International Journal of Business and Management; Vol. 9, No. 10; 2014 ISSN 1833-3850 E-ISSN 1833-8119 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 39 The Development of Customer Satisfaction Measurement Model for Small Online Apparel Businesses in Malaysia Noorshella Binti Che Nawi 1 & Abdullah Al Mamun 1 1 Faculty of Entrepreneurship and Business, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Malaysia Correspondence: Noorshella Binti Che Nawi, Faculty of Entrepreneurship and Business, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Locked Bag 36, Penglalan Chepa, 16100 Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. E-mail: norshella@umk.edu.my Received: June 10, 2014 Accepted: September 2, 2014 Online Published: September 25, 2014 doi:10.5539/ijbm.v9n10p39 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v9n10p39 Abstract Consumers worldwide are showing great interest in E-commerce and many believe that E-commerce plays a significant part in the global economy. This study compared earlier consumer satisfaction measurement models and developed a model for small online apparel business in Malaysia. Studies compared satisfaction in online settings, which focused on the pre-purchase phase and post-purchase phase. However, none of the studies were conducted at the point-of-purchase and post-purchase phases. Hence, this study proposed a better model for measuring customer satisfaction by dividing it into two phases, which are at the point-of-purchase phase and post-purchase phase. Keywords: E-commerce, customer satisfaction, e-service quality, attitude, behavioral intention, point-of-purchase, post-purchase 1. Introduction Although the rapid growth of e-retailing may reflect convincing advantages of shopping on the Internet versus brick and mortar stores, consumers, however, are sometimes frustrated with e-shopping. The same problem occurs when customers purchase apparel online. Customers take a risk when purchasing apparel online because they cannot try on the garment to check the fit, texture or colour (Kim et al., 2006). Recently, some researchers have realized that customer satisfaction plays a crucial role in sustaining the marketplace (Garver and Gagnon 2002). According to them, there is a significant relationship between customer satisfaction and organizational performance. Thus, it is important to make sure that customers are satisfied with the services that have been delivered. If not, retailers will lose their market. Kim and Stoel (2004) stated that customers must be satisfied with their shopping experience, otherwise they will not return. Yang (2001) and Grewal (2000) found that service quality in an online environment is a precondition for e-commerce business. Research on the interactions among different dimensions of e-service quality in predicting overall service quality, customer satisfaction, and purchase intentions in an online context remains in its infancy. In addition, the researcher has noted that many of the prior service quality measures take into account the entire purchase and even the after-purchase process (Suh & Han 2003; Muyllea et al., 2004; Parasuraman et al., 2005; Kim et al., 2006). Bauer et al. (2006) present a view of the four purchase phases and try to connect with the satisfaction and value perceptions but do not indicate how each dimension fits into the phases. No study has been conducted at the point-of-purchase and post-purchase. Hence, the broad aim of this study is to develop a framework to represent the factors that contribute to customer satisfaction with small online apparel businesses in Malaysia at the point-of-purchase and post-purchase. Kotler (1991) argued that satisfaction is the consequence of the customer’s experiences during various purchasing processes. Thus, satisfaction in the online environment should be measured before purchase, during purchase and after purchase. This view is shared by Bauer et al., (2006) who affirmed that a complete definition of e-service quality should cover all cues and encounters that occur before, during and after the electronic service delivery. The remainder of the paper is organized as follows: Section 2 reviews the development of the research framework and clarification of the point-of-purchase and post-purchase phase. Section 3 describes the methodology taken, Section 4 discusses the result and finding and lastly, Section 6 provides the conclusion of this study.