“The Impact of Infusing Social Presence in the Web Interface: An Investigation Across Different Products”

Reference: Hassanein, K., Head, M. (2005/6). “The Impact of Infusing Social Presence in the Web Interface: An Investigation Across Different Products”. International Journal of Electronic Commerce (IJEC), 10(2), Winter, 31-55. ABSTRACT: Many online stores tend to exhibit little emotional or social appeal, and may be viewed as lacking human-warmth. A recent study conducted by the authors showed that in an online apparel domain, increased levels of social presence through socially-rich descriptions and pictures positively impacts attitudinal antecedents. However, the appropriateness and need for human warmth and sociability may differ across the types of products or services being sought. In this paper, an empirical investigation was undertaken to compare our earlier findings in the apparel domain (a product for which consumers seek fun and entertaining shopping experiences) to a different type of product (headphones: a product for which consumers primarily seek detailed product information). It was found that Websites selling headphones do not exhibit a similar positive effect on attitudinal antecedents from higher levels of social presence. Implications of these finding and future research are outlined.