Purpose Community group buying (CGB) is an emerging e-commerce business that provides customers with cheaper options and fast delivery. However, CGB faces the challenge of improving the transaction experience and customer retention. This study aims to examine the comprehensive measurement of CGB transactional quality and its impact on the company–customer relationship and consumer repurchase intention, as well as how customers' needs and decision-making processes differ based on purchase frequency. Design/methodology/approach We developed a research model that specifies CGB transactional quality and integrates relationship quality and repurchase intention. Structural Equation Modeling, Multi-Group Analysis and fsQCA were used to empirically test the data from 592 consumers. Findings Our findings reveal that customers assess CGB transactional quality based on community leaders, websites, order fulfillment and products. Their perception of transactional quality influences their relationship with the company and their repurchase intention. Purchase frequency moderates the relationship between transactional quality, relationship quality and consumer repurchase intention. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to a specific CGB context; future research could explore broader e-commerce settings. Practical implications This study provides CGB practitioners with actionable insights for improving customer retention. Originality/value CGB aims to improve the customer experience and retention, but current research lacks sufficient understanding of customer needs. Our study contributes to CGB literature by thoroughly measuring and investigating CGB transactional quality. It also supports the development of research on the transactional quality model and the moderating effect of purchase frequency.
Zhao et al. (Tue,) studied this question.