Consumer preferences for service recovery options after delivery delay when shopping online

We identified the key attributes of service recovery for product delivery delays when shopping online and elucidated the preference structures of consumers regarding these attributes. A conjoint analysis was conducted using a sample of 201 Internet users; and found that the 4 most critical attributes of service recovery were: compensation, response speed, apologies, and contact channels. We used a part-worth utility of attribute levels as segmentation variables and conducted a cluster analysis to group the respondents, and to distinguish preferences across various consumer segments. Our findings can serve as a reference for e-retailers when developing service recovery strategies for delayed product delivery.