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Examining the Antecedents of Return Policy Leniency in eCommerce

Author

Listed:
  • E. Mitchell Church

    (Coastal Carolina University, USA)

  • Richelle Oakley DaSouza

    (North Carolina A&T State University, USA)

  • Olajumoke A. Awe

    (Coastal Carolina University, USA)

Abstract

As eCommerce has become widespread, the challenge of successfully navigating the returns process has grown perilous. The product returns issue is even more difficult for microenterprises that sell unique or custom products with fewer resources. The authors examined the impact of the antecedents of return policy leniency, specifically economic and social success factors. Using a web crawler over a 24-week period, the authors collected and analyzed data for a sample of 781 shops from Etsy, an eCommerce platform. Results indicate that the well-studied factor of sales, in addition to a new social factor – community dialogue – impacts an Etsy shop's return policy leniency.

Suggested Citation

  • E. Mitchell Church & Richelle Oakley DaSouza & Olajumoke A. Awe, 2024. "Examining the Antecedents of Return Policy Leniency in eCommerce," Journal of Electronic Commerce in Organizations (JECO), IGI Global, vol. 22(1), pages 1-19, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:igg:jeco00:v:22:y:2024:i:1:p:1-19
    as

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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Oghazi, Pejvak & Karlsson, Stefan & Hellström, Daniel & Hjort, Klas, 2018. "Online purchase return policy leniency and purchase decision: Mediating role of consumer trust," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 190-200.
    2. Gianfranco Walsh & Daniel Brylla, 2017. "Do product returns hurt relational outcomes? some evidence from online retailing," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 27(4), pages 329-339, November.
    3. Bahn, Kenneth D. & Boyd, Eric, 2014. "Information and its impact on consumers׳ reactions to restrictive return policies," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 415-423.
    4. Ulrike Baumöl & Linda Hollebeek & Reinhard Jung, 2016. "Dynamics of customer interaction on social media platforms," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 26(3), pages 199-202, August.
    5. Radhi, Mohannad & Zhang, Guoqing, 2019. "Optimal cross-channel return policy in dual-channel retailing systems," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 184-198.
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