Determinants of customer retention in virtual environments. The role of perceived risk in a tourism services context

The aim of this paper is to determine whether perceived risk moderates the antecedents of customer retention in online travel purchasing or, whether, on the contrary, those antecedents explain predisposition to repeat purchase from a website, whatever the level of risk. The impact of perceived risk as a moderator of the influence of website reputation, consumer trust in the site and user satisfaction with the shopping experience on repurchase intention was tested through structural equation modelling techniques and multigroup analysis on a sample of 455 Internet purchasers of tourist accommodation. Data analysis confirms the role of satisfaction and website reputation as builders of online trust and, through that trust, as determinant factors in repurchase intention. Perceived purchase risk moderates the relationship between trust and satisfaction, so that when perceived risk is greater, that relationship is more intense.