A Cross-Channel Assessment of Service Quality and Trust in Online and Offline Retailing

  • Unique Paper ID: 188704
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue: 7
  • PageNo: 2813-2822
  • Abstract:
  • The rapid expansion of online retailing alongside traditional brick-and-mortar formats has transformed consumer shopping behaviour and raised important questions about service quality, trust formation, and satisfaction across channels. While online stores provide convenience, accessibility, and broad assortments, they lack physical interaction, which continues to serve as a major trust-building factor in offline retail. This study investigates how consumers perceive service quality dimensions—reliability, responsiveness, tangibles, assurance, and empathy—along with trust indicators in pure-play online and physical retail environments. Using a descriptive research design and responses from 156 consumers, the study compares cross-channel consumer evaluations based on the SERVQUAL framework. The findings reveal strong Omni channel behaviour, higher satisfaction and trust in physical stores, and an online trust gap driven by limited physical interaction and inconsistent information quality. Both channels exhibit neutral responses in responsiveness and empathy, signalling service gaps. The study concludes with strategic recommendations for improving trust, service performance, and customer satisfaction across both retail formats.

Copyright & License

Copyright © 2025 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

BibTeX

@article{188704,
        author = {DR. KALPANA NAIDU C and MITHUNIA M},
        title = {A Cross-Channel Assessment of Service Quality and Trust in Online and Offline Retailing},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2025},
        volume = {12},
        number = {7},
        pages = {2813-2822},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=188704},
        abstract = {The rapid expansion of online retailing alongside traditional brick-and-mortar formats has transformed consumer shopping behaviour and raised important questions about service quality, trust formation, and satisfaction across channels. While online stores provide convenience, accessibility, and broad assortments, they lack physical interaction, which continues to serve as a major trust-building factor in offline retail. This study investigates how consumers perceive service quality dimensions—reliability, responsiveness, tangibles, assurance, and empathy—along with trust indicators in pure-play online and physical retail environments. Using a descriptive research design and responses from 156 consumers, the study compares cross-channel consumer evaluations based on the SERVQUAL framework. The findings reveal strong Omni channel behaviour, higher satisfaction and trust in physical stores, and an online trust gap driven by limited physical interaction and inconsistent information quality. Both channels exhibit neutral responses in responsiveness and empathy, signalling service gaps. The study concludes with strategic recommendations for improving trust, service performance, and customer satisfaction across both retail formats.},
        keywords = {Online retailing; Brick-and-mortar stores; Service quality; Trust; Consumer behaviour; Cross-channel retail; SERVQUAL; Customer satisfaction.},
        month = {December},
        }

Cite This Article

  • ISSN: 2349-6002
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue: 7
  • PageNo: 2813-2822

A Cross-Channel Assessment of Service Quality and Trust in Online and Offline Retailing

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