Access eCommerce Research Briefs 

Brief 15

Consumers shop to acquire items, and they shop for fun.

According to California Management Review, consumers shop online for both goal-oriented and experiential reasons; Consumers shop to acquire items, and they shop for fun. However, goal-oriented motives are more common among online shoppers than are experiential motives. Wolfinbarger and Giliy note that attributes to facilitate goal-oriented online shopping are accessibility (convenience), selection, information availability and lack of unwanted sociality from retail salesperson/ co-shoppers.

Consumers who shop online sense substantially increased freedom and control comparing to offline shopping. While consumers are more likely to describe offline shopping setting using experiential terms, experiential motives toward online shopping are emerging. Authors suggest enhancing experiential elements to online environment such as an online community without interfering with goal-oriented shoppers.

Research Briefs are provided by students in DHA 8170 Topics in Design, Housing and Apparel: Global E-commerce. Dr. Seung-Eun Lee, University of Minnesota

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Access eCommerce Research Briefs

• Brief 1: How businesses are using the Internet
  
• Brief 2: Small business Internet commerce issues
  
• Brief 3: Four-stage e-commerce development model
  
• Brief 4: Benefits small businesses can gain from opening shop on the Internet
  
• Brief 5: The Internet as an information solution
  
• Brief 6: Determinants of the locus of global e-commerce
  
• Brief 7: Are there any economic incentives to engage in electronic commerce, or is it just a fad?
  
• Brief 8: Digital development in rural areas: potentials and pitfalls
  
• Brief 9: Digital divide and purchase intention: Why demographic psychology matters.
  
• Brief 10: Ethical issues in electronic commerce
  
• Brief 11: One brand, three ways to shop.
  
• Brief 12: The nature of and conditions for online trust
  
• Brief 13: E-shopping in a multiple channel environment
  
• Brief 14: The E-Marketing Mix: A Contribution of the E-Tailing Wars
  
• Brief 15: Consumers shop to acquire items, and they shop for fun.
  
• Brief 16: How companies use content and design features in their website.
  
• Brief 17: Conceptualizing consumer experiences in cyberspace.
  
• Brief 18: Cross-cultural and cognitive aspects of web site navigation
  
• Brief 19: Managerial issues for international Web-based electronic commerce
  
• Brief 20: Cultural context in multilingual website usability
  
• Brief 21: Using corporate websites for export marketing
  
• Brief 22: The measurement of web-customer satisfaction
  
• Brief 23: Developing and validating trust measures for e-commerce
  
• Brief 24: Designing effective cyber store user interface