E-CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

E-Consumer Behavior: A Case of Apparel Purchases

Abstract

The primary purpose of this paper is to bring together apparently disparate and yet interconnected strands of research and present an integrated model of e-consumer behaviour. It has a secondary objective of stimulating more research in areas identified as still being under-explored.

The paper is discursive, based on analysis and synthesis of e-consumer literature.

Despite a broad spectrum of disciplines that investigate e-consumer behaviour and despite this special issue in the area of marketing, there are still areas open for research into e-consumer behaviour in marketing, for example the role of image, trust and e-interactivity. The paper develops a model to explain e-consumer behaviour.

As a conceptual paper, the study is limited to literature and prior empirical research. It offers the benefit of new research directions for e-retailers in understanding and satisfying e-consumers. The paper provides researchers with a proposed integrated model of e-consumer behaviour.

The paper links a significant body of literature within a unifying theoretical framework and identifies of under-researched areas of e-consumer behaviour in a marketing context.

Table of Contents

Introduction4

Theoretical background6

Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)6

Uses and Gratifications theory (U&G)8

Research model and hypotheses10

Methodology13

Instrument development14

Sample and data collection16

Data analysis and results18

Assessing integrated model using the original TAM19

Factors influencing e-consumer behavior20

The role of functional attributes21

An integrative framework25

Social factors25

Experiential aspects of e-shopping29

Theoretical implications33

Situational factors35

Consumer traits37

Discussion41

Conclusion43

References44

Appendix45

E-Consumer Behavior: A Case of Apparel Purchases

Introduction

Early e-shopping consumer research (e.g. Brown et al., 2003) indicated that e-shoppers tended to be concerned mainly with functional and utilitarian considerations. As typical “innovators” (Donthu and Garcia, 1999; Siu and Cheng, 2001), they tended to be more educated (Li et al, 1999), higher socio-economic status (SES) (Tan, 1999), younger than average and more likely to be male (Korgaonkar and Wolin, 1999). This suggested that the e-consumer tended to differ from the typical traditional shopper.

More recent research, on the other hand, casts doubt on this notion. Jayawardhena et al. (2007) found that consumer purchase orientations in both the traditional world and on the Internet are largely similar, and there is evidence for the importance of social interaction (e.g. Parsons, 2002; Rohm and Swaminathan, 2004) and recreational motives (Rohm and Swaminathan, 2004), as demonstrated by virtual ethnography (webnography) of “Web 2.0” blogs, social networking sites and e-word of mouth (eWOM) (Wright, 2008). Accordingly, this paper aims to examine concepts of e-consumer behaviour, including those derived from traditional consumer behaviour.

The study of e-consumer behaviour is gaining in importance due to the proliferation of online shopping (Dennis et al., 2004; Harris and Dennis, 2008; Jarvenpaa and Todd, 1997). Consumer-oriented research has examined psychological characteristics (Hoffman and Novak, 1996; Lynch and Beck, 2001; Novak et al., 2000; Wolfinbarger and Gilly, 2002; Xia, 2002), demographics (Brown et al., 2003; Korgaonkar and Wolin, 1999), perceptions of risks and benefits (Bhatnagar and Ghose, 2004; Huang et al., 2004; Kolsaker et al., 2004), shopping motivation (Childers et al., 2001; Johnson et al., 2007; Wolfinbarger and Gilly, 2002), and shopping orientation (Jayawardhena et al., 2007; Swaminathan et al., 1999).

The technology approach has examined technical specifications of an online ...