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Purpose The Internet revolution has radically changed the means of conducting business all over the world in the past few decades. The digital medium enables consumers worldwide to shop online through B2C e-commerce websites in a convenient manner. Online websites compete to provide a compelling and seamless brand experience to retain their customers. In order to achieve this, fostering a state of flow may help the brands increase customer experience, customer satisfaction and loyalty. In this study, the aforementioned phenomenon is tested against Turkish university students. Methodology The study was conducted against 538 valid respondents. The results of the survey were interpreted with the structural equation modeling method. Quantitative data were obtained using a five-point Likert scale. Initially, confirmatory factor analyses and reliability analysis were performed, respectively in order to determine the validity and reliability of the scale. Findings As a result of the analyses, it has been empirically proven that an online flow state, which is a momentary phenomenon, helps online e-commerce websites build customer satisfaction and customer loyalty indirectly through customer experience. These results are partly parallel with those in the extant literature. Originality This study is significant in the literature in that, as opposed to the extant literature, online flow state is found to influence customer satisfaction and customer loyalty rather indirectly via moderating effect of customer experience. Additionally, it is the first to incorporate customer satisfaction along with customer loyalty as a new construct affected by online flow state and customer experience. The results also have important managerial implications.
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
The role of customer experience in the effect
of online flow state on customer loyalty
Adnan Veysel Ertemel
1,2
, Mustafa Emre CivelekID
1
, Gu
¨zide O
¨ncu
¨Eroğlu PektaşID
2
*,
Murat C¸emberci
3
1International Trade Department, Istanbul Commerce University, Istanbul, Turkey, 2Maritime
Transportation Management Engineering, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul, Turkey, 3Department of
Business Administration, Istanbul Yıldız Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey
*guzide.pektas@iuc.edu.tr
Abstract
Purpose
The Internet revolution has radically changed the means of conducting business all over the
world in the past few decades. The digital medium enables consumers worldwide to shop
online through B2C e-commerce websites in a convenient manner. Online websites com-
pete to provide a compelling and seamless brand experience to retain their customers. In
order to achieve this, fostering a state of flow may help the brands increase customer experi-
ence, customer satisfaction and loyalty. In this study, the aforementioned phenomenon is
tested against Turkish university students.
Methodology
The study was conducted against 538 valid respondents. The results of the survey were
interpreted with the structural equation modeling method. Quantitative data were obtained
using a five-point Likert scale. Initially, confirmatory factor analyses and reliability analysis
were performed, respectively in order to determine the validity and reliability of the scale.
Findings
As a result of the analyses, it has been empirically proven that an online flow state, which is
a momentary phenomenon, helps online e-commerce websites build customer satisfaction
and customer loyalty indirectly through customer experience. These results are partly paral-
lel with those in the extant literature.
Originality
This study is significant in the literature in that, as opposed to the extant literature, online
flow state is found to influence customer satisfaction and customer loyalty rather indirectly
via moderating effect of customer experience. Additionally, it is the first to incorporate cus-
tomer satisfaction along with customer loyalty as a new construct affected by online flow
state and customer experience. The results also have important managerial implications.
PLOS ONE
PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254685 July 15, 2021 1 / 15
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OPEN ACCESS
Citation: Ertemel AV, Civelek ME, Eroğlu Pektaş
GO
¨, C¸emberci M (2021) The role of customer
experience in the effect of online flow state on
customer loyalty. PLoS ONE 16(7): e0254685.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254685
Editor: Dejan Dragan, Univerza v Mariboru,
SLOVENIA
Received: March 31, 2021
Accepted: July 2, 2021
Published: July 15, 2021
Peer Review History: PLOS recognizes the
benefits of transparency in the peer review
process; therefore, we enable the publication of
all of the content of peer review and author
responses alongside final, published articles. The
editorial history of this article is available here:
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254685
Copyright: ©2021 Ertemel et al. This is an open
access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution License, which
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided the original
author and source are credited.
Data Availability Statement: All relevant data are
within the paper and its S1 Data file.
Funding: The author(s) received no specific
funding for this work.
1. Introduction
The highly competitive new marketing environment of the 21
st
century calls for new
approaches for marketers for appealing to their customers. This is because consumer behavior
is evolving at an unprecedented pace. The Internet is an evolving technology, which has facili-
tated the development of new business relationships among brands and their customers [14].
The brands now have a much more convenient way to reach their consumers and benefit
more in online context [5].
As today’s fragmented, highly digitized marketplaces have become more complex than
ever, engaging new generation consumers have become more of a concern. Therefore, many
of the old marketing strategies turn out to be ineffective and new marketing strategies emerge
that appeal rather to the unconscious. These strategies require consumers to spend minimum
mental effort, which makes them feel in a flow state [6], get entertained without realizing how
the time passes by [7] and focus more on the experiential aspects of consumption [8]. The
aforementioned strategies are so effective in engaging consumers that they can even result in
addictive behaviors [911]. As such, these marketing strategies enable the marketers to foster
higher levels of involvement [12]. In terms of attaining this goal, flow theory is an important
theory that enables the marketers to achieve a high level of involvement, especially in an online
setting. In this regard, e-commerce is a perfect medium that enables consumers to order their
necessities of all assortments with just a few clicks. Furthermore, the recent covid-19 pandemic
has further accelerated the adoption of e-commerce worldwide. Over the last years, the impor-
tance of the online flow state has been emphasized to build a better customer experience.
In this study, the youth segment was chosen as the target group to measure the flow experi-
ence in e-commerce use in Turkish consumers’ consumption patterns. This particular sample
group was chosen because of the high potential of this group and the higher mobile usage rates
of young people In Turkey. Even though online flow is a popular concept studied in various
contexts, the effect of online flow state on the longer-term phenomenon is not probed in the
extant literature except for the one done in a narrow scope by Shim, Forsythe, Kwon [13].
Considering this fact, this study makes a unique contribution to the literature by incorporating
both customer satisfaction and customer loyalty as being affected by online flow state directly
or indirectly through brand experience.
2. Conceptual background
In this study, the relationship among online flow state, customer satisfaction, customer experi-
ence and customer loyalty are analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method.
The initial model is depicted in Fig 1.
2.1. Flow state
Flow state is defined as a fully immersed state experienced when someone is totally involved in
an activity [6]. It is such a state that nothing else seems to matter to the individual [14] and
causes the individual to experience a loss-of-control and centering of attention at the same
time. Optimum flow state, also known as autotelic experience is the state in which the individ-
ual’s skills are fully involved in overcoming a significant but manageable challenge [15].
2.1.1 Online flow state. Online flow state, on the other hand, can be defined as a totally
absorbing, fully engaging online experience state [16,17]. It can be described as a multidimen-
sional construct that encompasses sense of being in control, intrinsic enjoyment, sense of time
distortion and tele-presence [18]. Online flow can occur in various online activities including
but not limited to e-commerce [19], e-learning environments and online gambling [18]. In the
e-commerce context, online flow can be seen as the extent to which consumers are engaged in
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Competing interests: The authors have declared
that no competing interests exist.
interacting with the brand-related stimuli [13]. As it becomes harder for the brands to engage
new generation consumers, the importance of online flow in customer experience becomes
more prevalent. Various studies on online flow in recent years can be shown as an indicative
of increased attention on the phenomenon [9,12,13,18].
2.2. Customer satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is defined as a customer’s overall judgment on disconfirmation between
the expected and perceived service performances [20]. If the perceived performance meets or
exceeds the expectation, the customer is satisfied; otherwise, the result will be dissatisfaction
[21].
Customer satisfaction is a transaction-specific measure, which means that a customer eval-
uates his/her perception of performance relative to expectation in each service encounter,
independently of the other occasions [2226].
Satisfying their customers is one of the ultimate goals that e-businesses seek due to the
long-term benefits of having satisfied customers such as positive word of mouth comment,
customer loyalty, and sustainable profitability [2729].
Customer satisfaction is a critical factor for customer loyalty and customer satisfaction [30].
The prerequisite of customer loyalty is to ensure satisfaction. According to some researchers,
e-customer satisfaction is due to website features. In this perspective, it has been found that
concrete elements, responsiveness, interaction and stability have a significant impact on cus-
tomer satisfaction in the online context [31]. In today’s highly competitive online marketplace,
high level of service performance is a differentiator in competition, and an effective way to
improve customer satisfaction and loyalty [32]. In order to obtain high level of customer satis-
faction, high service quality is needed, which often leads to favorable behavioral intentions
[33].
2.3. Customer experience
Customer experience is the subjective feeling that stays after the user purchases a product or
service, aiming to manage the processes of experiences as perceived by customers in their rela-
tionship with the brands [34]. Brands reinforce these subjective feelings to activate their
Fig 1. Theoretical model.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254685.g001
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customers’ five senses in their efforts to enhance customer experience [35]. Customer experi-
ence is of critical importance in various sectors including hospitality [32] and online services
[3638]. Chase and Dasu [39] suggest that the sole reason for employment of behavioral sci-
ence by brands is to enhance the customer experience.
When a customer buys an experience, he/she pays money for a series of events to spend
enjoyable time, which will stick in mind just like a play performed on stage of a theatre [40].
Some authors argue that customer experience will be the next competitive battlefield for busi-
nesses [41]. Both online and offline consumers are looking at five categories when shopping,
namely; location, convenience, knowledge, personality and price [42]. Studies conducted by
Nisar and Prabhakar [43] and the one conducted by Gentile, Spiller, Noci [44] pointed out
that, the sensory, emotional, cognitive pragmatic, lifestyle and relational situations of the cus-
tomer affect the experience. All of these factors cause the customer experience to be perceived
differently by consumers.
2.4. Customer loyalty
Customer loyalty is defined as a customer’s attitude to the service [22,33,45]. In addition, it is
formed by a customer’s cumulative experience with the service over time, not by a specific ser-
vice encounter [20,4649]. Customer loyalty is very essential to the organization in order to
retain its current customers [50,51].
Loyalty of a firm’s customer has been recognized as the dominant factor in a business
organization’s success. [52]. Customer loyalty is very essential to the organization in order
to retain its current customers [51]. Loyalty is mainly expressed in terms of revealed behav-
ior [53]. Customer’s repurchase behavior is estimated as a basic requisite for loyalty that is
followed by satisfaction [54]. By understanding the importance of customer loyalty, an
organization can build commitment by having existing customers re-purchase their prod-
ucts and services [5557].
3. Hypothesis development and research model
3.1. The relationship between flow state and customer satisfaction
Many studies in the extant literature shows a significant positive influence of flow state on cus-
tomer satisfaction in various contexts including hospitality [58,59] and sports [60,61] indus-
tries. Hoffman and Novak [18] had also compiled the results of various studies on the effect of
the flow state on other constructs. Kim and Han [14] found out that customers understand
and enjoy mobile marketing messages more as they are fully absorbed and totally focused on
flow state, and that this high involvement flow state facilitates purchase intentions including
but not limited to customer satisfaction.
Thus, in the light of the extant literature, we can hypothesize that;
H
1
: Flow State has a positive effect on Customer Satisfaction
3.2. The relationship between flow state and customer loyalty
Since an online flow state represents an optimal state that is joyful and entertaining, it is mean-
ingful to evaluate it as a phenomenon that ultimately leads to customer loyalty. Hausman and
Siekpe [16] found that flow affects online consumers’ return intention and thus loyalty. Zhou,
Li, Liu [62] found that online flow has a significant effect on users’ loyalty in mobile social net-
working sites. Smith and Chen [63], on the other hand, indicate that brand experience sub
constructs affect branding efforts, which paves the way to brand loyalty.
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Previously, Luna, Peracchio, de Juan [64] found out that online flow experience could lead
to ‘sticky’ web sites. Sticky, in this context, means that the website captures consumers’ atten-
tion in such a way that consumers spend prolonged periods of time on the site because of the
compelling nature of the experience [18].
Likewise, Bilgihan [65] indicated optimal flow state as an important precedent to loyalty in
the e-commerce environment. Although online flow state is a momentary, rather short-term
experience, some scholars argue that it also helps improve brand experience and customer loy-
alty in the long term [13].
Thus, we can hypothesize that;
H
2
:Flow State has a positive effect on Customer Loyalty
3.3. The relationship between flow state and customer experience
Schembri [66] pointed out that online flow contributes to the experiential meaning of a brand
ultimately enhancing customer brand experience. Similarly, Shim, Forsythe, Kwon [13] and
Mu¨ller, Flores, Agrebi, Chandon [67] suggests that unlike other traditional channels, a brand’s
website can deliver an interactive, optimal and extraordinary flow experience that ultimately
helps create a positive overall customer experience.
Shim, Forsythe, Kwon [13] argues that the reason behind this can be explained by the fact
that the online flow state is related to all sensory, intellectual, behavioral and affective dimen-
sions of the brand experience. For example, online flow can be understood as a state where the
individual is fully concentrated, implying that all visual and auditory senses are highly active in
this state. This intense state of mind also triggers brain activity that implies the intellectual
brand experience.
Additionally, the tele-presence dimension of online flow state implies an effect on behav-
ioral brand experience. Lastly, autotelic experience in online flow state helps the building of
effective brand experience.
Therefore, we can hypothesize that;
H
3
:Flow State has a positive effect on Customer Experience
3.4. The relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty
Many studies have been undertaken to date to examine the relationship between customer sat-
isfaction, service performance and customer loyalty in a variety of service industries, including
tourism [68,69], medical [70,71], and telecommunications [26,72] industries. The majority of
these studies have found substantial causal links between service performance, customer satis-
faction, and customer loyalty [26]. The opportunity to bond with consumers and the realiza-
tion of a brand’s emotional characteristics can overcome the pervasive instability that exists in
online environments [73,74]. Brand loyalty can decrease switching behavior and increase con-
sumer retention rate [75]. Brand loyalty has also been linked to repeat purchase behavior [63].
Repeat purchase behavior helps the realization of loyalty. If the customer prefers that partic-
ular brand even if there are similar brands available, then this demonstrates that loyalty has
been established. In order for loyalty to be established, the recurring customer satisfaction
should take place without any exceptions and be free of bad experience.
Hence, in the light of the extant literature, we can formulate the following hypothesis;
H
4
:Customer Satisfaction has a positive effect on Customer Loyalty
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3.5. The relationship between customer experience and customer loyalty
Considering consumer brand loyalty is generally established on the basis of long-term and
close interactions between a customer and a brand, previous studies [7678] have revealed a
link between customer experience and customer loyalty. Some studies indicate that a positive
customer experience can greatly boost brand loyalty [73,79]. Lin and Kuo [80] found that con-
sumers’ loyalty intentions are affected by their recent purchases, suggesting that a positive
brand customer experience may be the key to strong customer loyalty.
Brakus [81] conceptualized customer experience as a multidimensional construct and sug-
gest that all kinds of customer experiences have the potential to affect customer loyalty.
Thus, we can formulate the following hypothesis.
H
5
:Customer Experience has a positive effect on Customer Loyalty
3.6. The relationship between customer experience and customer
satisfaction
The extant literature suggests that a superior customer experience helps build customer satis-
faction [81,82]. This phenomenon is also verified in e-commerce context by previous studies
[73,83]. Schmitt, Brakus, Zarantonello [84] further indicates that the strength of customer
experience could affect customer satisfaction.
Thus, in the light of the we can formulate hypothesis.
H
6
:Customer Experience has a positive effect on Customer Satisfaction
4. Research methods
Quantitative data were collected by means of the questionnaire designed in a five-point Likert
scale. Firstly, confirmatory factor analyses and reliability analysis were conducted to determine
the validity and reliability of the scale. Structural Equation modeling as a multi variable statisti-
cal technique was employed to test the hypotheses of the theoretical model [85].
This technique was used to understand the indirect and direct effects in the theoretical
model [86] and to decrease measurement errors [87]. The analyses were performed with SPSS
and AMOS statistics programs.
4.1. Measures and sampling
The scales taken from previous research measured the dimensions in the initial model of the
study. The Likert scale in 5-point was used from a strong disagreement to strong acceptance.
The questionnaire was distributed to more than 700 individuals residing in Turkey via an
online from. The survey was conducted in Turkish, among university students residing in 7
biggest cities in all geographical regions in Turkey, namely; İstanbul, İzmir, Antalya, Samsun,
Ankara, Erzurum, Diyarbakır. The online questionnaire was accepted only from those adults
with their explicit consent and who had previously purchased online in the past 12 months.
538 valid questionnaires from individuals were collected. 334 of the respondents were female
and the remaining 204 respondents were male. In order to measure flow state, the scale sug-
gested by Bilgihan, Okumus, Nusair, Bujisic [88] with 8 questions was used. In order to mea-
sure customer satisfaction, the scale suggested by Oliver [89] was used. The scale suggested by
Brakus [81] was utilized to measure customer experience. Finally, the scale developed by Yoo
and Donthu [90] was employed to measure brand loyalty.
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4.2. Construct validity and reliability
At the beginning, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used for the data purification process.
So as to understand convergent validity, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was utilized. This
analysis was applied on the remaining 13 items [91]. The findings of the CFA determined the
fit of the structural model. The Likelihood Ratio Chi-Square Test shows compliance with the
original model and the acquired model [92]. χ2/DF was found as 2.856. This χ2/DF ratio is
under the limit point of 3. Additionally, other fit indices also show acceptable results (i.e.
CFI = 0.959, IFI = 0.959, RMSEA = 0.059).
Table 1 shows the CFA Results. As provided in the table, standardized factor loads for each
item are obtained as significant (larger than 0.5). Average variance extracted values were near
or above the limit point (i.e. 0.5) [87].
These results proved the convergent validity of the constructs. To appraise discriminant
validity, the square roots of AVE values of each variable were obtained. In Table 2, the diago-
nals indicate the square root of AVE values. The reliability of each structure was calculated sep-
arately. Composite reliability and Cronbach αvalues are near or more than the limit point
which is recommended as 0.7 [93].
Descriptive statistics of the dimensions, Cronbach αand composite reliabilities, average
variance extracted values and Pearson correlations among the dimensions are presented in
Table 2.
4.3 Test of the hypotheses
Maximum likelihood estimation method was utilized to test the hypotheses. It is the main esti-
mation method of covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM). CB-SEM is a
confirmatory method [86]. Therefore, in this research, it is used to confirm the hypotheses,
which are developed by depending upon the base theories. To assess the structural model, the
goodness of fit indices were utilized.
The absolute goodness of fit indices are the root mean square error of approximation
(RMSEA) and the χ2 goodness of fit statistic.
Note: χ2/DF = 2.356, CFI = 0.970, IFI = 0.970, RMSEA = 0.050
Table 1. Confirmatory factor analysis results.
Variables Items Standardized Unstandardized Factor Loads
Factor Loads
Customer Satisfaction (CSA) CSA0222 0.495 1
CSA0525 0.738 1.174
CSA0121 0.764 1.176
CSA0323 0.814 1.240
CSA0626 0.785 1.273
Customer Experience (CEX) CEX0715 0.571 1
CEX1018 0.756 1.211
CEX1220 0.579 0.964
Customer Loyalty (CLY) CLY0127 0.647 1
CLY0228 0.793 1.172
CLY0329 0.787 1.194
Flow State (FLS) FLS0404 0.623 1
FLS0505 0.776 1.126
p<0.01 for all items.
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The relative goodness of fit indices are incremental fit index (IFI) and comparative fit index
(CFI). As Fig 2 shows, fit indices structural regression model satisfactorily determines fit of the
model. χ2/DF value is 2.356 and between limit points (i.e. between 2 and 5). CFI is 0.970, IFI is
0.970. RMSEA is 0.050. These are adequate values. The results of the hypothesis tests are sum-
marized in Table 3.
5. Analysis results
H
1
hypothesis is not supported. This means FLS does not have a direct effect on CSA. H
2
hypothesis is not supported. This means FLS does not have a direct effect on CLY. H
3
hypothe-
sis is supported, which means that FLS has a direct effect on CEX. H
4
hypothesis is supported.
This indicates that CSA has a direct effect on CLY. H
5
hypothesis is supported. This means
that CEX has a direct effect on CLY. H
6
hypothesis is supported, which means that CEX has a
direct effect on CSA.
The results indicate that online flow state does affect brand experience directly, and cus-
tomer loyalty and customer satisfaction indirectly through the mediating effect of brand
experience.
6. Discussion
The related studies on the effect of flow state on customer satisfaction find a direct, positive
influence [5961]. The analysis results of this study also find such a positive relationship
according to the Pearson correlation table. However, the SEM analysis results indicate that
there is an indirect effect of the flow state on customer satisfaction through the mediating role
of customer experience. Thus, this study makes a significant contribution to the literature by
highlighting this relationship in online context in e-commerce environment. Based on these
results, it can be implied that online flow state, which is a momentary experience–is one that
occurs at a specific time, does not directly affect a long-term phenomenon like customer loy-
alty and customer satisfaction. However, since online flow state results in a better overall
brand experience, it does help build better customer loyalty and satisfaction through improved
total brand experience. This result has significant managerial implications. Online website visi-
tors have ever increasing expectations of being immersed with exceptional experiences that let
them have a feeling of distortion in time and space [15] without requiring them to think about
unnecessary details [7]. This is especially true in today’s highly fragmented, fairly busy daily
lives characterized by the attention economy [94]. In such an environment, consumers are
being bombarded with various stimuli coming from all sources and thus have difficulty paying
their scarce and valuable time and attention to any of those stimuli. Therefore, online flow
Table 2. Construct descriptives, reliability and correlation.
Variables 1 2 3 4
1. Customer Satisfaction (.728)
2. Customer Experience .589(.641)
3. Customer Loyalty .465.468(.745)
4. Flow State .253.306.149(.703)
Composite reliability .846 .673 .788 .660
Average variance ext. .530 .411 .556 .495
Cronbach α.826 .683 .783 .657
p<0.05.
Note: Values in diagonals are the square root of AVEs.
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Fig 2. Results of the SEM analysis.
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state can be thought of an escape from this daily routine and therefore, is being valued more
by today’s consumers. The results signify that investment to provide consumers with a seam-
less experience that makes them feel in the flow not only helps the brands have their customers
entertained, but this seamless experience does also help improve brand loyalty and customer
satisfaction in the long run.
As for the customer loyalty dimension, the results of the study can be said to conform with
the results as found by Shim, Forsythe, Kwon [13]. However, this paper also makes a signifi-
cant contribution to the literature by studying and validating a positive relationship between
the online flow state and customer satisfaction (in addition to customer loyalty) through brand
experience.
7. Conclusion
Triggered by the covid-19 pandemic, e-commerce adoption rates accelerated even more due
to the increased adoption of online medium. During these tough times, it has become more
important than ever for e-businesses to provide seamless experiences and build long-lasting,
profitable relationships with their customers.
The results of the present study demonstrate that online flow state as perceived by customer
trust of university students in Turkey influences their satisfaction and loyalty towards e-com-
merce websites indirectly through customer experience.
The online flow state aims at creating a totally absorbing, engaging experience with a
brands’ website. Naturally, this experience is expected to happen momentarily.
Therefore, it is not expected to affect long-term phenomena such as customer loyalty and
customer satisfaction considering theoretically. Although online streaming has been studied
from different angles, it cannot be said that the number of studies investigating the effect of
online streaming on total brand experience, customer loyalty and customer satisfaction is not
high in the current literature, except for a study by Shim, Forsythe, Kwon [13]. However, that
study investigated only the flow- brand experience- loyalty relationships.
This study has aimed at adding to the extant research by incorporating customer satisfac-
tion dimension and analyzing the direct and indirect effect of all of those construct’s phenome-
non together using structured equation modeling.
The findings of the present study have important managerial implications. The results
imply that fostering a flow state shouldn’t be viewed as a nice-to-have feature in an e-com-
merce setting. But rather, doing so does help the e-commerce brands achieve their longer-
term objectives. The moment a customer enters an online platform for a product, the amount
of time he / she spends there and the pleasure derived all have critical importance with regard
to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. During the flow state, customized and personal-
ized offerings, influential visual designs on the online platforms yield a more important
Table 3. Hypotheses test results.
Relationships Standardized Coefficients Unstandardized Coefficients Hypotheses Results
FLS !CSA 0.023 0.018 H
1
Not Supported
FLS !CLY -0.004 -0.005 H
2
Not Supported
FLS !CEX 0.306 0.295 H
3
Supported
CSA !CLY 0.276 0.410 H
4
Supported
CEX !CLY 0.269 0.314 H
5
Supported
CEX !CSA 0.709 0.558 H
6
Supported
p<0.05.
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customer experience than purchasing experience in facilitating the shopping process and ren-
dering it an enjoyable one. In sum, the websites that keep the customer in the flow will be pre-
ferred more.
Supporting information
S1 Data.
(SAV)
Author Contributions
Conceptualization: Adnan Veysel Ertemel, Mustafa Emre Civelek.
Data curation: Mustafa Emre Civelek, Murat C¸emberci.
Formal analysis: Mustafa Emre Civelek.
Investigation: Gu¨zide O
¨ncu¨Eroğlu Pektaş.
Methodology: Mustafa Emre Civelek, Murat C¸emberci.
Project administration: Adnan Veysel Ertemel.
Resources: Adnan Veysel Ertemel, Mustafa Emre Civelek, Gu¨zide O
¨ncu¨Eroğlu Pektaş, Murat
C¸emberci.
Software: Mustafa Emre Civelek.
Supervision: Adnan Veysel Ertemel, Murat C¸emberci.
Validation: Mustafa Emre Civelek, Murat C¸emberci.
Visualization: Mustafa Emre Civelek.
Writing original draft: Adnan Veysel Ertemel, Mustafa Emre Civelek, Gu¨zide O
¨ncu¨Eroğlu
Pektaş.
Writing review & editing: Adnan Veysel Ertemel, Gu¨zide O
¨ncu¨Eroğlu Pektaş.
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... To retain customers or build customer loyalty to a company, a strategy that is not only centered on quality, but also on customer experience is needed so that it can increase customer satisfaction (Tussifah & Annisa', 2024). Customer satisfaction can generate benefits such as customer loyalty, word of mouth, and sustainable profitability (Ertemel et al., 2021). So, a hypothesis is proposed: H4: Customer experience, customer satisfaction and word of mouth have a joint influence in increasing customer loyalty. ...
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... Brand experience and brand co-creation are interrelated factors in modern marketing strategies. A positive online customer experience increases brand loyalty by improving the relationship quality between brands and consumers (Ertemel et al., 2021). Brand co-creation lets brands get more information about customers' preferences, needs, and desires to customise products and services. ...
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... Customers seem to be constantly looking for better solutions that meet their needs. It should therefore be possible for the online retailer to determine the needs of the customers based on their driving forces (Ertemel et al., 2021). Thus, satisfying customer demands, upholding the quality of products, and offering after-sale support are all ways that an online retailer can build a solid reputation (Febriani & Ardani, 2021). ...
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... Pengalaman yang positif memiliki potensi untuk menciptakan kepuasan, kemudian dapat menarik loyalitas pelanggan melalui rekomendasi positif secara lisan (word of mouth), serta dapat mendorong niat untuk melakukan pembelian kembali dan menjaga hubungan baik dengan pelanggan (Kim et al., 2011). Kepuasan pelanggan dapat membawa manfaat seperti loyalitas pelanggan dan tentunya promosi dari mulut ke mulut yang dapat menghasilkan profitabilitas yang berkelanjutan (Ertemel et al., 2021;Syah et al., 2022). Vatsa et al. (2023) menetapkan hubungan signifikan dan langsung antara kepuasan dan loyalitas pelanggan. ...
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