Ambiance Factors, Emotions, and Web User Behaviour:a Model Integrating and Affective and Symbolical Approach

The present paper addresses the efficiency of manipulating music in a merchant website, and it:- proposes a review of the literature on ambiance factors in advertising & shopping behaviour, capitalizing on it to:- propose a theoretical framework that enhances our understanding of the web-user behaviour in specific ambiance factors such as music, with a specific attention devoted to his loyalty, & affiliation behaviour;- a model of is proposed.Ambiance Factors; Emotions; Fit & Symbolism; On-line Behaviour

Crossmodal Congruency Between Background Music and the Online Store Environment: The Moderating Role of Shopping Goals

Despite the robust evidence that congruent background music in the physical store environment positively affects consumer reactions, less is known about its effects in an online context. The present study aims (1) to examine whether congruency via multiple elicited crossmodal correspondences between background music and the online store environment (e.g., perceived lightness, loudness, and coldness of the cue/environment) leads to more positive affective, evaluative, and behavioral consumer reactions and (2) to investigate the moderating role of shopping goals on this crossmodal congruency effect. Previous research showed that low task-relevant atmospheric cues like music can have a negative effect on consumers when they visit a website with a purchase goal in mind. An online experiment was conducted with 239 respondents randomly assigned to a shopping goal (experiential browsing vs. goal-directed searching) and a music condition (no music, crossmodally congruent music, or crossmodally incongruent music). Our results show that crossmodally incongruent background music (vs. no music) leads to more positive consumer reactions for experiential browsers and more negative consumer reactions for goal-directed searchers. Conversely, crossmodally congruent background music (vs. no music) has a positive effect on experiential browsers and no adverse effect on goal-directed searchers. Additionally, the presence of crossmodally congruent background music leads to more positive consumer reactions than the presence of crossmodally incongruent background music, independent of the shopping goal. We extend previous research on multisensory congruency effects by showing the added value of establishing congruency between music and the store environment via multiple elicited crossmodal correspondences in the online environment, countering previously found negative effects of low-task relevant atmospheric cues for goal-directed searchers

Internet auctions in marketing: The consumer perspective

Internet auctions for consumer are among the most popular and most successful business models in electronic commerce. Research so far, however, has focused on prerequisites and consequences of auctions as a marketing intstrument of suppliers. Even though it is a key success factor from a marketing perspective, the demand side has not inspired similar attention. This paper focuses on the attitudes, motives, and behavior of auction customers. It shows why ccurrent beliefs about bidder characteristics are myths. Taking these misconceptions as a starting point, the existence of an experiential and a pragmatic type of auction customer is proposed. An explorative empirical study looking for the characteristics of both types of auction customers is described. Results indicate that less than half of auction shoppers in the sudy are experiential oriented. Except substantial additional demand concerning technological and emotional qualities of auctions these shoppers do not differ dramatically from pragmatic oriented shoppers. Both types are open-minded towards further development of consumer auctions to commercial marketplaces. Business models of auctioneers and suppliers should concentrate on the basic utility of the auction algorithm by facilitating individual matchmaking instead of pursuing costly additional utility by promoting the entertainment value of auctions. --

Developing an Instrument for Measurement of Attitude toward Online Shopping

To ensure the success of online business, it is important for the retailers to understand their targeted customers. The aim of this study is to develop an instrument for investigating and understanding consumer’s online shopping orientations and factors that influence attitude toward online shopping and online shopping intention. A five-level Likert scale was used to determine attitude toward online shopping. A self-administered questionnaire, based on prior literature, was developed, and a total of 370 post graduate students of University Putra Malaysia were selected by random sampling and involved in the study. Eight components, referring to online shopping orientation and online shopping perceived benefits, were found to explain 97 % of the variability in consumer’s online shopping orientation. They were subsequently labeled: utilitarian online shopping orientation, hedonic online shopping orientation, fun, convenience, customer service, homepage, wider selection and price. The reliability of data and scale was tested by computing Cronbach’s Alpha. Alpha values were 0.874 for online shopping orientation, 0.921 for perceived benefits, and 0.853 for attitude. These alpha values exceed the 0.80 recommended acceptable inter-items reliability threshold, indicating a high correlation among the variables comprising the set, and accordingly, that individual items (or sets of items) should produce results consistent with the overall instrument. In light of this, this instrument is offered to the research community as a tool that may be used in conducting future research related to online shopping behavior

Critical review of the e-loyalty literature: a purchase-centred framework

Over the last few years, the concept of online loyalty has been examined extensively in the literature, and it remains a topic of constant inquiry for both academics and marketing managers. The tremendous development of the Internet for both marketing and e-commerce settings, in conjunction with the growing desire of consumers to purchase online, has promoted two main outcomes: (a) increasing numbers of Business-to-Customer companies running businesses online and (b) the development of a variety of different e-loyalty research models. However, current research lacks a systematic review of the literature that provides a general conceptual framework on e-loyalty, which would help managers to understand their customers better, to take advantage of industry-related factors, and to improve their service quality. The present study is an attempt to critically synthesize results from multiple empirical studies on e-loyalty. Our findings illustrate that 62 instruments for measuring e-loyalty are currently in use, influenced predominantly by Zeithaml et al. (J Marketing. 1996;60(2):31-46) and Oliver (1997; Satisfaction: a behavioral perspective on the consumer. New York: McGraw Hill). Additionally, we propose a new general conceptual framework, which leads to antecedents dividing e-loyalty on the basis of the action of purchase into pre-purchase, during-purchase and after-purchase factors. To conclude, a number of managerial implementations are suggested in order to help marketing managers increase their customers’ e-loyalty by making crucial changes in each purchase stage

Shacklefords Commercial Development Analysis

King and Queen County believes that economic development is crucial to ensuring a stable economy and high quality of life for residents of the county. With an out-commuting rate of 71% for the entire Middle Peninsula region, residents and businesses are spending their money outside of the region due to a lack of job opportunities and commercial development. However, the intersection of Route 33 and The Trail at Shacklefords within King and Queen County provides a major economic development opportunity for King and Queen County and the Middle Peninsula region. Through a one-semester research project, students in a VCU Commercial Revitalization course were invited by King and Queen County Administrator, Thomas Swartzwelder, to complete research on King and Queen County’s opportunity to attract the commuting traffic passing Shacklefords each day, as well as meet the desires of the community and the existing plans for this site. A VDOT Smart Scale funded development, currently in the design phase, will create a telecommuting center at the Shacklefords site, and relocate the offices of the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission (PDC) to the same development. On a separate site at the same intersection, a privately established craft brewery site represents a convergence of new development that could spur additional commercial opportunities

Evolving the online customer experience ... is there a role for online customer support?

This paper advances our theoretical understanding with regard to the online customer experience in a utilitarian context. The aim of this research is to understand if there is a need for online customer support during search for information and services on business support websites. In contrast to previous studies highlighting time distortion as part of the optimal customer experience, the findings of this research illustrate that customers are time conscious during a utilitarian search with the perceived length of time spent on the website influencing the customer experience. Additionally, the perceived length of time spent on the website influences the need to seek online customer support. The outcomes of customers requiring online customer support in relation to the customer experience have been established. The findings provide key managerial implications for economic development agencies and online business support providers on the requirement of online customer support and insight into the time conscious nature of customers in relation to the online customer experience

Affective and Deliberative Processes in Decision Making: Option Framed Scenarios

As the internet becomes more widely used as a marketplace, consumers are increasingly faced with scenarios where they have to customize products by adding features to a base model or delete features from a fully loaded model, a phenomenon known as option framing. People can now customize their vacations, pizzas, personal computers, shoes and cars with the click of a mouse. Recent research has shown consumers will end up with more features and spend more money when they have to remove features from a fully loaded model versus adding features to a base model (Biswas, 2009; Park & Kim, 2012). Emotion may impact these decision processes. People typically use two modes of information processing: fast and intuitive or deliberate and analytical. Past research has shown positive and neutral emotions can lead people to use a fast and intuitive information processing mode while negative emotions can lead people to use a deliberate and analytical approach (Howard & Barry, 1994; Park & Banji, 2000; Samson & Voyer, 2012; Schwarz, 2013; Schwarz & Bless, 1991). This study investigated how the specific emotions of amusement and sadness impact decisions in an option framing scenario of purchasing a car. Participants were induced with either an amusement or sadness emotion by watching a film clip and then added features to a base model car or removed features from a fully loaded car. The results confirmed past findings in that people spent more money and chose more features when presented with a fully loaded model versus a base model. Emotion did not have an effect in the final product configuration

An Examination of a Multidimensional Model of Customer Satisfaction with Internet Purchasing

The World Wide Web and Internet have transformed the competitive business environment and altered the customer-firm relationship by creating a new retailing format and service enterprise. It is rapidly growing as a competitive distribution medium in which customer satisfaction will be a major success factor in the development and maintenance of this new retailing format. Despite its growing importance as a new shopping medium, little empirical research has been conducted that examines the relationship between Internet shopping, customer satisfaction, company image, and future online purchasing. Research is needed to develop theoretical models that will systematically explain and predict behavior related to Internet shopping. The purpose of this dissertation research was to examine how consumers become satisfied with an Internet purchasing experience, how company image is impacted by the shopping experience, and how satisfaction and company image affect future purchase behavior. Specifically, the constructs of information quality, ease of use, value, and expectation congruency were examined to determine their influence on satisfaction and company image in the context of shopping over the Internet. In order to assess the various relationships that exist in the proposed model of customer satisfaction with Internet purchasing, a structural modeling approach was employed. In addition, analysis of variance test of significance was conducted to determine if there were any differences in the mean ratings of satisfaction with an Internet purchase among different groups of consumers. Overall, the results of testing the model in this study support the assertion that a positive and direct relationship exists between customer satisfaction and the intention to continue shopping at a firm\u27s Web site. The results also provide evidence for the factors that significantly influence satisfaction with online shopping. Economic value and ease of use were found to have a positive and direct effect on consumer satisfaction with an Internet purchasing experience. These findings may be important for marketing managers because they can provide guidelines for planning Internet strategies to develop customer satisfaction and maintain customer loyalty. A positive and direct effect between company image and consumers\u27 desires to continue shopping on the firm\u27s Web site was also statistically supported by the data. The factors found to influence a positive company image after shopping at a firm\u27s Web site are ease of use and economic value. The results of the study also revealed that expectations and frequency of Internet shopping affected consumer\u27s ratings of satisfaction. The findings from this study may provide future researchers with evidence to expand their understanding of how the electronic retail medium of the Internet impacts the customer-firm relationship. In summary, this study provides empirical support for the factors that influence satisfaction with an Internet shopping experience, company image, and future purchasing behavior from a firm\u27s Web site

Implementing a Short-term Field-based Experiential Learning Activity: The Retail Scavenger Hunt

This article introduces the Retail Scavenger Hunt (RSH)—a short-term field-based experiential learning activity. This flexible pedagogical tool enables students to experience first-hand what is commonly referred to in the consumer-packaged goods industry as “the store check.” Although initially designed as an instructor-led activity, the authors adapted the exercise during the pandemic to be executed as a self-directed, app-based field activity. As a result, this research can compare student impressions across implementation modes