E-consumer behaviour

Purpose – The primary purpose of this paper is to bring together apparently disparate and yet interconnected strands of research and present an integrated model of e-consumer behaviour. It has a secondary objective of stimulating more research in areas identified as still being under-explored.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper is discursive, based on analysis and synthesis of e-consumer literature.

Findings – Despite a broad spectrum of disciplines that investigate e-consumer behaviour and despite this special issue in the area of marketing, there are still areas open for research into e-consumer behaviour in marketing, for example the role of image, trust and e-interactivity. The paper develops a model to explain e-consumer behaviour.

Research limitations/implications – As a conceptual paper, the study is limited to literature and prior empirical research. It offers the benefit of new research directions for e-retailers in understanding and satisfying e-consumers. The paper provides researchers with a proposed integrated model of e-consumer behaviour.

Originality/value – The paper links a significant body of literature within a unifying theoretical framework and identifies of under-researched areas of e-consumer behaviour in a marketing context.