Aligning e-service attributes for hedonic and utilitarian consumption: An exploratory study in the context of consumer electronics

Abstract

Online services, and particularly e-commerce, is developing at a remarkable pace. Consumers increasingly engage in richer interactions with virtual interfaces, employing them as effective service channels, perceived as a reliable alternative for placing inquiries and requests, often with superior levels of convenience, variety, and privacy than physical stores. The design of e-service systems, therefore, needs to continuously grow in sophistication to meet the requirements of customers’ e-purchasing journeys. Each website design decision must build on solid knowledge not only about customer personal profiles, but rather about elements concerning nature of each purchase experience, including the utilitarian or hedonic purposes of consumption. This study builds on a preliminary review on knowledge about utilitarian and hedonic consumption, to characterize the differences in the online attributes offered by major online retailers for consumer electronics across those two categories of consumption and discussing the nature of the information provided in this particular retail context.