Exploring the relative importance of customers’ perceived relationship benefits and costs in the context of an e-service

This paper explores the customers’ expectations and perceptions of relational benefits and costs, in the context of a non-merchant informational e-service. It further tests the effect of perceived relational benefits and costs on customers’ overall evaluation of the service. Quantitative data were collected with the use of an e-questionnaire from 444 users of the service. Results indicate that all three types of benefits, functional, special treatment and social, have a significant impact on overall evaluation. Regarding costs, only privacy concerns showed a significant but low effect. This work contributes to existing literature by empirically studying relational benefits and relational costs together and examining social benefits in an e-context.