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Toward an integrated framework for

online consumer behavior and
decision making process: A review

ARTICLE in PSYCHOLOGY AND MARKETING · FEBRUARY 2010

Impact Factor: 1.13 · DOI: 10.1002/mar.20322

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Toward an Integrated
Framework for Online
Consumer Behavior and
Decision Making Process:
A Review
William K. Darley
Millersville University of Pennsylvania

Charles Blankson
University of North Texas

Denise J. Luethge
Northern Kentucky University

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a comprehensive review of recent empirical

studies dealing with online consumer behavior and decision-making
processes. To that end, the paper adapts and extends Engel, Kollat,
and Blackwell’s (1978) and Engel, Blackwell, and Miniard’s (1986)
decision-making model as backdrop in the review of the literature.
The vast majority of studies examine the link between external fac-
tors and one or more components of the decision-making process. The
findings of this study show a paucity of research on a number of com-
ponents of decision making, as well as inconsistencies in the way the
online environment is characterized. Finally, the findings show that
student samples are prevalent among the studies identified and the
research method is biased toward the survey method as opposed to
experimentation. Discussion and conclusions are provided, and direc-
tions for future research are presented. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Psychology & Marketing, Vol. 27(2): 94–116 (February 2010)

Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com)
© 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. DOI: 10.1002/mar.20322
94
The rise of the Internet has propelled commerce into an electronic age, chang-
ing almost every aspect of daily lives, from how consumers communicate and
learn about product offerings, to how they shop and buy products and services
(Kim & Lennon, 2008). As expected, advertising through the Internet is now an
important source of consumer information. As noted by Kim and Lennon (2008),
the Internet is the fastest growing retail channel, with sales volumes nearly
triple that of total retail sales in 2004 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2004). Internet
retail sales are projected to reach over $331 billion by 2010 (Kim & Lennon,
2008). Despite the current economic hardship challenging consumers world-
wide, the increasing adoption of the Internet among the general population
appears to project a brighter future for retail Internet patronization by con-
sumers. Consumers increasingly are using the Internet to collect e-coupons and
create their own virtual coupon books, as noted by Kang et al. (2006), who claim
that consumers obtain online a variety of coupons, from grocery shopping to
theatre performances to hotels.
Despite the increasing attention and interest surrounding online consumer
behavior in the last decade, there is a paucity of documented studies that attempt
to integrate research findings across studies from a theoretical marketing and con-
sumer behavior perspective. This gap in the literature has given impetus for this
paper. One should note that there have been attempts in information systems and
other allied areas (see, for example, Saeed, Hwang, & Yi, 2003; Hodkinson & Kiel,
2003) to integrate research findings so as to explain online consumer behavior
from the perspective of information systems, but little with regard to marketing.
Thus, the purpose of this study is to present a review framework that provides
an understanding of the extent to which the current marketing and consumer
behavior body of literature contributes to an understanding of online con-
sumer behavior and the decision making process. This paper adapts and extends
Engel, Kollat, and Blackwell’s (1978) and Engel, Blackwell, and Miniard’s (1986) (EKB)
model of consumer behavior as a backdrop in synthesizing findings from the litera-
ture. Figure 1 presents an adapted version of the EKB model of consumer behavior.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The Engel-Kollat-Blackwell (EKB) model extended John Dewey’s (1910) original

five-stage problem-solving process and applied it to consumer behavior. Using the
EKB model as a backdrop, the focus is on the five core stages of the decision-
making process (i.e., problem recognition, search, alternative evaluation pur-
chase, choice, and outcomes). These five stages are the most widely accepted, as
evidenced in a majority of consumer behavior textbooks (see, for example, Assael,
1998; Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel, 2005; Hawkins, Best, & Cooney, 2003).
For the purposes of this review paper, the focus is on the decision process stages,
the cognitive (i.e., beliefs), affective (i.e., attitudes), and conative (i.e., intentions)
factors underlying alternative evaluation, and the external or environmental
influences on the decision process stages (see Figure 1). The external or environ-
mental factors are broken into four parts: (1) individual differences or character-
istics such as motives, values, lifestyle, and personality; (2) socio-cultural factors
such as culture, social class, reference groups, and family; (3) situational and
economic factors; and (4) online atmospherics or environmental aspects (e.g., Web
site quality, Web site interface, Web site satisfaction, and Web site experience).

ONLINE CONSUMER BEHAVIOR 95

Psychology & Marketing DOI: 10.1002/mar
 Decision Process External Factors

Problem Recognition Individual

Characteristics
• Motives
• Value
• Life Style
Internal • Personality
Search
External Social
Influences
Beliefs • Culture
• Reference
Alternative Evaluation Group
Attitudes • Family

Intentions
Situational and
Economic
Purchase Factors

Online
Environment
• Web Site
Quality
Outcomes • Web Site
Interface
• Web Site
Satisfaction
• Web Site
Experience

Cognitive Dissatisfaction/
Consumption Disinvestment
Dissonance Satisfaction

Source: Adapted from Engel, Kollat, and Blackwell (1978) and Engel, Blackwell,
and Miniard (1986).

Figure 1. A modified model of online consumer behavior and decision making.

The extended model (1) recognizes the central role of the five stages of the
decision-making process as well as recognizes the moderators, interactions, and
consequences of the decision-making process; (2) is consistent with the call for a
return to a focus on the satisfaction of human needs rather than an emphasis on
technology (Porter, 2001; Grant, Clarke, & Kyriazis, 2007; Wind & Mahajan,
2002); and (3) recognizes the fact that online consumer behavior is a complex phe-
nomenon. The proposed model is therefore comprehensive enough to capture
the interactions, moderators, and underpinnings.

DATA COLLECTION

First, empirical studies that appeared in the major mainstream marketing and
consumer behavior journals in the period of 2001 to 2008 were identified through

96 DARLEY, BLANKSON, AND LUETHGE

Psychology & Marketing DOI: 10.1002/mar
a research database (i.e., Business Source Premier). Second, searches were con-
ducted of a large number of journals that were likely to publish topics relating
to online consumer behavior and decision-making process. Using Cabell’s jour-
nal directory as a starting point, the initial list included over 60 journals.
Journal of Business Research and Management Science were included because
they carry mainstream marketing or marketing-related articles.
Specifically, in terms of procedure, it was decided to include only studies that
have been published in major marketing and consumer behavior journals (i.e.,
within the traditional marketing domain using Cabell’s Directory as a backdrop),
as well as allied journals (e.g., Journal of Business Research and Management Sci-
ence). Third, only empirically based online consumer behavior studies published
between 2001 and 2008 where the unit of analysis involves data from surveys or
experiments were included for further consideration. Thus, to be included in the
review, a study had to meet two conditions or requirements: (1) It involved empir-
ical testing of an aspect of online consumer behavior decision making, directly or
indirectly; and (2) it involved actual primary data collection (e.g., survey and/
or experimentation). The initial list of journals contained 27 of the 55 marketing
journals tracked by Theoharakis and Hirst (2002) in their world ranking. These
were viewed as mainstream marketing sources and were considered appropriate
outlets for research on online consumer behavior and decision-making process.
It is important to note that for the purpose of this study, only empirically
tested constructs and relationships, rather than conceptual approaches, were con-
sidered. This approach allowed the authors to explain and predict online
consumer behavior and decision-making process, in general, and to examine
the integration of online behavior in the proposed extension of the EKB model.
For the literature search, keywords appearing in phrases including online
consumer behavior, online consumer search behavior, Internet search behavior,
online information search, online purchasing behavior, Internet consumer
behavior, and online decision making were used. As a validation check, all rel-
evant journal titles with the aforementioned keywords in the subject item, by
article title, and by abstract were searched. Each identified article was reviewed
and screened by two academics with expertise in the subject area to eliminate
nonpertinent articles. As noted earlier, the experts based their screening on
whether (1) it was published from 2001 to 2008, (2) it involved empirical test-
ing of an aspect of online decision making or online consumer behavior, and
(3) it involved actual primary data. Excluded from the pool were modeling stud-
ies and those studies that involved auctions on the Internet or bidding behav-
ior. Incidentally, International Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising,
Journal of Advertising Research, Journal of Business, Journal of Consumer
Marketing, Journal of International Marketing, Journal of Product and Brand
Management, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of the Mar-
ket Research Society, and Marketing Management Journal were eliminated
because no relevant articles were found for the 2001 to 2008 period.
A list of 108 peer-reviewed articles dealing with online consumer behavior,
online purchase behavior, and online decision making or any combination of the
aforementioned terminologies, were identified. A content analysis was performed
on the articles, resulting in 52 pertinent articles emanating from 25 journals
(Table 1). The selected articles were then coded along the following dimensions:
methodology, sample size, sample source, independent variables, dependent vari-
ables, and study findings. A summary is presented in Table 2.

ONLINE CONSUMER BEHAVIOR 97

Psychology & Marketing DOI: 10.1002/mar
Table 1. List of Online Consumer Behavior and Decision Making Processes
Studies Published in Marketing and Consumer Behavior Journals.

Number of
Journals Studied Articles

European Journal of Marketing 2

International Journal of Business Research 1
International Journal of Consumer Studies 7
International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management 3
International Marketing Review 1
International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research 1
Journal of Business Research 2
Journal of Consumer Psychology 2
Journal of Consumer Research 1
Journal of Customer Behavior 1
Journal of Interactive Marketing 6
Journal of International Consumer Marketing 2
Journal of Marketing Management 1
Journal of Marketing Research 1
Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice 2
Journal of Retailing 6
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 1
Journal of Service Research 1
Management Science 2
Marketing Letters 2
Psychology & Marketing 6
Service Industries Journal 1
Total 52

Table 1 shows the final list of 25 journals, 17 of which had previously been
part of the 55 marketing journals tracked by Theoharakis and Hirst (2002) in
their worldwide ranking. Table 1 also shows the total number of articles and the
number of articles per journal. As noted earlier, 52 articles were selected from
the 25 journals and were subjected to content analysis. International Journal
of Retail & Distribution Management, Psychology of Marketing, Journal of
Interactive Marketing, Journal of Retailing, and Journal of Consumer Studies
had five to eight articles each. These accounted for about 54% (i.e., 28 out of 52)
of the total number of articles studied. In addition, they were the most popular
outlets for online consumer behavior and decision-making research.
In the next section, Table 2 is presented; it is a summary review of a selected
number of recent articles dealing with online consumer behavior and decision-
making process. This is followed by the findings, conclusion, and future research
directions.

FINDINGS

Table 2 lists the studies covered by authors and year of publication. It also pro-
vides information on the method(s) employed, sample size and the source of the

98 DARLEY, BLANKSON, AND LUETHGE

Psychology & Marketing DOI: 10.1002/mar
Table 2. Summary Review of Online Consumer Behavior and Decision Making Literature.

Sample Sample Independent Dependent

Authors (Year) Method Size Source Variable Variable Findings

Aggarwal and Experiment 42 College Consumer Best product to There is a closer match between conjoint type
Vaidyanathan students preference recommend full-profile and self-explicated ratings for products
(2003), JMM closer to the extremes of consumer preference.
Anderson and Survey 214 Online Purchasing Price, shopping time, Those who use the C2C channel take more time and
Zahaf (2007), shoppers through the perceived risk, shopping do more research that compensates for the risk that
IJBR C2C channel time, loyalty they take.
or not
Andrews, Kiel, Internet 631 Adult Gender Perceived risk, results Male online purchasers were discriminated from
Drennan, Boyle, survey consumers differences demonstrability, relative female purchasers by social value and from male
and Weerawardena advantage, social prestige, non-purchasers by conditional value. Female
(2007), EJM personal status purchasers were discriminated from male
purchasers by functional value and from female
non-purchasers by social value.
Barnes, Bauer, Online survey 1011 Adult Neuroticism, Risk averse doubters, Cluster analysis confirmed three-cluster solution,
Neumann, and consumers willingness to open-minded online namely, risk-averse doubters, open-minded online
Huber (2007), buy, shopping shoppers, reserved shoppers, and reserved information seekers. The
EJM pleasure information seekers discriminating variables were neuroticism,
willingness to buy, and shopping pleasure.
Bechwati and Experiment 52 College Information Satisfaction with job Consumers’ satisfaction with the search process is
Xia (2003), JCP students about search search process and positively associated with their perception of effort
progress, results, perceptions of saved for them by electronic aids.
customization effort
of results
Bickart and Experiment 69 College Type of site, Purchase likelihood, Consumers who gathered information from online
Schindler (2001), students topic interest and knowledge discussions reported greater interest in this product
JIM about category, expected topic than did those consumers who acquired
spending information from the marketer generated sources.

(Continued)
Table 2. (Continued)

Sample Sample Independent Dependent

Authors (Year) Method Size Source Variable Variable Findings

Breugelmans, Experiment 584 Adult Three types of Post-purchase experience The adopted stock-out policy has a significant
Campo, and consumers out of stock impact on consumers’ category purchase and
Gijsbrechts scenarios choice decisions.
(2006), JR
Childers, Carr, Experiment 274 College Usefulness, Attitude towards shopping Results support the differential importance of
Peck, and Carson students ease of use, immersive, hedonic aspects of the new media as
(2001), JR enjoyment, well as the more traditional utilitarian motivations.
navigation, Also, navigation, convenience, and suitability of the
convenience, electronic environment to personally examining
and suitability products were found to be important predictors of
online shopping attitudes.
Cho (2006), JR Internet 881 Adult Core business Willingness to commit in Trust and distrust are shaped by different
survey consumers operation, a long-term relation and dimensions of trustworthiness, and trust affects
relationship self-disclosure behavioral intentions differently than distrust.
investments,
competence,
benevolence,
trust, and
distrust
Cowart and Survey 197 College Consciousness, Shopping frequency, Consciousness, hedonistic shopping, impulsiveness,
Goldsmith (2007), students impulsiveness, spending and brand loyalty were positively correlated with
IJCS over-choice online apparel shopping. Price sensitivity was
negatively correlated with online spending.
Das, Echambadi, Survey 372 Internet Need for Purchase made on the E-consumers who are low on interpersonal trust are
McCardle, and users cognition, social Web, information seeking less likely to shop on the Web due to heightened
Luckett (2003), ML loneliness, behavior, surfing behavior concerns with Web security. E-consumers who enjoy
interpersonal cognitively demanding processing tasks are more
trust likely to use the Web for information search.

(Continued)
Table 2. (Continued)

Sample Sample Independent Dependent

Authors (Year) Method Size Source Variable Variable Findings

Dash and Saji Survey 510 Adult Perceived Intentions to transact The consumer self-efficacy and Web site social-
(2007), IJCM consumers usefulness, presence affect trust, perceived usefulness, and
trust, perceived perceived risk in the online customers, and in turn
risk, self efficacy, positively influence the customer’s intention to
social presence purchase products online.
Falk, Schepers, Survey 639 Internet Perceived Behavioral intention Offline channel satisfaction reduces the perceived
Hammerschmidt, consumers usefulness of usefulness and enhances the perceived risk of the
and Bauer (2008), the channel, online channel. The negative relationship between
JSR perceived risk offline channel satisfaction and perceived usefulness
of the channel, is significantly stronger for men, older people, and
trust in the less-experienced Internet users.
service product
Fransi and Viadiu Survey 464 Consumers Reliability, Online satisfaction Three segments were identified: (1) young demanding
(2007), IJCS assurance, people who were worried about reliability and
communication confidentiality, (2) young people who were worried
about confidentiality and who were seeking fast and
easy navigation, and (3) somewhat older Internet
users who had low expectations of an ideal Internet
store and who were not particularly satisfied with
their purchase experiences.
Garbarino and Survey 260 College Gender with Perceived risk Women perceive a higher level of risk in online
Strahilevitz (2004), students Web usage as purchasing than do men and having a site
JBR covariate recommended by a friend lends to both a
Experiment 220 College No recommend- greater reduction in perceived risk and a stronger
students ation, recom- Effectiveness of receiving increase in willingness to buy online among women
mendation by a a recommendation from than among men.
friend, and by a friend
two friends.
Goldsmith Longitudinal 107 College Amount of Online buying, intent to Frequency of buying and intent to buy online in the
(2002), JMTP survey students Internet use, buy online future were predicted by general innovativeness, an
Internet innovative predisposition toward buying online, and
innovativeness involvement with the Internet.

(Continued)
Table 2. (Continued)

Sample Sample Independent Dependent

Authors (Year) Method Size Source Variable Variable Findings

Ha and Perks E-mail 203 Internet Experience, Brand trust Brand experiences, search for information, high
(2005), JCB survey consumers familiarity, level of brand familiarity, and customer satisfaction
satisfaction are antecedents of brand trust.
Hansen (2008), Online 1058 Adult Values, perceived Willingness to buy Consumers may link personal values to attitude
IJCS survey consumers social influence, toward online grocery buying but this relation may
perceived be moderated by whether the consumer previously
behavior control, has carried out an online purchase on an online
attitude toward grocery purchase.
online grocery
buying
Hansen (2006), Survey 198 Adult Perceived Repeat online grocery Consumers’ attitude towards online grocery buying
IRRDCR consumers physical effort, buying intentions is positively affected by perceived offline physical
time pressures, effort and negatively affected by offline shopping
shopping enjoyment.
enjoyment
Hennig-Thurau, Online 2063 Internet Eleven motives Platform visit frequency, Consumers’ desire for social interaction, desire for
Gwinner, Walsh, survey users comment writing economic incentives, and the potential to enhance
and Gremler their own self-worth are the primary factors leading
(2004), JIM to e-WOM behavior.
Jepsen (2007), Internet 233 Internet Perceived search Use of Internet for The amount of Internet use affects use of the
JIM survey users cost, importance information research Internet for pre-purchase information search more
of Internet in than perceived low search costs and perceived
life, interest in availability of information.
product
Jiang, Jones, and Survey 355 Adult Intensity of logo Perception of third-party Web site certification can reassure potential
Javie (2008), PM consumers exposure, participation, trust customers and increase the probability of
importance of transfer to e-marketers purchase.
trust

(Continued)
Table 2. (Continued)

Sample Sample Independent Dependent

Authors (Year) Method Size Source Variable Variable Findings

Kang, Hahn, Survey 410 College Perceived E-coupon usage intention Perceived behavioral control and attitude toward
Fortin, Hyun, and students behavioral con- Internet searching have significant effects on the
Eom (2006), PM trol, attitude to- intention to use e-coupons.
ward Internet
searching
Kim and Lee Survey 176 College Perceived Frequency of product Consumers searched for and bought more often
(2008), IJCS students usefulness of purchases from a retail channel they perceived more useful
information, for product information search. Consumers who
search satis- were more satisfied with apparel purchases from a
faction with retail channel bought the products more frequently
previous via that channel.
purchases,
frequency of
information
search
Klein and Ford Survey 337 Adult Demographics, Total hours, total Basic economics continues to drive information
(2003), JIM consumers knowledge, and sources search measured in terms of amount of time and
Internet breadth.
experience
Koernig (2003), Experiment 102 College High/low service Perceived satisfaction, The documentation strategy is effective for
PM students documentation attitude, patronage intent, increasing the tangibility of services and elicits
strategy and the recall, and perceived risk more positive evaluations of the service and the
type of visual Web site, higher unaided recall and higher loyalty.
tangible cues
Kuhlmeier and Survey 492 Consumers Internet Perceived risk, purchase The extent of ongoing Internet usage, long-term
Knight (2005), productivity, likelihood experience, and perceived risk are important
IMR Internet antecedents to purchasing goods via the Internet.
experience

(Continued)
Table 2. (Continued)

Sample Sample Independent Dependent

Authors (Year) Method Size Source Variable Variable Findings

Lee and Lee Experiment 350 College The alternatives, Choice accuracy, subjective The number of attributes and attribute level of
(2004), PM students the number of states, consideration set, distribution were good predictors of information
attributes, the number of attributes overload on consumer choice. Online information
distribution of considered overload resulted in less satisfied, less confident
alternatives ac- and more confused consumers.
ross attributes
Liang, Chen, and Survey 766 Online Relationship Customer loyalty, customer Effectiveness of relationship marketing influences
Wang (2008), consumers type, investment, retention, customer online consumers’ perception, then their loyalty,
SIJ and quality cross-buying and ultimately their actual purchase behavior.
Lim and Dubinsky Survey 237 College Control beliefs, Attitude toward behavior, The study supported the interdependencies between
(2005), PM students normative subjective norm, perceived salient beliefs in the theory of planned behavior.
beliefs, atten- behavioral control,
dant beliefs purchase intention
Lin (2008), JICM Survey 274 Bank Perceived risk, Online behavior, Personal requirements for investment were the
customers subjective norm, post-purchase behavior most decisive factor for consumers to take actions.
product Correctness of products was the most influential
involvement factor for the gap of perceived service quality.
Lokken, Cross, Web-based 130 Adult Advantages and Satisfaction/ dissatisfaction Differences between online shoppers and non-online
Halbert, Lindsey, survey consumers disadvantages with online purchasing shoppers correspondent with Rogers’ categories of
Derby, and of online experience adopters. Educational needs of consumers also
Stanford (2003), shopping differed based on their previous experience with
IJCS online shopping.
Mathwick and Within-subject 110 Adults High/low Internet usage, perceived Moderated by product involvement, play serves as
Rigdon (2004), repeated involvement play a link between flow theory and the online consumer
JCR measures products attitude formation process.
design

(Continued)
Table 2. (Continued)

Sample Sample Independent Dependent

Authors (Year) Method Size Source Variable Variable Findings

Menon and 1-experiment 64 College Pleasantness Attitudes There is a positive impact on approach behavior and
Kahn (2002), JR students and degree of subjects engage in more arousing activities if the
pleasure initial experience encountered in a simulated
Internet shopping trip are higher in pleasure.
Menon and 2-experiment 147 College High/moderate/ Shopping behaviors Consumers tend to engage in less arousing activities
Kahn (2002), JR students low arousal and if higher stimulation or information load is
high/neutral provided by the initial Internet experience.
pleasure
Page-Thomas, Online survey 715 College Pricing guide, Pre-purchase delivery Consumers rate delivery pricing guides, delivery
Moss, Chelly, students guarantees, information guarantees, and delivery schedules as the most
and Yabin (2006), delivery important delivery information they expect online
IJRDM schedules, prior to purchase.
delivery vendor
information,
delivery method
information
Park and Kim Survey 602 Adult Information Site commitment, actual Information quality, user interface quality and
(2003), IJRDM consumers quality, security purchase behavior security perceptions affect information satisfaction,
perceptions, which in turn, significantly relates to site
information commitment and actual purchase behavior.
satisfaction
Ratchford, Lee, Survey 886 Car buyers Amount of Time spent searching Those who use the Internet to search for cars are
and Talukdar experience, in hours younger and more educated and search more in
(2003), JMR content of general.
experience, prior
information,
time costs,
demographic

(Continued)
Table 2. (Continued)

Sample Sample Independent Dependent

Authors (Year) Method Size Source Variable Variable Findings

Schiffman, Survey 506 Internet Consumer Activities associated with Differences were observed in behavior and feelings
Sherman, and users personal values, using the Internet about the Internet based on personal values.
Long (2003), PM attitudes, and Respondents who scored high on self-fulfillment
preferences were more likely to use the Internet for learning or
gathering information.
Senecal, Experiment 293 Internet Product type Click stream Subjects who did not consult a product
Kalczynski, and users and online recommendation had a significantly less complex
Nantel (2004), decision-making online shopping behavior than subjects who
JBR type consulted the production recommendation. No
differences were found between the online shopping
behavior of subjects who consulted but did not
follow the product recommendation and subjects
who consulted and followed the product
recommendation.
Senecal and Experiment 487 Adult Web site type, Online choices The recommender system was the most influential
Nantel (2004), consumers recommendation recommendation source even if it was perceived as
JR source, product possessing less expertise than human experts.
type Recommendations for experience products were
more influential than for search products.
Seock and Bailey Survey 956 College Shopping Online information Shopping orientations were significantly related to
(2008), IJCS students orientation searches; online searches for information about and purchases of
purchases of apparel apparel online. Gender differences in their shopping
products orientations, online information searches, and
purchase experiences were found.
Seock and Survey 414 College Shopping Internet channel usage Subjects with different shopping orientations differ
Chen-Yu (2007), students orientations in their Web site evaluation criteria, online
IJCS information searches, and online purchases.

(Continued)
Table 2. (Continued)
Sample Sample Independent Dependent
Authors (Year) Method Size Source Variable Variable Findings

Shim, Eastlick, Survey 684 Adult Attitude toward Intentions to use Internet Intention to use the Internet to search for
Lotz, and consumers Internet for information search and information is the strongest predictor of
Warrington (2001), shopping, for saving Internet purchase intentions.
JR subjective norm,
perceived
behavioral
control
Smith, Menon, Experiment 150 College Shopping goal Preference for Individuals who were exposed to “high-credibility
and Sivakumar students (utilitarian/ recommendation source, peer recommender” not only utilized the
(2005), JIM hedonic), peer impact of recommendation recommendation to make their final selection, but
profile (no re- on information processing were also able to reduce the amount of search effort
commendation, invested in the overall process. Consumers prefer
low credibility, peer and editorial recommendations sponsored ads.
high credibility
information)
Soopramanien and Survey 894 Adult Variety of Ever bought online, ever There is a fundamental difference between those
Robertson (2007), consumers demographic used Internet for search that purchase online, those that browse online but
JRCS information then purchase in-store, and those that do not shop
online at all.
Song and Zahedi Controlled lab 639 College Web design Purchase intention Various categories of Web-design elements reinforce
(2005), MS experiment students categories, Web customers’ beliefs, which in turn positively
attitude, impact attitudinal constructs that lead to changes
external sub- in their purchase intentions
jective norm,
perceived
behavioral
control
Sorce, Perotti, and Survey 300 College Age, attitude to- Use of Internet for While older online shoppers search for significantly
Widrick (2005), students ward Internet, shopping, ever purchase fewer products than their younger counterparts,
IJRDM shopping target items online, they actually purchase as much as younger consumers
attitude percent of online purchases Age explained more variance in purchasing behavior if
the consumer had first searched for the product online.

(Continued)
Table 2. (Continued)

Sample Sample Independent Dependent

Authors (Year) Method Size Source Variable Variable Findings

Venkatesh and Survey 757 Internet Prior experience, Web site use, purchase Web site use is a significant antecedent of purchase
Agarwal (2006), users purchase behavior behavior.
MS experience,
purchase need
Xia and Online 89 College Interruption Time spent, satisfaction, The right configuration of interruptions may lead
Sudharshan experiment students frequency, number of pages visited to increased online viewing time, whereas
(2002), UI consumer ill-designed interruptions may be detrimental.
control timing,
content
Xie, Teo, and Experiment 147 Adult Reputation, Willingness to provide Rewards, privacy notices, and reputation greatly
Wan (2006), ML consumers privacy notices, demographic information, influence consumers’ intention to provide accurate
and rewards willingness to provide personal information over the Internet. Rewards
personally identifiable have a positive impact on decision to provide
information accurate personal information but not for
demographic data. Privacy notices boost decision to
provide personal and demographic information.
A company’s reputation and willingness to provide
accurate personal information are highly correlated.
Yoon (2002), JIM Simulation 122 College Transaction Online trust, purchase Web site trust showed significant response to site
and survey students security, site intentions properties. Personal variables had a high correlation
properties, with Web site satisfaction. Online purchase
navigation intention was influenced by Web site trust,
functionality, Web site satisfaction, and Web site awareness.
personal Trust and satisfaction had a high correlation.
variables
Zhang, Prybutok, Web survey 332 College Subjective Purchase intentions, Gender differences exist with respect to purchase
and Strutton students norms, consumer impulsivity, intention, consumer impulsivity, and frequency of
(2007), JMTP gender actual purchase purchase.
sample, and the independent and dependent variables of the particular study.
In addition, the major findings of these studies are presented.
Content analysis of Table 2 shows that the most common research method is the
survey. Thirty-seven out of the 52 studies (71%) employed survey methodology. In
contrast, only 16 of the studies (31%) involved experimentation. The surveys were
done either by mail, e-mail, or online, while experimental designs were either con-
joint, within-subjects design, or between-subjects design. The fact that only 31% of
the research endeavors are experimental designs is disappointing. This short-
coming also has been highlighted as a concern with regard to future research by
Cowart and Goldsmith (2007, p. 646) who stated that “future research should read-
dress the topic using different measurement scales or conducting experiments to
determine whether causal relationships exists.” Despite the fact that surveys are
relatively easy to conduct and can yield rich information, the survey method is
limited by people’s insight into their own behavior and by their willingness and abil-
ity to reveal what they know (Sternthal, Tybout, & Calder, 1994). It is asserted
that knowledge about online consumer behavior could also benefit from (1) what
people do or say in response to what people are presented within an experiment
and (2) observed causality. Of course, the observation of causality is the defining
aspect of the use of experiments (Sternthal, Tybout, & Calder, 1994).
The literature also shows that the use of student cohorts as population of
study is prevalent among consumer behavior theorists and marketers (Yoo,
Donthu, & Lee, 2000). This finding is expected and is well documented, especially
given that students are a highly relevant population and tend to be comfort-
able with all sorts of emerging Internet formats (see Dabholkar, van Dolen, &
de Ruyter, 2009). The latter is evident in Lim and Dubinsky’s (2005, p. 852)
claim that “college students deserve e-retailer attention because of their sig-
nificant numbers in a cyber world.” The authors contend that college students
spend more than 20 hours per week on the Internet, and 81% of them have
made purchases online. Nonetheless, the use of students as subjects of studies is
disproportionate compared with other populations. Out of the 52 studies reported
in Table 2, 24 (i.e., 46%) of them used student samples. On the other hand, 19
studies employed adults (31%) and only 10 studies used online shoppers or
Internet users (19%) as subjects.
A review and content analysis of the literature listed in Table 2 reveals two
key themes running through the extant literature. The first theme deals with
“personal satisfaction, interest in online shopping, and brand loyalty.” This theme
is underpinned by the fact that, in general, consumers’ satisfaction with the
Internet is positively associated with their perceptions of effort saved than by
electronic aids (Barnes et al., 2007). At the same time, consumers have a greater
interest in the Internet than in other alternatives (Bickart & Schindler, 2001)
in that their satisfaction and display of brand loyalty positively affects their
shopping behavior (Cowart & Goldsmith, 2007). The latter is encapsulated in the
findings put forward by Hennig-Thurau et al., (2004) when they noted that con-
sumers’ buying behavior online seems to revolve around their desire for social
interaction, economic incentives, and the potential to enhance self-worth.
The second theme concerns “trust, concern with security and reputation of com-
pany.” Trust is found to be pivotal in Internet buying behavior, and it affects
behavioral intentions (Cho, 2005; Kim & Lee, 2008). This is because low trust
or apprehensiveness regarding Web security is less likely to affect behavioral
intentions (Das et al., 2003; Kuhlmeier & Knight, 2005; Dash & Saji, 2007).

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Psychology & Marketing DOI: 10.1002/mar
In addition, consumers prefer clarity of information, delivery guarantees, and
easy navigation of companies’ or offerings’ Web sites (Xia & Sudharshan, 2002;
Schiffman, Sherman, & Long, 2003; Lee & Lee, 2004; Page-Thomas et al., 2006).
Also, the Web site itself and reputation of the company is a significant antecedent
of online buying behavior (Venkatesh & Agarwal, 2006).
While there appear to be differences between genders (see Zhang, Prybutok, &
Strutton, 2007), other differences are found among online consumers. These
include consumers that purchase online, those that browse online but then pur-
chase in-store, and those that do not shop online at all. However, a content analy-
sis of the literature displayed in Table 2 also reveals that six main consumer
cohorts exist among online consumers. They include: young educated and
demanding people, older online shoppers, experienced online users, and three
kinds of security-conscious consumers (i.e., risk averse, open minded online
shoppers, and information seekers).
From the perspective of the modified model of online consumer behavior and
decision making (see Figure 1), Table 2 provides some indications as to the state
of research pertaining to this area. The focus of most research has been on the link
between the decision process and the external consumer behavior factors impact-
ing that process; however, the areas within the decision process that have been
examined and the types of external factors investigated vary greatly. About 12%
of the studies examined the interrelationships among external factors, primarily
looking at the relationship between online environmental factors and individual
factors. Only one study focused solely on the decision process using an online envi-
ronment, but it did not measure any factors related to that environment.
Focusing on those studies looking at the link between decision making and
external factors, not a single study examined the parts of the decision-making
process having to do with problem recognition, internal search, consumption, or
disinvestment, and only one study investigated cognitive dissonance. In addi-
tion, only three studies examined the belief component of alternative evaluation.
The main focus, by far, fell into the areas of external search (24 studies),
behavioral intentions (22 studies), and purchase (17 studies) components of
the decision-making model, linking these areas primarily with individual
factors and online environmental factors.
With regard to the external consumer behavior components investigated in
those studies linking external factors with the decision-making process, approx-
imately 85% examined the online environment and approximately 75% explored
individual factors, with demographic factors being the most common. Interest-
ingly, only one study considered social factors and only seven analyzed situational
factors.
One area of particular concern is the various ways in which online environ-
mental factors were measured in different studies. For example, Web site sat-
isfaction was measured in some studies by the number of hits on a particular
site, while in other studies it was measured by direct satisfaction questions.
Web experience was measured in some studies by the number of times the
respondent had purchased anything on the Web, while in other studies it was
assumed based on the respondents age (primarily college students). Finally,
Web quality was measured by ease of navigation, convenience, site design, the
amount of information available, or the quality of information available, depend-
ing on the study in question. Much of this variation, however, is likely due to the
fact that Internet purchasing has changed tremendously over the past ten, and

110 DARLEY, BLANKSON, AND LUETHGE

Psychology & Marketing DOI: 10.1002/mar
even the past five years. In addition, the level of sophistication of purchasers,
and hence responders, could be very different. Still, it might prove worthwhile
for researchers to investigate various dimensions of the online environment. As
technology changes, the way consumers seek information and make purchases
is likely to change as well.

DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION, AND FUTURE RESEARCH

DIRECTIONS

This paper has adapted the Engel-Kollat-Blackwell model of consumer behav-

ior and decision making as a backdrop in reviewing the empirical research deal-
ing with online consumer behavior and decision-making process. A review of 52
articles suggests that while the focus has been on the linkages between exter-
nal search, behavioral intentions, and purchase with individual factors and
online environmental factors, there are areas that are still unexplored and that
offer opportunities for further investigation.
As evidenced by the studies reported, there is a scarcity of research that
examines the interactions with and moderators of online decision making. It
appears from this review of a convenience sample of studies that the literature
exploring online consumer behavior and decision making is still in its early
stages of development. Investigations of the constructs in Figure 1 in terms of
online consumer behavior identify convergence and divergence of online and
traditional consumer behavior and the decision-making process. In addition,
there are a number of aspects of the online environment that need clarification.
As technology has changed, the types of environments which are now being
used on many product Web sites have changed as well. There are beginning to
be some similarities in Web site design and functionality, though clearly, advances
in technology will result in new and innovative Web sites in the future. Still, there
should be an examination of the dimensions of the online environment that can
give researchers some level of consistency in measurement. What do we mean
by Web site quality? How do we measure Web site satisfaction? Are there new
dimensions of the Web site environment that have now become vital given the
technological changes in the past five years?
This is not to say that the sole focus should be on technology alone. Clearly,
technology has a huge impact, but there are some authors (Ratchford, Lee, &
Talukdar, 2003) who have proposed that consumer search behavior research
should move beyond a technology-facilitated information access approach to
online information offerings and to reexamine the fundamental purpose behind
consumer information search (see also Grant, Clarke, & Kyriazis, 2007). Fur-
thermore, the emphasis on technology as a focal research point has led to calls
for focusing on the satisfaction of human needs in online consumer behavior
research (Wind & Mahajan, 2002; Porter, 2001; Grant, Clarke, & Kyriazis, 2007).
Such refocusing will contribute to a better understanding of choice decisions
(e.g., products, retail outlets) and of the underpinnings of online consumer behav-
ior and the decision-making process.
Search behavior is likely to be affected by how the individual interacts with
and uses the Internet. Thus, to fully understand the complex interactions, psy-
chological, socio-cultural, and environmental factors ought to be explored. Involve-
ment, product type (e.g., experience vs. search, tangible vs. intangible, semantically

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Psychology & Marketing DOI: 10.1002/mar
simple vs. complex, high vs. low risk), personality (e.g., risk aversion, need for clo-
sure, need for cognition), knowledge acquisition, information processing, and
belief systems may be important moderators that need to be considered.
Two areas not covered in this review are online auctions and bidding behav-
ior. These are definitely areas worth exploring. Online auctions present a new
domain of consumer decision making and have attracted the attention of consumer
researchers. Whereas an understanding of bidder behavior remains limited, some
fundamental aspects of consumer decision making, such as preference construction
and the impact of choice context, are likely to apply to auctions as they do in reg-
ular purchase decision making (Ariely & Simonson, 2003). Research on “propen-
sity to bid in online auctions” (Bosnjak, Obermeier, & Tuten, 2006) suggests that
the bidding behavior may be moderated by individual difference variables.
In addition, the severe downturn in the economy worldwide, and the corre-
sponding job losses that have resulted, may cause consumers to consider types
and ways of purchasing, such as online purchasing or auctions, which they have
not considered in the past. Thus, research that investigates the moderating role
of individual difference variables, situation variables, economic variables, and
the antecedents of bidding behavior should add to our understanding of online
consumer behavior and decision making.
Obviously, there is much more work to be done to uncover all aspects of online
consumer behavior and the decision-making process. Investigating these topics
from different perspectives or frameworks could add new knowledge to the exist-
ing body of knowledge. It is hoped that this review paper will spur future research
in theory development and theory testing unique to online consumer behavior
and the decision-making process, as well as in the testing of traditional con-
sumer behavior theories in an online context. Elaborations and expansions to
include information processing in an online context, online choice behavior,
online learning and knowledge acquisition, and online attitude formation should
be fertile ground for future research. This is consistent with the call by Peter-
son and Merino (2003) for investigations of consumer information search behav-
ior in the context of the Internet that focus on moderators (e.g., expertise) of
that behavior and interactions among the various antecedents of the behavior.
This is necessary because of the complexities of the Internet and information
search behavior (individually and conjunctively).
In addition, future research could continue to explore the differences in con-
sumers’ behaviors in the contexts of brick-and-mortar versus online outlets
(Rajamma, Paswan, & Ganesh, 2007). In summary, the findings of this study have
generated theoretical and practical themes that should be of interest to
researchers and practitioners currently engaged in online consumer decision
making (Lokken et al., 2003; Kuhlmeier & Knight, 2005; Kang et al., 2006;
Andrews et al., 2007; Seock & Chen-Yu, 2007). To that end, it seems clear that
there is a need for more research into online consumer behavior and the
decision making processes (Shim et al., 2001; Ha & Perks, 2005; Jepsen, 2007;
Soopramanien & Robertson, 2007).

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Correspondence regarding this article should be sent to: Charles Blankson, Department
of Marketing and Logistics, College of Business, University of North Texas, 1167 Union
Circle, P. O. Box 311396, Denton, TX 76203 ([email protected]).

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