Personal values as determinants of intentions to use self-service technology in retailing

The current study examines personal values and consumer traits as antecedents of attitudes toward using self-service technologies (SSTs), which, in turn, affect intentions to use SSTs. The specific SST selected for this study is a self-checkout system for grocery retailers. This study used a panel database and collected data using a self-administered online survey. The results of this study highlight the important role of consumer traits as an additional contributing factor in explaining how personal values lead to SST usage intentions. Although this study partially confirms the direct effects of personal values on attitudes, it shows that utilitarian and hedonic attitudes toward using SSTs are determined by personal values through the consumer traits (i.e., need for human interaction and SST self-efficacy). Lastly, this study reveals that only utilitarian attitudes have a significant effect on the intention to use SSTs. Findings from this study not only fill the gap in the literature, but also provide retailers, marketers, and SST business personnel with comprehensive insight into consumers' underlying needs and desires that prompt them to use SSTs. In particular, this study contributes to the existing literature by examining an extended value-attitude-behavior model with an additional variable, namely consumer traits.     

Exploring the emotional,aesthetic, and ergonomic facets of innovative product on fashion technology acceptance model

In the realm of popular consumer electronics, it is important for companies to realise consumers' perceptions that can potentially sway the process of choosing and purchasing decision. This paper attempts to explore the emotional, aesthetic, and ergonomic conceptions into the fashion technology model to examine the impact of the consuming public acceptance. The work extends the literature on brand attachment, need for uniqueness theory, fashion theory, TAM, and innovation diffusion theory. Through empirical study, this proposed model is tested with a structural equation modeling approach. Results indicate that brand attachment is a stronger antecedent of ergonomic and aesthetic facets, and aesthetic facet is the vital determinant to acceptance intention. Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use had no direct impact but still positively correlate to acceptance intention. This study also finds that different groups of technological innovation will vary in their conceptions of the proposed model.     

The Relative Importance of Website Design Quality and Service Quality in Determining Consumers’ Online Repurchase Behavior

Abstract

Previous studies have found that website design quality is one main factor affecting consumers' initial online purchase behavior. For consumers' repurchase behavior, in addition to website design quality, service quality is another important factor. Which factor is more important in determining consumers' repurchase intention? Our results show that, compared with website design quality, service quality has significantly stronger effects on consumers' trust and satisfaction, both of which lead to their repurchase intention.     

The Good,the Bad,and the Expert: How Consumer Expertise Affects Review Valence Effects on Purchase Intentions in Online Product Reviews

This study aims to shed more light on the question whether, and under what circumstances, valence affects consumers' intention to buy a product after reading an online review. We hypothesize that receiver expertise could possibly moderate (a) the impact of review valence on consumers' purchase intentions, and (b) the asymmetric effects of positive and negative reviews. To test these hypotheses, we conducted an experiment, exposing participants (n = 470) to reviews varying in valence (i.e., positive, neutral, negative), with purchase‐intention as the dependent variable. The results support the moderating role of receiver expertise for both the influence and weight of review valence effects. This explains the inconsistent results for review valence reported in previous studies.     

Perceived derived attributes of online customer reviews

The influence of online customer reviews (OCRs) on customers' purchase intention has recently gained considerable attention, in both academic and business communities. Technology allows customers to freely and easily post their comments and opinions online about any product or service; this type of customer review can have a significant effect on customers' purchase decisions. Previous studies, however, have mainly focused on the influence of the virtual attributes of OCRs such as volume and valence on consumers' intentions, while limited attention has been paid to understanding the effects of the derived attributes. This study, thus, aims to understand the impact of the perceived derived attributes of OCRs on customer trust and intention. This study develops a – Perceived Derived Attributes (PDA) - model, based on the inclusion of perceived control from the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) with the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), in order to investigate the effects of OCRs on customers’ purchasing intention. A total of 489 responses to a survey were collected from users of amazon.com. The findings from this study suggest that customer trust in an e-vendor and their intention to shop online are significantly affected by perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived enjoyment of OCRs. Furthermore, the sense of control derived from OCRs significantly affects customer intention and significantly affects customer trust in e-vendors, particularly for customers who frequently check OCRs before making a purchase. Clearly, those attributes of OCRs are linked to the development of the shopping environment, which consequently can affect sales.     

Understanding consumer intention to participate in online travel community and effects on consumer intention to purchase travel online and WOM: An integration of innovation diffusion theory and TAM with trust

The growing presence of online travel communities is leading to great developments in the travel industry. Grounded in the innovation diffusion theory (IDT) and the technology acceptance model (TAM), this paper seek to develop and empirically test a comprehensive framework to examine the antecedents of customers' intention to participate in online travel community. Using SEM to analyse the data collected from a sample of 495 members, the results indicate that innovation diffusion theory and TAM with trust provide an appropriate model for explaining consumers' intention to participate; this intention in turn has a positive influence on intention to purchase and positive WOM. Furthermore, religiosity plays an important role in understanding consumers' behavioural intention. The results offer important implications for online service provider and are likely to stimulate further research in the area of online travel community.     

Effects of innovativeness and trust on web survey participation

Responding to suggestions of prior research for examining the psychological constructs involved in a decision for or against participation in web surveys, this paper investigated the effects of trust in sponsor and personal innovativeness on potential respondents’ participation intention. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), two alternative models were empirically tested in which the roles of trust and innovativeness were theorized differently—either as moderators of the effects which perceived behavioral control and attitude have on participation intention (moderator model) or as direct determinants of the attitude, perceived behavioral control and intention (direct effects model). Data was collected from a sample of 131 university students enrolled in a computer course. The results of our study indicated that: (1) TPB could satisfactorily predict the behavioral intention with up to 44% variation of the intention being predicted by the model; (2) trust in sponsor and personal web innovativeness exerted direct determinant effects rather than moderate effects on participation attitude and perceived behavioral control, which in turn significantly affected participation intention; and (3) integrating the variables of trust and personal innovativeness into TPB model enhanced the prediction effect.     

Tracking users' visual attention and responses to personalized advertising based on task cognitive demand

This study examined the effects of personalization in banner advertising on visual attention to the advertisement. A 2 (ad type: personalized vs. non-personalized) × 2 (task cognitive demand: high vs. low) eye-tracking experiment (N = 93) was conducted to examine how personally salient information attracts consumers' attention, and how it interacts with different levels of cognitive load for given tasks. Consistent with previous literature, participants paid relatively longer and more attention to the personalized compared to non-personalized advertisements. However, task cognitive demand was shown to moderate the effects of personalization on attention, such that the personalized advertisement was much more effective in attracting consumers' attention than the non-personalized advertisement when people were engaged in a highly cognitively demanding task. No significant interactions between personalization and cognitive demand of task were found on perceived goal impediment and attitude toward the advertisement. Implications and suggestions for future research are provided.     

Does Context Matter? The Impact of Use Context on Mobile Internet Adoption

Consumers' perceived value plays a dominant role in determining the adoption of mobile technologies. However, behavior literature suggests that consumer value is context dependent. The current study attempts to understand the effects of use context on consumers' perceived value and adoption of mobile Internet. An adoption model that reflects the unique use context and the utilitarian values (perceived usefulness and perceived mobility) and hedonic values (perceived enjoyment and concentration) of mobile Internet was developed and empirically tested against data collected from 507 mobile Internet users in China. Structural equation analysis results indicate that consumers' values perceptions and adoption decisions are context dependent. The use context fully mediates the effects of utilitarian values and partially mediates the relationship between hedonic values and intention to use mobile Internet. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.     

Can avatar and self-referencing really increase the effects of online 2-D and 3-D advertising?

Previous studies have sought insights into how websites can effectively draw sustained attention from internet users. Do different types of information presentations on webpages have different influences on users’ perceptions of the information? More precisely, can combinations of an ever greater number of advertising elements on individual websites increase consumers’ purchase intentions? The aim of this study is to explore changes in web advertising’s verbal and visual stimulation of surfers’ cognitive process, and to provide valuable information for the successful matching of advertising elements to one another. We examine optimal website design according to the personality-trait theory and resource-matching theory. Study 1 addresses the effects that combinations of various types of online advertising can have on web design factor, and to this end, we use a 2 (visual complexity: 3D advertising with an avatar, 2D advertising) × 2 (verbal complexity: with or without self-referencing that is an advertising practice to express product claims in words) factorial design. Study 2 treats personality traits (i.e., need-for-cognition and sensation seeking) as moderating variables to build the optimal portfolio regarding the “online-advertising effects” hypothesis. Our results suggest that subjects prefer medium-complex advertising comprising “3D advertising elements with an avatar” or “2D advertising elements with self-referencing”: high-sensation seekers and low-need-for-cognition viewers prefer the former, whereas low-sensation seekers and high-need-for-cognition viewers prefer the latter.     

Do we trust the crowd or information system? Effects of personalization and bandwagon cues on users' attitudes and behavioral intentions toward a restaurant recommendation website

Visual interface cues on many websites can influence Internet users' psychology, especially their perceptions about the site as well as its content (Sundar, 2008). Specifically, presence of commonly used interface cues (e.g., personalization, bandwagon cues) can substantially influence users' attitudes and their behavioral intentions toward websites and their content. This study examined the effect of personalization feature and bandwagon cues (i.e., star ratings, reviews) in a restaurant recommendation website, measuring (a) to what extent users positively perceive and plan on revisiting or sharing the site, and (b) to what degree users favored the recommended restaurant and plan to visit them. A 2 (personalization feature: present vs. absent) × 2 (bandwagon cues: high vs. low) between-subjects experiment showed that personalization feature and bandwagon cues increased positive perceptions and their behavioral intentions toward both the website and the recommended restaurant. Moreover, results revealed that users' perceived relevance as well as perceived novelty mediated the effects of interface cues on their attitudinal and behavioral consequences. Further, the impact of the interface cues on user psychology significantly differed as a function of the other cues. Theoretical and practical implications for future research on the effect of interface cues on user psychology are discussed.     

How colour similarity can make banner advertising effective: insights from Gestalt theory

This study used Gestalt theory to examine the effects of colour similarity on blurring the boundary between banner advertising and web page content, as well as how colour similarity can elicit unconscious scanning behaviour and improve attitudes towards brands advertised using banner advertising at the pre-attention stage. An eye tracking device was used to record and analyse participants’ eye movement, and a psychological scale was used to measure the participants’ brand attitudes. The results suggested that using banner advertisements with background colours similar to those of the web page content increases the fixation time and fixation count. In addition, the results revealed that a longer fixation time and a higher fixation count increase positive attitudes towards a brand advertised in a banner advertisement. The results clarify the relationship between unconscious exposure and brand attitudes and provide physiological information relevant to e-commerce.     

The role of aesthetic,cultural, utilitarian and branding factors in young Chinese consumers' repurchase intention of smartphone brands

Despite the exponential growth of smartphone consumption, to date, very few studies have investigated the factors that influence consumers' repurchase intention of smartphone brands. China has become the world's largest consumer markets for smartphones, therefore understanding young Chinese consumers' repurchase intention in the smartphone market is of crucial importance to smartphone companies. A preliminary qualitative study based on 30 face-to-face interviews has led to the development of a new conceptual framework including aesthetic (design appeal), functional (perceived quality), brand value (brand popularity), social (subjective norm) and cultural influences (mianzi). The newly developed framework has been tested through partial least squares structural equation modeling with a sample of 321 young Chinese smartphone users. The results show that young Chinese customer's smartphone repurchase intention is mainly determined by mianzi, perceived quality, brand popularity, and design appeal. Furthermore, findings also highlight that subjective norm, perceived quality and design appeal affect Chinese people's mianzi.     

Risk-reducing strategies after a product-harm crisis: The moderating role of controllability attribution

Extant research on crisis communication underexplored firm responses in terms of risk-reducing strategies. When a product-harm crisis occurs, a focal firm can use strategies targeted at repairing the damage that has already happened (i.e., to reduce consequence) or preventing the recurrence of the crisis (i.e., to reduce recurrence likelihood) to mitigate potential damage and assuage public concern. This paper reveals that the effectiveness of risk-reducing strategies is influenced by consumers' controllability attribution. Controllability attribution refers to whether or not consumers perceive that a focal firm could have prevented an event from happening. Results of the study indicate that consequence-reducing strategies lead to better attitudes, but not greater worry reduction than likelihood-reducing strategies when controllability attribution is low. However, likelihood-reducing strategies result in greater worry reduction, but not better attitudes than consequence-reducing strategies when controllability attribution is high. Message credibility perceptions fully mediate the effects of risk-reducing strategies on attitudes and worry reduction in the case of low firm controllability. The results highlight the role of controllability attribution in affecting the relative effectiveness of the two risk-reducing strategies.     

Learning from instructional animations: How does prior knowledge mediate the effect of visual cues?

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of cueing and prior knowledge on learning and mental effort of students studying an animation with narration. This study employed a 2 (no cueing vs. visual cueing) × 2 (low vs. high prior knowledge) between‐subjects factorial design. The results revealed a significant interaction effect between prior knowledge and cueing on learning. Low prior knowledge learners had higher scores after studying an instructional animation with visual cues, compared to those who studied the same instructional animation without visual cues. Conversely, when cues were not provided, high prior knowledge learners outperformed those high prior knowledge learners who studied with the cued version of an instructional animation. These results indicated that the effects of cueing in an instructional animation change depending on the learners' level of prior knowledge. Specifically, low prior knowledge learners benefited more when visual cues were provided, whereas cues did not facilitate learning for high prior knowledge learners.     

A framework for informing consumers on the ecological impact of products at point of sale

The use of intelligent information technologies has the means to provide ecological information just-in-time, thus alleviating consumers' cognitive burden at the time of purchase. We propose a computational framework for supporting consumer awareness of the ecological impact of products they consider purchasing at point of sale. The proposed framework permits consulting multiple information sources through diverse access interfaces, combined with a recommendation engine to score product greenness. We evaluate our approach in terms of usability, performance, and user-influence tests through two conceptual prototypes: an online store and an augmented reality interface to use at physical stores. Our findings suggest that providing ecological information at the time of purchase is able to direct consumers' preference towards products that are ecological and away from products that are not; consumers also express willingness to pay slightly more for ecological products. The experimental results obtained with the interface prototypes are statistically significant.     

Advertising value and credibility transfer: attitude towards web advertising and online information acquisition

China is undergoing a transition from offline to online advertising, but little is known about the causal relationship regarding credibility transfer from non-web advertising to web advertising. Meanwhile, web advertising usage behaviour is largely overlooked. The purpose of this study is to explore the formation of customers' attitude towards web advertising (ATT) which further impacts their online information acquisition behaviour, from the perspectives of advertising value and credibility transfer. This paper develops a research model drawing upon advertising value, credibility transfer, ATT and tie. Data collected from Chinese online shopping customers were used to test the model. The results indicate that perceived informativeness, perceived entertainment and credibility contribute to the formation of ATT, which further impacts web advertising usage for getting information. Meanwhile, tie positively moderates the credibility transfer from non-web advertising to web advertising. These findings and their implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

The interactional effects of atmospherics and perceptual curiosity on emotions and online shopping intention

With increasing importance of online stores, a great number of studies have focused on extending our knowledge related to successful functional aspects increasing ease of use and usefulness. More recent studies have focused on identifying the effects produced by hedonic aspects of online store environment such as web atmospherics on emotional responses of customers. However, previous studies have been somewhat deficient in their investigation of studying diverse aspects of online consumer characteristics, which may have an impact on customer evaluation of atmospheric cues. Building on this research tradition, the present study addresses two critical issues. The present study adopting a well validated S–O–R framework tests the effect of atmospheric cues of online stores on the intervening affective emotional states of consumers, which have a subsequent impact on behavioral intention. Additionally, the model hypothesizes that perceptual curiosity (PC) moderates the relationships between atmospheric cues and shoppers’ emotional reactions. Structure equation model confirmed that online atmospherics such as graphics, colors, and links have an impact on customer emotions such as pleasure and arousal, both of which have subsequent effects on intention. The moderating effect of perceptual curiosity has also been supported. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed in conclusion.     

Consumer responses to promoted tweets sent by brands and political parties

This study aims to understand how consumers respond to social media advertising (SMA) by focusing on promoted tweets sent by brands and political parties, and examines persuasion knowledge as underlying mechanism of these responses. Two online experiments with between-subjects designs, comparing the effects of SMA (promoted vs. non-promoted tweet) and the source of the tweet (political party vs. brand), were conducted. Study 1 showed that consumers rarely notice it when a tweet is promoted. Study 2 demonstrated that when a promoted tweet was sent by a political party, the recipient's recognition that the tweet was a form of advertisement (i.e., activated persuasion knowledge) reduced online behavioral intention, increased skepticism, and negatively affected source trustworthiness and attitudes. This effect was not present for brands. Although research has shown that social media can be an important platform to engage audiences, this study is the first to study the mechanisms underlying the effects of SMA, and whether there are any boundary conditions to these effects. These findings suggest that political parties should be cautious in their use of social media advertising as it can evoke negative responses.