Customer loyalty to a commercial website: Descriptive meta-analysis of the empirical literature and proposal of an integrative model

The growing number of academic studies about online customer loyalty shows that diversity, if not divergence, exists regarding the measurement and conceptualization of online loyalty. By multiplying the theoretical foundations for the study of online loyalty, researchers have identified different determinants of online loyalty and different impacts on business relationships. Considering this theoretical and conceptual diversity, the purpose of this paper is to systematically review and summarize the literature dealing with loyalty to a commercial website. Specifically, the goal is to realize a descriptive meta-analysis of the empirical literature focusing on the conceptualization, measurement, antecedents, and consequences of e-loyalty, and to provide an integrative model for these antecedents and consequences. This framework provides us with a cohesive view of online customer loyalty and helps identify potential unexplored research opportunities in this area. The paper ends with a research agenda for future studies. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.