Abstract:
Consumer interactions and purchasing patterns have been significantly transformed by digital technology and the rise of the internet. In the competitive fashion e-commerce landscape, retaining existing customers is especially crucial for fashion brands, particularly Generation Y, which strongly prefer online shopping. E-commerce quality, which includes dimensions such as responsiveness, reliability, user-friendliness, personalization, and website design, is a multifaceted aspect with limited theoretical and empirical research on Generation Y's online shopping habits for fashion brands. In Sri Lanka, the fashion e-commerce market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 1.5% between 2024 and 2028. However, despite this expected growth, income disparities and challenges persist for local fashion brands compared with global players. Additionally, the pilot study revealed that 90% of users engaged with fashion brands online, over 50% expressed negative feedback, and 75% were concerned about platform quality. Therefore, this study aims to bridge these gaps by investigating the impact of fashion e-commerce quality on customer satisfaction among Generation Y in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. A quantitative research approach was used, targeting Generation Y consumers in Western Province, an area with the highest Internet penetration. A sample size of 384 was determined using Krejcie and Morgan's formula with simple random sampling. Data were gathered through a questionnaire based on established scales with screening questions to address non-response bias and appropriate respondents. SPSS was used for the data analysis.
The findings revealed that most respondents were women aged 27-30, with a bachelor’s
degree. This emphasizes the need for fashion brands to focus on female customers and on age specific designs. Furthermore, the results showed a significant positive relationship between customer satisfaction and website quality, privacy and security, and order fulfillment. Usability, while positively related to satisfaction, had no significant impact, contrary to prior research recommending user testing and feedback to identify specific usability issues that hinder satisfaction. Overall, improving order fulfillment, user-friendly interfaces, and privacy and security measures are the key recommendations for enhancing customer satisfaction. However, this study is limited in its regional applicability and recommends a broader scope for future research.
