The Devil Replies Slowly: How the Response Speed of Online Luxury Retailers Affects Brand Attitude
Shubin Yu, Soojin Roh, and Huaming Liu
International Journal of Electronic Commerce,
Volume 29, Number 2, 2025, pp. 185-209.
Abstract:
The digital era has necessitated a better understanding of effective customer interaction strategies for luxury brands in the e-commerce space. This article proposes a model that explains how online response speed (i.e. the amount of time it takes for a business to respond to a customer’s inquiry) can influence brand attitudes among luxury e-commerce consumers. Results from two empirical studies (N = 615), demonstrate that the speed of online responses can impact brand attitude via two mediators: perceived exclusivity and interaction quality. A slower response speed enhances the perceived exclusivity of the brand, thereby positively influencing brand attitude. However, this slow response speed negatively impacts the perceived interaction quality, subsequently diminishing brand attitudes. These competing pathways illustrate the multifaceted influence of online response speed on brand attitudes. Moreover, the indirect effect of response speed on brand attitude through perceived exclusivity depends on the product availability. A delay in response speed improves brand attitude through heightened exclusivity perception only when the product is readily available. Furthermore, this article reveals a moderating role of service rudeness; slow response speed negatively impacts brand attitudes when the service provider appears to be rude. This study extends current literature on service response speed and abundant rarity as we demonstrate delayed online responses—typically discouraged for mass-market brands—can enhance perceived exclusivity and brand attitude for luxury brands. In addition, this study identifies response speed as a strategic tool for luxury brand management, offering an alternative to traditional scarcity tactics and providing new insights into its effects on consumer perception.