Modeling Consumer Adoption of the Internet as a Shopping Medium: ...

Although there are different opinions regarding the future of the Internet as a shopping medium, it is generally agreed that large numbers of consumers will have to buy goods and services through this medium to make the Internet shopping medium profitable (Schonfeld, 2000). To exploit the market potential of this new medium, an improved understanding of consumers’ adoption of the Internet as a shopping medium is imperative.

Research Rationale

Considerable research has been devoted to understanding consumer behavior in this new consumption area. Some research has focused on those factors (e.g., personal shopping orientations, demographics, and innovativeness) that lead individuals to adopt this mode of shopping (Aldridge, Forcht, Pierson, 1997; Bhatnagar Ghose, 2004; Blake, Neuendorf, Valdiserri, 2003; Citrin, Sprott, Silverman, Stern, 2000; Donthu Garcia, 1999). Other research focuses on the impact of Internet vendor-related attributes (e.g., vendor type, website design, marketing strategies, site usability, and service quality) on consumers’ online shopping behavior (e.g., Liu Arnett, 2000; Ranganathan Ganapathy, 2002). Still another stream of research has explored the impact of product category on consumer shopping behavior in this new environment. A review of the relevant research revealed several gaps that merit further consideration.