Here are a few references that may be helpful. What aspects are you interested in?

The role of experiential value in online shopping :The impacts of product presentation on consumer responses towards an apparel web site
So Won Jeong, Ann Marie Fiore, Linda S Niehm, Frederick O Lorenz. Internet Research. Bradford:2009. Vol. 19, Iss. 1, p. 105-124


The purpose of this paper is to examine whether Pine and Gilmore's four experience realms (4E) are affected by web site features; the 4Es affect consumer emotional components of pleasure and arousal; and pleasure and arousal lead to enhanced web site patronage intention. For the main experiment, two stimulus web sites reflecting high experiential value and low experiential value were developed. Data were collected in a laboratory setting from 196 participants. An analysis of the causal model was conducted using the maximum-likelihood estimation procedure of Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) for hypotheses testing. Using AMOS, the results indicated that web site features affected the 4Es and three of the 4Es (entertainment, escapist and esthetic experiences) influenced pleasure and/or arousal. Pleasure, arousal, entertainment, and esthetic experiences had direct effects on web site patronage intention. The results present an effective way to offer experiential value, which enhances web site patronage intention, to online retailers. This is the first empirical research to investigate the holistic process of the effects of product presentation on consumer responses towards an apparel web site that there is a clear need for further study.

The impact of online store environment cues on purchase intention :Trust and perceived risk as a mediator
Hsin Hsin Chang, Su Wen Chen. Online Information Review. Bradford:2008. Vol. 32, Iss. 6, p. 818-841


Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investige whether online environment cues (web site quality and web site brand) affect customer purchase intention towards an online retailer and whether this impact is mediated by customer trust and perceived risk. The study also aimed to assess the degree of reciprocity between consumers' trust and perceived risk in the context of an online shopping environment. Design/methodology/approach - The study proposed a research framework for testing the relationships among the constructs based on the stimulus-organism-response framework. In addition, this study developed a non-recursive model. After the validation of measurement scales, empirical analyses were performed using structural equation modelling. Findings - The findings confirm that web site quality and web site brand affect consumers' trust and perceived risk, and in turn, consumer purchase intention. Notably, this study finds that the web site brand is a more important cue than web site quality in influencing customers' purchase intention. Furthermore, the study reveals that the relationship between trust and perceived risk is reciprocal. Research limitations/implications - This study adopted four dimensions - technical adequacy, content quality, specific content and appearance - to measure web site quality. However, there are still many competing concepts regarding the measurement of web site quality. Further studies using other dimensional measures may be needed to verify the research model. Practical implications - Online retailers should focus their marketing strategies more on establishing the brand of the web site rather than improving the functionality of the web site. Originality/value - This study proposed a non-recursive model for empirically analysing the link between web site quality, web site brand, trust, perceived risk and purchase intention towards the online retailer. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Influence of online shopping information dependency and innovativeness on internet shopping adoption
Enrique Bigné-Alcañiz, Carla Ruiz-Mafé, Joaquín Aldás-Manzano, Silvia Sanz-Blas. Online Information Review. Bradford:2008. Vol. 32, Iss. 5, p. 648-667


Purpose - The paper's purpose is to analyse the influence of online shopping information dependency and innovativeness on the acceptance of internet shopping. Design/methodology/approach - The impact of online shopping information dependency, domain-specific innovativeness and technology acceptance model (TAM) variables on future shopping intention has been tested through structural equation modelling techniques. The sample consisted of 465 Spanish consumers who had never purchased online. Findings - Data analysis shows that consumer innovativeness and online shopping information dependency have a direct and positive influence on future online shopping intention and that the basic TAM hypotheses are fulfilled. Online shopping information dependency can be increased with interfaces that are easier to use, but only if perceived usefulness remains high. Consumer innovativeness positively influences internet exposure and the ease-of-use perception of the shopping medium, referred to throughout this paper as "shopping channel". Practical implications - This research enables companies to know which aspects of their communication strategies to highlight in order to get non-purchasing web users to participate in e-shopping. Perceived ease of use and online shopping information dependency has a significant influence on shoppers' willingness to purchase online. This shows that web content and design are key tools in the increase of future online purchasing. It is also recommended that managers target some of their advertising campaigns to the more innovative users. Originality/value - There are still too few studies that analyse the effects of innovativeness and online shopping information dependency on non-purchasing web users' behaviour. This work aims to combine the influence of online shopping information dependency, innovativeness and the traditional TAM in order to construct an improved model for internet shopping acceptance. It will use an integrated model to do so. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Consumer informedness and diverse consumer purchasing behaviors: Traditional mass-market, trading down, and trading out into the long tail
Eric K Clemons, Guodong (Gordon) Gao. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications.: Market transformation in a networked global economy Amsterdam:Spring 2008. Vol. 7, Iss. 1, p. 3-17


As truly informed consumers are increasingly able to find exactly what they want and willing to pay premium prices to obtain products with perfect fit for them, companies have responded with new product portfolio strategies and new pricing strategies, based on the concepts of resonance marketing and hyperdifferentiation. This is not just consumers' pursuit of products that are better, but rather better for them. It is not trading up, but rather trading out. In this paper we offer a more complete explanation of changes in consumer behavior, based on consumers' new-found informedness, and an understanding of consumers' pursuit of products that truly meet their individual wants and needs, cravings and longings.

This paper also contributes to a deeper understanding of how online reviews are linked to sales. Recent empirical studies suggest that consumers use information in different ways in different shopping experiences, and that consumers' purchasing behavior varies across different online shopping experiences; consequently, the best predictors of the success of different online products will therefore vary depending on what consumers are buying and why and how they are buying it. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Price competition in e-tailing under service and recognition differentiation
Sulin Ba, Jan Stallaert, Zhongju Zhang. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications. Amsterdam:Fall 2007. Vol. 6, Iss. 3, p. 322


The Internet has significantly increased the bargaining power of consumers. Many online shopping search engines allow consumers to find most retailers that sell a specific product, compare product prices, and review detailed store ratings. With competition just a click away, online retailers have little control over where consumers would shop. Offering the lowest price alone does not always guarantee that consumers will come and buy at your site. Other non-price attributes, such as service quality and a merchant's brand recognition, also play important roles in helping online retailers to build competitive advantages. In this paper, we present a model of price competition that assumes e-tailers can mainly differentiate themselves by providing different levels of service and by establishing a different online recognition. Closed-form equilibrium solutions are obtained for the different scenarios that may arise in this model. Based on such solutions, we give managerial insights on how e-tailers should position themselves when parameters such as service cost, service levels, and recognition are varied. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Consumer decision making, E-commerce and perceived risks
Didier G R Soopramanien, Robert Fildes, Alastair Robertson. Applied Economics. London:Sep 2007. Vol. 39, Iss. 17, p. 2159


This article studies how adoption and usage behaviour of the Internet and online shopping, respectively influence the preference to use electronic commerce to purchase different types of products. We empirically model the preference for electronic commerce when consumers have to buy different types of products and thus face different types of risks (Cox and Rich, 1964). Unlike previous research, we find that consumers who have previously shopped online, display stronger preferences to buy products on the Internet irrespective of the perceived level of product-specific risks of online shopping. This article provides an interesting and novel insight into how both adoption and usage of electronic commerce impact on the attitude and risk perception of buying less predictable (more risky) products on the Internet. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

How do Web users respond to non-banner-ads animation? The effects of task type and user experience
Weiyin Hong, James Y L Thong, Kar Yan Tam. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. Hoboken:Aug 2007. Vol. 58, Iss. 10, p. 1467


Prior research on Web animation typically focuses on banner ads, where the findings suggest that users are capable of ignoring the animation when performing online tasks. Research on non-banner-ads animation (e.g., animation applied to the main content of an e-commerce Web site), however, is relatively scarce with inconclusive results. We propose that the effects of non-banner-ads animation are moderated by task type and the Web user's experience with the animation. Drawing upon divided attention theories, especially the central capacity theory, this research investigates the effects of non-banner-ads animation on Web users' clicking behavior, task performance, and perceptions through an online shopping experiment. The results show that non-banner-ads animation does attract Web users' attention, with the animated item more likely to be clicked first and also more likely to be purchased when users are performing browsing tasks. Meanwhile, Web users' task performance and perceptions are negatively affected in the presence of animation. Moreover, the negative effects of animation on task performance are greater in browsing tasks than in searching tasks. Finally, experience can help Web users to reduce the distraction from animation and is more effective when users are engaged in searching tasks than when they are engaged in browsing tasks. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Consumer trust in Internet shopping in Ireland: towards the development of a more effective trust measurement instrument
Regina Connolly, Frank Bannister. Journal of Information Technology. London:Jun 2007. Vol. 22, Iss. 2, p. 102-118 (17 pp.)


Trust is a complex phenomenon that pervades human relations. It is essential for the success of business-to-consumer electronic commerce, where many of the tools that can be used in its absence (contracts, advance payments, insurance, etc.) may not be available. However, research as to how consumer trust can be built in an online environment is limited and varies considerably in terms of the dimensions of the problem that are examined. Consequently, much of our understanding of the antecedents of trust in online shopping context remains fragmented. This study uses a previously validated measurement instrument to investigate, in an Irish context, the existence and importance of specific perceptions and factors that are thought to predict the generation of consumer trust in Internet shopping. The research results provide evidence that Irish consumers' perception of vendor trustworthiness is the result of specific factors that it is possible for vendors to manage. A modified model that addresses the key dimensions of consumer trust in Internet shopping in Ireland is proposed. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Services purchased at brick and mortar versus online stores, and shopping motivation
Rajasree K. Rajamma, Audhesh K. Paswan, Gopala Ganesh. The Journal of Services Marketing. Santa Barbara:2007. Vol. 21, Iss. 3, p. 200


This study seeks to explore the idea that consumers select a particular shopping mode - i.e. bricks and mortar versus online outlet - based on their perceptions about whether a product or service is best bought from one or the other. It aims to posit that this perception is associated with the importance allocated to various shopping motivation dimensions. Data for this study were collected using a self-administered mail survey from 689 internet-enabled US households. They represent a 28 percent response from 2,500 households that received the survey. Extensive non-response analysis ruled out serious bias in the data. The results from this empirical study suggest that different shopping motivations indeed influence perceptions of service type and shopping mode congruence differently. In addition, the results also suggest that services are more likely to be associated with the online shopping mode, whereas more tangible products are likely to be associated with bricks and mortar stores.

Recommendation Agents for Electronic Commerce: Effects of Explanation Facilities on Trusting Beliefs
Weiquan Wang, Izak Benbasat. Journal of Management Information Systems. Armonk:Spring 2007. Vol. 23, Iss. 4, p. 217-246


We empirically test the effects of explanation facilities on consumers' initial trusting beliefs concerning online recommendation agents (RAs). RAs provide online shopping advice based on user-specified needs and preferences. The characteristics of RAs that may hamper consumers' trust building in the RAs are identified, and the provision of explanation facilities is proposed as a knowledge-based approach to enhance consumers' trusting beliefs by dealing with these obstacles. This study examines the effects of three types of explanations about an RA and its use--how, why, and trade-off explanations--on consumers' trusting beliefs in an RA's competence, benevolence, and integrity. An RA was built as the experimental platform and a laboratory experiment was conducted. The results confirm the important role of explanation facilities in enhancing consumers' initial trusting beliefs and indicate that consumers' use of different types of explanations enhances different trusting beliefs: the use of how explanations increases their competence and benevolence beliefs, the use of why explanations increases their benevolence beliefs, and the use of trade-off explanations increases their integrity beliefs. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Consumer response to stock-out in the online supply chain
Kofi Q. Dadzie, Evelyn Winston. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management. Bradford:2007. Vol. 37, Iss. 1, p. 19-42


Purpose - Consumer response to merchandise shortage in the online supply chain outlet is an interesting and important issue for e-vendors because of the high risk associated with the online environment. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the online environment on consumer out-of-stock behaviors. In addition, it aims to examine the relative impact of non-web site situational factors on consumer out-of-stock behavior. Design/methodology/approach - The study proposed an expectation confirmation-disconfirmation framework based on the utility maximization principle in consumer research. This framework was validated with data from online shopping transactions gathered in two field studies. Findings - The occurrence of a stock-out had a pervasive negative impact on consumers' assessment of their online transactional experience and repurchase intentions. Furthermore, item substitution behavior was positively linked with merchandise information content, vividness of web site content, and service speed and a few situational factors. Overall, it was found that consumers' reaction to the "shock" effect of a stock-out was best explained by an expectation confirmation-disconfirmation model rather than a performance-only or expectation-only model. Research limitations/implications - While the focus on the total expectation confirmation-disconfirmation process limited the scope of the study to a single stock-out event, future research should examine multiple stock-out events to further validate the proposed framework. Practical implications - Managers can take advantage of the positive linkage between web site design features and item substitution behavior by tracking the online consumers' expectation confirmation-disconfirmation evaluative process and its effect on how consumers respond to high priced versus low priced items during a stock-out event. Design features for low priced items such as CDs and books require product specific information to reduce item switching or exit from the e-supply chain during a stock-out event. Originality/value - Scholars need a systematic framework for examining consumer response to a stock-out that is applicable in the e-commerce context because of the effects of abundant information access, low switching cost and the high service expectations of online customers. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Comparison of product bundling strategies on different online shopping behaviors
Tzyy-Ching Yang, Hsiangchu Lai. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications.: Web-enabled Business and Customer Value Amsterdam:Winter 2006. Vol. 5, Iss. 4, p. 295-304


Bundling is a very popular sales-promotion tool, in which a critical issue is to decide what products should be sold together in order to improve sales. Traditionally, this decision is based on the order data collected from the points of sale. However, Internet marketing now allows marketers to efficiently collect not only order data but also browsing and shopping-cart data, which provide marketers with information on the consumers' decision-making processes, rather than only the final shopping decisions. The present study aimed to determine the value of this newly available information by comparing the performance of decision-making on product bundling based on three types of data on online shopping behaviors. The results from a field experiment reveal that significantly better decisions are made on the bundling of products when browsing and shopping-cart data are integrated than when only order data or browsing data are used. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Promises, Promises: How Consumers Respond to Warranties in Internet Retailing
May O Lwin, Jerome D Williams. The Journal of Consumer Affairs. Madison:Winter 2006. Vol. 40, Iss. 2, p. 236-260 (25 pp.)


Past studies have shown that perceived risk is a critical determinant of purchase intention in non-store retailing contexts, including Internet retailing. Extant literature in physical retailing suggests that warranties can be a significant variable in reducing consumers' perceived risk. We examine the role of Web site warranties in risk reduction and how warranty information interacts with retailer reputation and brand name as two other risk relievers in an online shopping environment. Results suggest that warranties can make a positive difference for online retailers with strong reputations with respect to perceived risk, perceived product quality, and purchase intentions. However, consumers are less influenced by warranty information when dealing with online retailers with weak reputations. For the other extrinsic cue, however, we find that warranty information does not have an effect when dealing with brand names, suggesting that a brand name's impact on online risk reduction remains regardless of the presence of warranty information. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Do I Trust You Online, and If So, Will I Buy? An Empirical Study of Two Trust-Building Strategies
Kai H Lim, Choon Ling Sia, Matthew K O Lee, Izak Benbasat. Journal of Management Information Systems. Armonk:Fall 2006. Vol. 23, Iss. 2, p. 233-266


This research investigates the effectiveness of various trust-building strategies to influence actual buying behavior in online shopping environments, particularly for first-time visitors to an Internet store that does not have an established reputation. Drawing from the literature on trust, we developed a model of how trust-building strategies could affect trust and the consequences of trust. We investigated two trust-building strategies: portal association (based on reputation categorization and trust transference) and satisfied customer endorsements (based on unit grouping, reputation categorization, and trust transference). A series of two studies was conducted at a large public university in Hong Kong. The first study employed a laboratory experiment to test the model in an online bookstore environment, using a real task that involves actual book purchases. Of the two strategies investigated, satisfied customer endorsement by similar peers, but not portal association, was found to increase consumers' trusting beliefs about the store. This, in turn, positively influenced consumers' attitudes toward the store and their willingness to buy from the store, which ultimately led to actual buying behaviors. To gather further insights on the two Web strategies investigated, a second study was conducted using a questionnaire survey approach. Overall, the findings corroborated those in the first study. Specifically, it shows that endorsements by similar (local, nonforeign) peers, but not by dissimilar (foreign) peers, were effective means of developing trust among first-time visitors to online stores. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

The Influence of Avatars on Online Consumer Shopping Behavior
Martin Holzwarth, Chris Janiszewski, Marcus M Neumann. Journal of Marketing. Chicago:Oct 2006. Vol. 70, Iss. 4, p. 1


The conversion rate of Internet shoppers averages only 4.9% among the top 100 Internet retailers, a rate that is significantly lower than experienced by comparable firms using traditional retailing channels. Moreover, research shows that between 65% and 75% of consumers that initiate an online transaction fail to complete the transaction. Although there are several impediments to an online purchase, the authors address one of the more common impediments. Consumers claim that online shopping often lacks the pleasurable experiences, social interaction, and personal consultation that define their experiences in bricks-and-mortar shopping. A solution to the impersonal nature of Internet shopping is the use of avatars. Avatars are virtual characters that can be used as company representatives. An avatar can anthropomorphize a Web-based interaction and make the shopping experience more interpersonal. Consequently, the information provided on the Web site should be perceived as more credible, the shopping experience should become more enjoyable, and the likelihood of a purchase should increase. Two studies are used to show that avatars positively affect the online shopping experience. In Study 1, avatar communicators created a more positive perception of the entertainment value and informativeness of a Web site. As a consequence, shoppers were more satisfied with the retailer, more positive about the product, and more likely to purchase the product. Study 2 found that moderately involved shoppers were more persuaded by attractive-looking avatars and highly involved shoppers were more persuaded by expert avatars. Attractive avatars were persuasive because of their likeability, whereas expert avatars were persuasive because of their credibility. The implication is that avatars and the information content they provide can be tailored to specific segments to enhance their effectiveness. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Is There a Digital Divide in Online Shopping?
Bryant Ott. The Gallup Poll Tuesday Briefing. Washington:Dec 2005. p. 48-49


A recent survey on shopping habits shows that about 3 in 10 consumers report purchasing something online in the last 30 days. Consumers with higher household income are more likely to shop online.

Online buying behavior: a transaction cost economics perspective
Thompson S H Teo, Yuanyou Yu. Omega. Oxford:Oct 2005. Vol. 33, Iss. 5, p. 451-465


Using a transaction cost economics perspective, this paper presents a model for understanding consumers' on-line buying behavior. An empirical study was conducted in Singapore to test the model. The results indicate that consumers' willingness to buy online is negatively associated with their perceived transaction cost, and perceived transaction cost is associated with uncertainty, dependability of online stores and buying frequency. When consumers perceive more dependability of online stores and less uncertainty in online shopping and have more online experiences, they are more likely to buy online. Implications of the results are discussed. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Clothes Shopping: In-Store a Better Fit Than Online
Bryant Ott. The Gallup Poll Tuesday Briefing. Washington:Aug 2005. p. 61-62


An August 2005 Gallup poll asked respondents a series of questions about their clothing and apparel purchases, including online shopping behaviors. Online shopping is not the preferred method for buying clothes since 62% or panelists agreed that most would rather try on clothes before buying them.

Online shopping, the standard learning hierarchy, and consumers' internet expertise: An American-Spanish comparison
Francisco J Martínez-López, Paula Luna, Francisco José Martínez. Internet Research. Bradford:2005. Vol. 15, Iss. 3, p. 312-334 (23 pp.)


This study seeks to theoretically justify and empirically test the sequence of effects based on the standard learning hierarchy to explain consumers' online buying-related responses. It also analyses the moderating role that consumers' internet expertise can play on the formation of both their affective and buying-related responses towards this medium. This study poses a conceptual model which is tested by means of LISREL. The data used come from a questionnaire applied to American and Spanish internet users. These two countries have been selected taking into account their differences regarding their degree of internet expertise. Results show that the modelling approach appears to be adequate to explain online consumer behaviour. Moreover, different levels of consumers' internet expertise determines, in general, the predominance of the central or the peripheral route within the formation of their affective and behavioural responses to this medium.

S-Conart: an interaction method that facilitates concept articulation in shopping online
Hiroko Shoji, Koichi Hori. AI & Society. London:Jan 2005. Vol. 19, Iss. 1, p. 65-83


This study addresses building an interactive system that effectively prompts customers to make their decision while shopping online. It is especially targeted at "purchasing as concept articulation" where customers initially have a vague concept of what they want and then gradually clarify it in the course of interaction, which has not been covered by traditional online shopping systems. This paper proposes information presentation methods to effectively facilitate customers in their concept articulation process, and the framework for interaction design to enable the methods. Specifically, this study builds a system called S-Conart that facilitates purchasing as concept articulation through support for customer's conception with spatial-arrangement style information presentation and for their conviction with scene information presentation, and then makes a set of evaluation experiments with the system to verify that the approach used in building the system is effective in facilitating the purchasing as concept articulation. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]