دانشگاه اصفهان تحقیقات بازاریابی نوین 2228-7744 16 3 2026 09 23 Explaining the Effect of Perceived Organizational Innovations on Customer Experience through the Mediating Role of Perceived Value (Case Study: Digikala Online Retailing) تبیین تأثیر ادراک از نوآوری‌های سازمانی بر تجربۀ مشتری با میانجی‌گری ارزش درک‌شده (مورد مطالعه: خرده‌فروشی برخط دیجی‌کالا) 55 78 30610 10.22108/nmrj.2026.147674.3277 FA محمدرضا حمیدی زاده استاد گروه مدیریت بازرگانی، دانشکده مدیریت و حسابداری، دانشگاه شهید بهشتی، تهران، ایران 0000-0002-7325-0516 شهریار عزیزی دانشیار گروه مدیریت بازرگانی، دانشکده مدیریت و حسابداری، دانشگاه شهید بهشتی، تهران، ایران حسام‌الدین نعمتی دانشجوی دکترای تخصصی گروه مدیریت بازرگانی، دانشکده مدیریت و حسابداری، دانشگاه شهید بهشتی، تهران، ایران الهام منافی گروه مدیریت بازرگانی، دانشکده مدیریت و حسابداری، دانشگاه شهید بهشتی، تهران، ایران. Journal Article 2025 12 03 Despite the growing emphasis on the role of innovation in competitive environments, the mechanism through which organizational innovation influences the multifaceted dimensions of customer experience via value-creation processes in online retail remains theoretically and empirically ambiguous. Aiming to theoretically expand this link, the present study investigated the impact of customers' perception of organizational innovation on customer experience with a particular focus on the mediating role of perceived value within the Digikala platform. This research was applied in nature and employed a descriptive-survey design. Data were collected by using a standard questionnaire from a sample of 445 Digikala customers in Tehran selected through convenience sampling. Data analysis was conducted by using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS 3 software. The model evaluation results indicated a satisfactory goodness-of-fit (GOF=0.588) and high explanatory power with the coefficient of determination (R²) recorded at 0.385 for perceived value and 0.612 for customer experience. The quantitative findings of the hypothesis testing demonstrated that organizational innovation had a direct, positive, and significant impact on perceived value (β=0.621, t=16.996) and customer experience (β=0.410, t=8.224). Furthermore, the effect of perceived value on customer experience was confirmed (β=0.459, t=7.947). Finally, the significant partial mediating role of perceived value in the relationship between organizational innovation and customer experience was validated (β=0.285, t=7.157). By contributing to the literature on online consumer behavior, these findings indicated that organizational innovation was not merely a structural-environmental variable; rather, by enhancing value perception, it acted as a powerful catalyst in shaping a holistic customer experience.<br /><strong>Introduction</strong><br />In a complex, dynamic, and uncertain economic and commercial environment, the retail industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation driven by digital developments, intense advertising competition, an increasingly diverse product landscape, and shifting consumer trends and behaviors. To survive and thrive in highly competitive markets, retailers must adopt innovative strategies and embrace multi- and omni-channel business models. An examination of the Iranian market structure reveals a significant gap between traditional and digital infrastructures, alongside a considerable capacity for accommodating dramatic change. According to recent industry reports, the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) retail market in Iran is valued at over 1,600 trillion tomans; however, the share of online sales within this vast market amounts to only approximately 0.6 percent. By contrast, the global average for online penetration in this sector stands at about 7.5 percent. This substantial disparity between the current penetration rate and international benchmarks represents a potential and strategic opportunity for e-commerce players to adopt innovative approaches and capture an additional 5 percent of the market in the coming year. The critical question, however, is whether these "organizational innovations" translate into tangible "perceived value" from the perspective of Iranian customers. The research gap is underscored by the fact that, despite the considerable investments of Digikala in research, development, and service innovation, persistent criticism regarding declining customer experience quality continues to appear in social media and user feedback. Digikala was selected as the case study for this research in order to examine how customers decode the innovations of a leading retailer within the specific economic constraints and contextual conditions of the Iranian market and how these perceptions ultimately shape their overall experience. Accordingly, the main research question was as follows: How does the perception of organizational innovation (in product, process, and marketing) influence customer experience (cognitive, sensory, and emotional), and what role does perceived value play in this relationship?<br /> <br /><strong>Materials & Methods</strong><br />This research was applied in terms of purpose and employed a descriptive-survey design with respect to its nature and data collection method. The statistical population comprised all customers of Digikala Company in Tehran, who had prior experience purchasing from the platform. Given the uncertainty regarding the exact size of the population, Cochran's formula for infinite populations was applied. At a 95% confidence level and with a permissible error margin of 0.05, the minimum required sample size was estimated at 384 participants. Questionnaires were distributed through two channels: online (via cyberspace) and in person (in public places, companies, and at Shahid Beheshti University). Ultimately, 445 complete and analyzable questionnaires were collected—215 through in-person administration and 230 via online distribution. The measurement items for the research variables were adapted from established sources: organizational innovation (7 items) from Wang and Ahmad (2004), customer perceived value (7 items) from Eggert and Olga (2002), and customer experience (12 items) from Schmidt (1999), Verhoef et al. (2009), and Toosi et al. (2021). The content validity of the questionnaire was assessed with input from 5 experts. For construct validity in PLS analysis, two criteria were examined: content validity and convergent validity. All factor loadings exceeded the acceptable threshold of 0.4. Convergent validity was further assessed by using the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) index. The AVE values for all three variables—organizational innovation (0.663), customer experience (0.784), and perceived value (0.643)—surpassed the recommended threshold of 0.5, indicating satisfactory convergent validity. Discriminant validity was evaluated by using the Fornell–Larcker criterion. The results demonstrated that the square root of the AVE for each construct (reported on the main diagonal of the correlation matrix) exceeded the correlation coefficients between that construct and any other construct, thereby confirming adequate discriminant validity.<br /> <br /><strong>Research Findings</strong><br />The results indicated that innovation in digital platforms transcends mere technological advantage, serving instead as a primary driver in shaping customers' cognitive and emotional perceptions. The findings revealed that organizational innovation functions as a key engine for value creation in online environments where uncertainty and perceived risk are notably high. In such contexts, organizational innovations—including deployment of artificial intelligence in product recommendations, smart logistics systems, and streamlined refund procedures—signal the platform's overall capabilities. By reducing transaction costs (both time and physical effort) and enhancing functional utility, these innovations directly influence the perceived trade-off between "benefits received" and "costs paid", thereby fostering cognitive value. This theoretical interpretation accounted for the consistency of our findings with those of prior studies, such as Ye (2013) and Khosravi (2016), in which innovation was conceptualized not merely as an internal organizational attribute, but as an externally oriented value-creating mechanism encompassing capabilities, product quality, associated services, and overall product benefits.<br /> <br /><strong>Discussion of Results & Conclusion</strong><br />One of the most significant theoretical contributions of this study was the confirmation of the directional effect of value on experience. Contrary to the prevailing literature, which often prioritized experience over value, this study demonstrated that in big data–driven retail, an <em>a priori</em> cognitive evaluation is essential. Drawing upon cognitive evaluation theory, the customer first assesses quality relative to price and platform efficiency (perceived value); this cognitive judgment subsequently serves as the mental anchor for sensory, emotional, and behavioral evaluations—i.e., the overall experience. In other words, unless the customer is convinced that the exchange (value) is reasonable, experiential drivers are unlikely to exert a profound positive influence on their emotional responses. The results further indicated that innovation affects customer experience not only through the cognitive pathway of value, but also via a direct emotional and sensory route. From the perspective of consumer psychology in the digital space, visual and process innovations—such as gamification, immersive user interfaces, or augmented reality features—directly target customers' hedonic needs. The novelty inherent in these innovations generates psychological arousal and surprise during platform interaction, thereby directly enhancing the sensory and emotional dimensions of the customer experience. Moreover, confirmation of the partial mediating role of perceived value substantiates what may be termed a "dual-path model" within the e-commerce literature, highlighting the coexistence of both cognitive and affective mechanisms in shaping customer responses to organizational innovation. This finding suggests that the impact of innovation on customer experience is not unidimensional, but rather operates through two parallel pathways:<br /><br /><em>The functional/utilitarian path</em>—where innovation enhances perceived value by improving quality and justifying price, thereby enriching the overall experience; and<br /><em>The sensory/emotional path</em>—where innovation directly elevates the user experience by generating novelty and appeal.<br /><br />This implies that if a technological innovation within a platform fails to translate into tangible and understandable value (Path 1), its effect on the final customer experience will remain incomplete. The present study demonstrated that, in the turbulent environment of online retail, organizational innovation must undergo a paradigm shift—from being viewed as a "technological objective" to serving as a "tool for value creation and experience enhancement". The added value of this study lay in establishing that, for customers of digital platforms, innovation becomes meaningful only when it tips the value scale (i.e., perceived benefits relative to costs) in their favor. Platform managers should therefore recognize that investments in new technologies—such as artificial intelligence or user interface redesigns—will yield loyalty and lasting cognitive and emotional experiences only when customers have already evaluated and confirmed the tangible benefit and value of that innovation within their purchasing process. باوجود تأکید فزاینده بر نقش نوآوری در محیط‌های رقابتی، چگونگی انتقال آثار نوآوری سازمانی به ابعاد چندگانۀ تجربۀ مشتری ازطریق سازوکار‌های ارزش‌آفرین در خرده‌فروشی‌های برخط، همچنان با خلأ نظری و تجربی مواجه است. پژوهش حاضر با هدف توسعۀ نظری این پیوند، به بررسی تأثیر ادراک مشتریان از نوآوری‌های سازمانی بر تجربۀ مشتری با تبیین نقش میانجی ارزش درک‌شده در سکوی دیجی‌کالا می‌پردازد. این پژوهش ازنظر هدف، کاربردی و از منظر روش گردآوری داده‌ها، توصیفی-پیمایشی است. داده‌های پژوهش با استفاده از پرسش‌نامۀ استاندارد از نمونه‌ای متشکل از ۴۴۵ نفر از مشتریان دیجی‌کالا در شهر تهران (با روش نمونه‌گیری در دسترس) جمع‌آوری شد. تجزیه‌وتحلیل داده‌ها با رویکرد مدل‌سازی معادلات ساختاری<strong> </strong>(PLS-SEM) و نرم‌افزار<strong> </strong>SmartPLS3<strong> </strong>انجام شد. نتایج ارزیابی مدل، نشانۀ برازش مطلوب)588/0 (GOF=<strong> </strong>و توان تبیینی درخور توجه مدل است؛ به‌طوری ‌که واریانس تبیین‌شده<strong> </strong>(R²) برای متغیر ارزش درک‌شده 385/0و برای تجربۀ مشتری 612/0 به دست آمد. یافته‌های کمّی آزمون فرضیه‌ها نشان داد نوآوری سازمانی تأثیر مستقیم، مثبت و معناداری بر ارزش درک‌شده<strong> </strong><strong>(</strong>62<strong>1/0=</strong>,β 966/16t<strong>=</strong>) و تجربۀ مشتری (410/0= β  ,224/8=t)<strong> </strong>دارد. همچنین، تأثیر ارزش درک‌شده بر تجربۀ مشتری تأیید شد<strong> </strong><strong>(</strong>459<strong>/0=</strong>,β 947/7t<strong>=</strong>).<strong> </strong>در نهایت، نقش میانجی معنادار و جزئی ارزش درک‌شده در رابطۀ بین نوآوری سازمانی و تجربۀ مشتری نیز به تأیید رسید<strong> </strong><strong>(</strong>285<strong>/0=</strong>,β 157/7t<strong>=</strong>) . این یافته‌ها با توسعۀ پیشینۀ رفتار مصرف‌کنندۀ برخط نشان می‌دهند که نوآوری سازمانی فقط متغیری ساختاری-محیطی نیست، بلکه با ارتقای ادراک ارزشی، به‌عنوان کاتالیزوری قدرتمند در شکل‌دهی به تجربۀ کل‌نگر مشتری عمل می‌کند. https://nmrj.ui.ac.ir/article_30610_a954b6da1283e01b94d60849d587d516.pdf