Since the beginning of the 1990’s, e-commerce has radically changed consumer behaviour by introducing new retail channels (Ngai and Gunasekaran, 2007). Serious attempts to trade online started to emerge in the mid-1990s wheninnovative, technically savvy companies responded to the opportunities and challenges posed by the internet, to develop sophisticated web sites to serve customers, in their homes (Rayport and Sviokla, 1994). The present retail environment is characterised by new, store and non- store, retailing formats, a wide range of new products, use of new information and communication technologies and consequently, the changing customer needs. Moreover, the dynamic lifestyle conditions of consumers has resulted a change in their personal environment that contributes to a profound change in customer behaviour (Schröder and Zaharia, 2008). Retailing in the 21st century means doing business with customers on their terms (Mathwicket al., 2002). E-tailing represents a form of in- home shopping and the major non-store channel (Levy and Weitz, 2007). Wang and Head (2007) highlight that the internet is increasingly being viewed as a tool and place to enhance customer relationship. According to Weitz (2010), e-tailers are using technology to convert “touch-and-feel” attributes into “look-and-see” attributes.

Today’s e-commerce landscape is characterised by very high competition (Belanger et al., 2002) and a marketplace is changing at a very dynamic pace (Keen et al., 2004;