The Influence of Shopping Website Design on Consumer's Intention to Buy Online: The Case of 3D vs. 2D Online Book Stores

As increasing number of consumers take their business on-line, retailers try to gain competitive advantage through innovative design of their electronic storefronts. In the last few years, more and more three dimensional online stores (3D) have become an alternative to the more traditional two dimensional ones (2D). The goal of this study is to examine the influence of shopping website design (3D vs. 2D websites) on consumer’s intention to buy online. We draw from research in electronic commerce, web-site design, technology acceptance and psychology, and propose a model that seeks to explain the influence of online store front design on shopping outcomes through of such mediators as user perceptions and cognitive absorption. The proposed model offers useful insights to researchers and practitioners alike.