Despite the proliferation of virtual stores, research into the consumer personality characteristics that influence consumer interactions with virtual stores has been lagging. In this paper we propose and test a model linking consumer personality type with a decision to purchase from a virtual store. The results indicate that a consumer's personality type has an effect on perceived ease of use and peer influence; and those two variables, together with perceived usefulness, have an effect on a consumer's eventual decision to purchase from a virtual store. The practical implications of the findings are that consumer perceptions and attitudes towards virtual stores can be altered by personalizing virtual stores in a manner which will increase their likelihood of making a purchase.

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Virtual stores are Internet-based innovations that influence the dynamics of consumer choice making. Utilizing the attitude-to-behavior theory, theory of reasoned action, technology acceptance model, functional theory of attitude, causal theory of action, and prior literature, we develop and empirically evaluate a model that describes consumer purchase decisions in a virtual store. We test the model using data collected from validated survey instruments for each of the constructs utilizing the structured equation modeling technique. The model helps in the design of virtual stores by describing how individuals who visit such stores can be induced to purchase from virtual stores. It describes that perceived usefulness, perceived behavioral control, and perceived peer influence impact attitude toward purchasing from a virtual store. Attitude toward purchasing from a virtual store, in turn, influences the actual purchasing from a virtual store. We discuss the implications for the design of virtual stores that lead to purchase decisions.