E-Business: The Moderated Mediation Model
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The purpose of this study is to understand how online customer referral and customer perception jointly influence the relationship between the core components of online service quality and online purchase intention. It extends existing research by examining the moderating effect of online customer referrals on the indirect effect of online service quality on purchase intention through customer perception. Besides, this study also explores the mediating impact of customer perception on the relationship between online service quality and online purchase intention.
The findings of this paper are consistent with the existing literature that customer perception mediates the relationships between service quality with purchase intention, and the findings suggest that online customer referral becomes an essential source to influence customer perception. The result shows significant connections between online purchase intention and these four components, respectively.
The author has a new insight to integrate SERVQUAL into the Kano model to analyze an online English learning center, and the findings are well-structured and reasonable. The following issues would like to address for the author’s further consideration before the publication of the paper:
Firstly, in Section 3, the author stated that questionnaires were distributed to people who joined an online course in an English Learning Center (line 260-261). However, in Section 5, the author stated the e-questionnaire was distributed to respondents whoever wrote reviews on one website of an English online center (line 412-413). So, who are the participants of this survey? The people who joined online course or the respondents whoever wrote reviews?
Secondly, to improve the readability, it is recommended that the author indicate how many questionnaires were distributed for collecting 418 respondents and what kind of social media were used to collect the questionnaires (line 13).
In section 5, the author stated that “In this study, a significant indirect effect was found that online customer referrals can [protect] online English learners from the adverse effect of the service quality on customer perception” (line 395-396). May the author further elaborate on how online customer referral [protects] the learners after adversely affecting their perception?
Finally, some minor typos for the author to review:
- Line 61: “Theoretical background” instead of “Theoretical background”
- Line 194 “… brand reliability has significant effects on each experience …” instead of “… brand reliability has significantly effects of each experience …”
- Line 241 “An expert source provides …” instead of “An expect source provide …”
Author Response
Please see the attachment
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and suggestions for Authors
- Introduction
The gap of study is weak, and the purpose of study written not in proper order that made confusion.
From Example R29-34, R37-41, R39, R50-52, R56-57. Suggestions the gap and purpose of study need to rewrite and focus that easier to understand.
- Theoretical background and hypotheses
R64-65 need revise
Theoretical background and hypothesis development, I suggest that
The topic of this study could be revise as Effects of Online Service Quality on Online purchase intention: The Moderated and Mediation Model
alternative
The topic of this study could be revise as Effects of Online Service Quality on Online Learning Intention: The Moderated and Mediation Model
- The mediating effect of consumer perception
Theoretical background needs to improve, and hypothesis development need to revise (How are another dimension of online service quality hypothesis?
- The moderated mediation of online customer referral
Theoretical background needs to improve, and hypothesis development need to improve, and some references cited not right (R227-228)
Note: these two hypotheses are really confusing (The mediating effect of consumer perception then again, The moderated mediation of online customer referral)
- Research methods
Research methods are needed to improve for example such as (questionnaire development; Needs provide a survey study that can clearer understand to reader and cited of variables developments), Not in proper order (260-263, suppose to the results of the population) and research methods not enough to support the result of the study specially the mediating effect of consumer perception and the moderated mediation of online customer referral
And the following of this Results and analysis special mediating effect of consumer perception and the moderated mediation of online customer referral didn’t enough to explaining the results of study.
- Discussion
Theoretical Implications
R384-389 needs a reference
R393-397, 400-403 Sentences confused
Limitation and future study are not clearly that can easier read by the reader
September 9,2021
Author Response
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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
R225 this could be revise (do online customer referral have meditated effect?)
R260 the sentence needs to revise to make better sound of moderate effects of online referral
9/17
Author Response
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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
