An empirical investigation into e-shopping excitement: antecedents and effects

Purpose – This paper seeks to examine the antecedents of online shopper excitement, its consequences for behavioural intentions as expressed by intent to return, and positive word-of-mouth communication.

Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual model is developed based on the literature. Instrument item scales to measure all constructs in the model were as informed by the literature and adapted from prior studies. An online structured questionnaire survey was sent by e-mail to a UK consumer panel (n=626). The results were analysed using LISREL 8.7.

Findings – Convenience, involvement, attributes of the web site and merchandising all collectively influence shopper excitement. The attributes of the web site and merchandising directly influence intent to return. E-shopper excitement leads to positive word-of-mouth (WOM) and increases the intent to return.

Research limitations/implications – The study may be limited in that no differentiation is made between the types of goods that e-consumers purchased. A future extension of this work could be to investigate how the study can be applied to various products, including experience goods such as entertainment.

Practical implications – It is shown that shopping excitement can increase intent to return and positive WOM. Understanding online shopper excitement can explain some of the reasons why consumers shop online, which in turn can help e-tailers improve their offerings to their consumers.

Originality/value – The study presents a comprehensive model of online shopper excitement. This is the first study to validate such a model empirically, and therefore the study adds to the understanding of the antecedents and consequences of consumer excitement in the online shopping environment.