Authored by Maria Sufi*
Abstract
The e-commerce industry in Pakistan has seen exceptional development in the past few years. This growth has been fuelled up by the rapid adoption of technology, improving standards of living, and an increasingly young population, besides increasing access to the Internet through broadband and the use of smartphones. The purpose of this paper is to narrow this knowledge gap by examining the impact of environmental and motivational factors on consumers’ online shopping intentions in Pakistan. By using the structural equational model, this study applies the concept of the Stimulus-Organism-Response paradigm, with the combination of the Technology Acceptance Model. The proposed research model examined through a sample of 345 online shoppers to explain the factors that affect their online shopping intention. The results show the significance of the external effect of environmental stimulus, and internal motivational factors significantly affect the organism process, containing perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived enjoyment. Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived enjoyment affect consumers’ online shopping intentions.
Keywords: SOR paradigm; TAM model; Inner motivational factors; Shopping intentions
Introduction
The recent decade has witnessed the rapid expansion of e-commerce. This expansion has been an outcome of numerous advantages derived by the early adopters of an e-commerce system, for example, an e-commerce industry of Pakistan was $15 Million in 2014 and US$ 60-100 million (2015), showing an immense growth trend over the last several years [1]. This growth has been fuelled by the rapid adoption of technology, improving standards of living, an increasingly young population and economically advancing middle class, besides increasing access to the Internet through broadband and use of smartphones and tablets. In light of the above facts, the e-commerce market of Pakistan is very lucrative for foreign investment in the online business.
Previous studies on e-commerce have empirically examined online shopping intentions [2-6] traditional mall shopping [7], and mobile shopping [8,9] the emotional influence of online buying [8], online buying motivation [11], and the effects of hedonic and utilitarian intentions on user behaviour Lin & Lu, 2015) [12,13]. They established that consumers’ online buying intentions are involved and affected by environmental factors.
Considering that the online shopping intentions are selfevaluated sentiment of enjoyment and an effect of perceived ease of use (PEU) and perceived usefulness (PU), examining the adoption of online shopping intentions in emerging markets (like Pakistan) from a psychological viewpoint is significant. In this perspective, the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) paradigm [14] gives a structured way to investigate the effects of high-tech elements as internal/external environmental stimuli on consumers’ experiences towards online shopping. This study shed light on consumers online shopping intentions through the proposed model, which considers system and service quality as external and utilitarian, hedonic shopping orientation as internal environmental stimuli; perceived usefulness perceived ease of use, and perceived enjoyment as the person’s inner organism changes; and online shopping intention as the response. With this proposed model, online shopping intentions in emerging economies can be adequately described in this study. This study makes a significant contribution to scholars and practitioners in emerging markets dealing with e-commerce.
Literature Review
Online shopping intention
Consumer’s online shopping behaviour is also called internet buying/shopping behaviour. Online buying behaviour has a direct affiliation with these aspects, such as information characteristics, logistics support, e-stores, websites’ technological characteristics, product characteristics, and homepage presentation. According to previous studies, the online shopping experience offers consumers both utilitarian and hedonic shopping orientations [15-17]. Utilitarian shopping orientations (USO) arise when the buying trip achieves specific usage requirements, reflecting nonemotional, cognitive, a goal-oriented, and a goal-oriented result [4]. So, the shopping beliefs are either external or internal, where the internal hedonic orientation indicates the drives of leisure, fun, and enjoyment. In contrast, the external utilitarian value is linked with well-designed aspects of buying. Hedonic shopping orientation (HSO) shows buying’s prospective entertaining and emotive worth. It can be directed by improved arousal, participation, escapism, fantasy, and emotive features of the buying [4,41].
SOR framework
SOR paradigm is widely used in earlier studies on online consumers’ behaviour [18,19]. For example, Parboteeah, et al. [20] investigated the effects of mood and task-related nodes on a webpage of consumers’ emotional and cognitive practices and also their successive online shopping behaviour. Eroglu, et al. [21] studied the applicability of the S-O-R paradigm to the atmospheric abilities of virtual retailing showed that the buyers’ levels of participation and atmospheric responsiveness mediate the link among environmental signs and shopping effects (e.g., time and money spent, site revisit). Wang, et al. [22] established that the association between web athletics, online shopping, satisfaction, and perceived quality of service on the bases of the SOR paradigm. Mckinney, et al. [23] used the SOR paradigm for the determination of customers’ inner motivations for online buying varies and that these drives have a significant influence on buyer satisfaction.
In line with Kim, et al. [24] and Hsu, et al. [25], this study reveals that the quality of a webpage is a significant stimulus in the online shopping environment. This research follows the “DeLone and McLean Model of Information Systems Success” [26] to determine the quality of a webpage through “system and service quality,” defined as “the degree to which users believe that the overall service and system performance meets their expectations” [27]. Further to these qualities, the quality of information is a significant aspect of quality [28,29]. From the perspective of the online social system, information quality “reflects the accuracy, comprehensiveness, and timeliness of information provided by mobile social network service providers” [30].
Both PU and PEU are the key components of the famous Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) [31]. In line with Hong, et al. [32] and Hew, et al. [33] these two concepts are key to clarifying consumer behaviour in the studies related to the adoption of new technology. In recent times Fu, et al. [25] employed perceived usefulness in the perspective of online purchase intention to clarify the intention to online buy a movie ticket, while Moslehpour, et al. [34] employed both constructs in the perspective of e-purchase intentions of the Taiwan nationals. They suggested that both concepts could forecast user intention. Due to the importance of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness in forecasting customer behaviour and their accordance with an online buying perspective, they are supposed to be a decent replacement for consumers’ cognitive responses in this study.
In contrast, PE is considered based on Motivation Theory. According to KY Lin, et al. [35], Hew, et al. [35], and Deci [36], “the motivations in human behaviour can be categorized into intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.” Fred D, et al. [37] applied the same theory in the framework of information technology. They state that “humans are extrinsically motivated to commit an action when the performance of such action could achieve valued outcomes (e.g., improving job performance), whereas they are intrinsically motivated to commit an action when they are interested in the performance of the said action, rather than the outcomes. From their study, they conceptualized perceived usefulness as a form of extrinsic motivation and perceived enjoyment as a form of intrinsic motivation”. Pantano, et al. [38] applied these ideas of Motivation Theory. They explained that with three other TAM variables, perceived enjoyment is a key motive for consumers’ intentions towards online shopping. Following this opinion, it is probable that consumers’ inner motivation could be a related concept that utilities as a proxy for their affective responses.
Research Model and Hypothesis
System and service quality (SSQ)
Sang, et al. [27] described that the quality of a system and service is significantly linked with consumers’ opinions about new technology. As online shopping platforms provide products and services to consumers’ through their online systems, SSQ works as a significant external stimulus that affects shoppers’ affective and cognitive responses. Ahn, et al. [39] described in their study regarding online shopping that SSQ performs as the ancestor for PU, PEU, and PE. Moreover, the impact of SSQ on consumers’ online shopping intentions has been better cited under the environs of online social systems [27,40]. Likely, it is supposed that the affirmative view of SSQ of online shopping platforms will initiate positive affective and cognitive responses by consumers’. Thus, we propose the following:
H1a. System and service quality positively influence consumers’ perceived usefulness.
H1b. System and service quality positively influence consumers’ perceived ease of use.
H1c. System and service quality positively influence consumers’ perceived enjoyment.
Utilitarian shopping orientation (USO)
Holbrook, et al. [34] consumption model focused on the significance sought in the course of ingestion practice may be inclined by individual variances. According to Babin, et al. [15] “a utilitarian (economic) shopping orientation entails the tendency to seek instrumental value (e.g., saving time or effort),” while they always try to reduce time spent and effort in search and purchasing of a product [41]. The interactivity of a webpage is also perceived as proposing utilitarian sides of reducing effort and time, risk, and growing chances of searching a better substitute [42]. Webpages like Taobao, daraz.pk, and specialized online shopping apps offer the utilitarian factors of ease and information related to products/ services [42]. Several studies have emphasized that utilitarian orientation drives consumers’ usage behaviour [15,16,43]. Online utilitarian buyers are likely with an emphasis on the functional feature of the online experiences, for example, usability, price, quality, and other buying related aspects [40,41]. Li H, et al. [44] proposes more research regarding the influence of individual variances, for example, how the available information is being treated while online shopping.
Both PU and PEU reveal the utilitarian features of online buying [45,46]. Therefore, in this study, we investigate the link among PU, PEU, and USO as individual variances. We generate:
H2a. Utilitarian shopping orientation positively influences consumers’ perceived usefulness.
H2b. Utilitarian shopping orientation positively influences consumers’ perceived ease of use.
Hedonic shopping orientation (HSO)
According to Babin, et al. [15], a hedonic (fun) shopping orientation demands the propensity to pursue practical worth (e.g., fun). Numerous studies have emphasized that hedonic orientation drives consumers’ usage behaviour [4,21,41]. Hedonic shoppers involved in looking for products, enjoy their experience of shopping, and taking shopping as relaxation. Online shopping gives the hedonic aspect [48,45]. Previous studies explored that individual variances play a significant role in the way how technology is being used [45,49,50]. Lee et al. [45] proposed further study about the influences of individual variances, e.g., information treating chic while online shopping. Hedonic shopping values may influence consumers’ online shopping intentions. PE shows the hedonic traits of online buying. Therefore, in online shopping studies, hedonic characteristics can be considered.
Fenech, et al. [51] studied the special effects of hedonic buying orientation on perceived ease and usefulness in an online trading adoption scenario. Though, they did not find any positive effects of hedonic orientation on both perceived ease of use or usefulness for selling through webpages. In their research, Fenech, et al. [51] did not consider “perceived enjoyment,” which is a recreational fact and may link with the hedonic buying orientation relatively than perceived ease and value, which are utilitarian factors. Perceived enjoyment replicates the hedonic facets of online purchasing. Hence, we hypothesize as follows.
To read more about this article...Open access Journal of Textile Science & Fashion Technology
To know more about our Journals....Iris Publishers
No comments:
Post a Comment