Toward E-Commerce Websites Evaluation and Use: An Affective Perspective

Most studies dedicated to e-commerce website evaluation and use are based on two assumptions. One is that a target customer usually spends at least a few minutes no matter he/she likes the website or not. The other assumption is that good website features usually elicit positive cognitive evaluations and shopping experience. However, the assumptions do not necessarily always represent the reality. The core factor missing in these two assumptions is users’ primary affective reactions toward the websites. Immediate affective evaluations of e-commerce websites have not yet attracted much attention despite its important role in predicting higher-order affect, cognition and behaviors. In this study, a primitive concept, perceived affective quality (PAQ), is proposed to capture user’s immediate affective impression of e-commerce websites. PAQ refers to an individual’s perception of a website’s ability to change his/her affective state. A general framework of e-commerce website evaluation and use is proposed, depicting the relationship of website characteristics and PAQ along with PAQ’s impacts on extensive affective and cognitive processes and behaviors. Furthermore, a more detailed model is suggested and corresponding hypotheses are developed. This study provides a novel angle to inform scholarly understandings of the individual customer’s online shopping dynamics, in addition to the traditional perspectives. It offers a solid base for subsequent empirical studies. Potentially, the empirical results will help e-commerce practitioners to build better websites, increase profits and enhance