Attitude toward internet web sites, online information search, and channel choices for purchasing

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to examine the influence of attitudes toward particular clothing web sites, specifically favorite ones, on information search at those web sites and on the choice to purchase items from those web sites and from non‐internet channels after finding the items at the web sites.Design/methodology/approachUsing survey data from 414 US college students who had online shopping experience and favorite clothing web sites that they especially like to visit, hypothesized relationships among attitude toward internet web sites, online information search and channel choices for purchasing were tested using path analysis.FindingsResults showed that participants' attitudes toward their favorite clothing web sites had a direct, positive effect on their intentions to search for information at those web sites as well as intentions to purchase clothing items from those web sites after finding the items there. Additionally, operating through information‐search intentions at the web sites, participants' attitudes toward those web sites had an indirect, positive effect on their intentions to purchase clothing items from non‐internet channels after finding the items at the web sites.Research limitations/implicationsResults cannot be generalized to the larger population of young consumers and to other consumer groups. Future research should include other population groups.Practical implicationsThis research provides insights into how college students' attitudes toward internet web sites affect their information search at the web sites and their channel choices for purchasing. Our results suggest potential benefits of multi‐channel retailing for online clothing retailers targeting US college students and the importance of building effective web sites to elicit those consumers' positive attitudes toward the web sites.Originality/valueThis study is the first to investigate young adult online shoppers' attitude towards internet web sites and their information search and channel choices for purchasing.

Online Shopper Behavior: Influences of Online Shopping Decision

“…The search process is a significant component of customer's online shopping behavior (Seock and Norton, 2007). The source risk comes in the stage of information search and evaluation because the information in the web sites might contain some mistakes.…”

How public reporting of prescription quality indicators influence prescribing practices? A survey of general practitioners

“…The literature found that knowledge (information) directly affects attitude and that knowledge (information) affecting practice through attitude is better than knowledge affecting practice directly [33]. Another study showed that the participants' attitudes towards their favourite clothing websites has a direct, positive effect on their intentions to search for information in those websites as well as on their intentions to purchase clothing items [57]. In addition, a study indicated that attitude is important in predicting an individual's behaviour and significantly influences behavioural intention [58].…”

Developing and Testing a Pioneer Model for Online Shopping Behavior for Natural Flowers: Evidence from Mauritius

“…Voluminous studies have depicted that e shopping benefits customers in terms of saving time, ease in ordering goods and services (Vijaysarathy and Jones, 2000;Raijas, 2002;Seock and Norton, 2007;Arce-Urizaand Cebollada, 2012;Forsythe et al, 2006). Furthermore, with e-shopping, consumers can search for information quickly and easily since e-shopping offers convenience (Mudambi and Schuff, 2010;Lian and Lin, 2008;Huangetal., 2006;Wiedmann et al,2010;Huang and Oppewal, 2006).…”

“…E-shopping has empowered consumers with widespread selections, plenty of product information, and no temporal and spatial limitations (Wen et al, 2011). Studies proclaimed that countries like South Korea, Britain, Germany, Japan, USA and Malaysia have a large pool of engaged Internet users for online shopping which also consists of online flower shoppers (Suki et al 2008., Seock et al, 2007Ling et al, 2010). In Mauritius, an emerging economy, though, we are accessible to Internet and mobile banking, online shopping for natural flowers is still at a babyhood level.…”