---
_id: '7190'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: "                  Online customers’ journeys span several touchpoints, which
    typically do not involve any interpersonal interactions with online retailers—except
    at the moment of delivery (MoD). When retailers use third-party courier services
    to fulfill orders, they relinquish control over this critical, last-mile touchpoint,
    possibly to their detriment. An analysis of over 35,000 reviews shows that a negative
    MoD experience can trigger ripple effects through detrimental word of mouth (WOM).
    To regain control, retailers might adopt vertical integration or inoculation.
    Across four experimental studies, the current research examines how courier type
    (proprietary vs. third-party) affects consumers’ WOM in response to positive and
    negative MoD experiences and how inoculation messages can reduce customers’ susceptibility
    to adverse effects of negative MoD experiences. A single-paper meta-analysis affirms
    that third-party couriers buffer the detrimental effects of negative MoD experiences,
    but positive MoD experiences benefit only established retailers handling last-mile
    delivery themselves. Inoculation messages can also increase customer resilience
    to last-mile failures by mitigating the adverse effects of negative MoD experiences
    on WOM. This research highlights couriers’ crucial role as key actors in the MoD
    and clarifies the effects of MoD experiences for online retailers, emphasizing
    the need to consider both couriers and preemptive measures.\r\n                "
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Christopher
  full_name: Funke, Christopher
  last_name: Funke
- first_name: Gianfranco
  full_name: Walsh, Gianfranco
  last_name: Walsh
- first_name: Tobias
  full_name: Schäfers, Tobias
  id: '253685'
  last_name: Schäfers
  orcid: 0000-0002-2533-335X
citation:
  alphadin: '<span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Funke, Christopher</span> ; <span
    style="font-variant:small-caps;">Walsh, Gianfranco</span> ; <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Schäfers,
    Tobias</span>: The Moment of Delivery in Online Retailing: How Courier Types and
    Inoculation Messages Affect Reactions to the Last-Mile Experience. In: <i>Journal
    of Service Research</i>, SAGE Publications (2026)'
  ama: 'Funke C, Walsh G, Schäfers T. The Moment of Delivery in Online Retailing:
    How Courier Types and Inoculation Messages Affect Reactions to the Last-Mile Experience.
    <i>Journal of Service Research</i>. 2026. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/10946705261464334">10.1177/10946705261464334</a>'
  apa: 'Funke, C., Walsh, G., &#38; Schäfers, T. (2026). The Moment of Delivery in
    Online Retailing: How Courier Types and Inoculation Messages Affect Reactions
    to the Last-Mile Experience. <i>Journal of Service Research</i>. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/10946705261464334">https://doi.org/10.1177/10946705261464334</a>'
  bibtex: '@article{Funke_Walsh_Schäfers_2026, title={The Moment of Delivery in Online
    Retailing: How Courier Types and Inoculation Messages Affect Reactions to the
    Last-Mile Experience}, DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/10946705261464334">10.1177/10946705261464334</a>},
    journal={Journal of Service Research}, publisher={SAGE Publications}, author={Funke,
    Christopher and Walsh, Gianfranco and Schäfers, Tobias}, year={2026} }'
  chicago: 'Funke, Christopher, Gianfranco Walsh, and Tobias Schäfers. “The Moment
    of Delivery in Online Retailing: How Courier Types and Inoculation Messages Affect
    Reactions to the Last-Mile Experience.” <i>Journal of Service Research</i>, 2026.
    <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/10946705261464334">https://doi.org/10.1177/10946705261464334</a>.'
  ieee: 'C. Funke, G. Walsh, and T. Schäfers, “The Moment of Delivery in Online Retailing:
    How Courier Types and Inoculation Messages Affect Reactions to the Last-Mile Experience,”
    <i>Journal of Service Research</i>, 2026.'
  mla: 'Funke, Christopher, et al. “The Moment of Delivery in Online Retailing: How
    Courier Types and Inoculation Messages Affect Reactions to the Last-Mile Experience.”
    <i>Journal of Service Research</i>, SAGE Publications, 2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/10946705261464334">10.1177/10946705261464334</a>.'
  short: C. Funke, G. Walsh, T. Schäfers, Journal of Service Research (2026).
date_created: 2026-10-02T14:16:33Z
date_updated: 2026-10-02T14:16:37Z
department:
- _id: 4b2dc5c9-bee3-11eb-b75f-ecc80f94fb21
doi: 10.1177/10946705261464334
file:
- access_level: open_access
  content_type: application/pdf
  creator: tschaefers
  date_created: 2026-10-02T14:15:17Z
  date_updated: 2026-10-02T14:15:17Z
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- access_level: open_access
  content_type: application/pdf
  creator: tschaefers
  date_created: 2026-10-02T14:15:25Z
  date_updated: 2026-10-02T14:15:25Z
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  file_name: JSR1464334 - Moment of Delivery - WEB APPENDIX.pdf
  file_size: 584385
  relation: main_file
  success: 1
file_date_updated: 2026-10-02T14:15:25Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
language:
- iso: eng
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://doi.org/10.1177/10946705261464334
oa: '1'
publication: Journal of Service Research
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1552-7379
  issn:
  - 1094-6705
publication_status: published
publisher: SAGE Publications
quality_controlled: '1'
status: public
title: 'The Moment of Delivery in Online Retailing: How Courier Types and Inoculation
  Messages Affect Reactions to the Last-Mile Experience'
tmp:
  image: /images/cc_by_nc.png
  legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode
  name: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
  short: CC BY-NC (4.0)
type: journal_article
urn: urn:nbn:de:hbz:bi10-71903
user_id: '253685'
year: '2026'
...