Redefining the Fundamental Dimensions of Intangible Service Encounters Through Electronic Commerce

Electronic commerce is the exchange of goods and services using computers and associated networks as the operating infrastructure (Kalakota and Whinston, 1996). The focus of this paper is to explore the effect electronic commerce could have on marketing services. Past research has drawn a distinct line between goods and services. Zeithaml (1981) identified characteristics unique to services and generalizable across service organizations. Four characteristics discussed in this paper are intangibility, heterogeneity, inseparability, and perishability (Zeithaml et al., 1985). Each of these dimensions can be related to one or more service related problems. Automation of service related activities could fundamentally solve these types of problems. This paper explores the fundamental changes in these characteristics when marketing services are viewed from an electronic commerce perspective.