An Overall Purchasing Process Model of Internet Buyers: The Role of Regret in Electronic Commerce

This study focuses on the antecedents and consequences of Internet buyer regret in the overall purchasing process. We examine the roles that search effort, service-attribute evaluations, product-attribute evaluations and post-purchase price perceptions play in determining buyer regret and satisfaction in e-commerce. Furthermore, the study examines the consequences of regret and satisfaction in regard to purchasing intention. Survey data collected from 422 respondents were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) with partial least squares (PLS-Graph 3.0) and support provided for the hypothesized links. These results show that greater search effort and lower evaluations of service, product and price lead to greater buyer regret and dissatisfaction; the consequences of regret include reduced satisfaction and less intention to repurchase. Based on the results, implications for online retailers, as well as suggestions for future research relating to Internet buyer regret, are discussed.