“Can't Get No Satisfaction?" - The Case for Broadening Information Systems Research on E-Commerce

Abstract

Satisfaction is a crucial construct in information systems research, particularly for investigations of e-commerce. Given profound shifts in the scope and use of e-commerce and the associated proliferation of information systems, we ask whether research should adopt a more encompassing view of information systems in e-commerce. Based on recent propositions in marketing research, we identify "experience" as a construct apt to complement "satisfaction" by broadening the scope of inquiry to include the entire order process. In a systematic literature review, we identify a variety of definitions of key constructs but find very few contributions from information systems research that take experience into account. Based on these findings, we outline possibilities for future research to move from exclusively focusing on satisfaction to directing attention to experience as an affective response to technology on a systems level. Such a change carries several implications touching the very basis of information systems research, such as the role of the IT artifact. In addition, we discuss implications for practice.