A Conceptual Framework of Online Consumer Behavior

The continued success of online shopping will be determined by the degree to which consumers utilize the Internet during their decision making process, mainly the acquisition of product information. This chapter addresses consumers’ goal-directed information search in the online marketplace. To understand consumer search behavior in this unique environment, relevant theoretical perspectives are drawn to provide a conceptual framework that provides an explanation of consumers’ online search behavior. In an environment characterized by human-computer interaction, the framework includes consumers’ choice to search information online and two sets of variables – domain and system (personal) and interruptions and information load (system), affecting information search between and within Web sites. Several implications of this conceptual framework are also discussed. 2 Chiang, Dholakia and Westin Copyright © 2005, Idea Group Inc. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of Idea Group Inc. is prohibited. Introduction