The Perceived Influence of E-Shopping Cues on Customers' Buying Decisions

Abstract

E-shopping sites use a variety of design elements that affect the shopping process and lead customers to favorable buying decisions. Such elements also play a significant role as impulse buying behavior triggers. In this exploratory study based on online questionnaires (N = 401), we investigated customers' perception of the influence of eleven common e-shopping cues on their buying decisions and explored the connection between the perceived influence of the cues and the respondents' gender, education level, and neuroticism. We found (1) that participants group the e-shopping cues by their influence power; (2) participants' gender and educational level contribute to a more critical/favorable perception of some shopping cues; (3) a connection between a higher level of neuroticism and greater perceived influence of shopping cues, which results in lower shopping risks. Drawing on our research, we offer several design recommendations for the advancement of e-shopping websites, particularly concerning the implementation of e-shopping cues.