Investigation of the moderating role of self-confidence in the effect of perceived e-service quality on customer loyalty

The main purpose of this study is to examine whether self-confidence has a moderating role in the effect of perceived e-service quality on customer loyalty in today's rapidly digitalizing environment. With the widespread adoption of e-commerce, consumers' digital service experiences directly influence their purchasing behaviors and brand loyalty. Considering this, it was assumed that psychological factors might also play a determining role in the formation of the relationship between service quality perception and customer loyalty. Data were collected from 524 participants aged 18 and above through and online survey. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software package. According to the results, the main dimensions of e-service quality service value and online service quality have significant and positive effects on customer loyalty. In contrast, perceived security risk has a negative effect on loyalty. Another notable finding of the study is that although the self-confidence variable alone does not have a significant effect on customer loyalty, its interaction with service value and online service quality considerably differentiates these effects. Specifically, for consumers with higher self-confidence, the positive impact of service value on loyalty increases, whereas the interaction between self-confidence and online quality partially limits this relationship.