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In the past decade, online shopping has gained fast acceptance with diverse user experience. The models which studied consumers’ decision making assume adaptive, rational and goal-oriented behavior. In these models, the consumer moves from awareness and knowledge (cognitive stage) to liking and preference (affective stage) to conviction and purchase (cognitive stage), (Aaker & Myers, 1982). The theory of consumer preference formation also assumes a rational sequence where beliefs form attitudes and attitudes form intent to act (MacKenzie & Lutz's, 1989). Beliefs are information that consumers have about an object (Duncan & Olshavsky, 1982; Petty & Cacioppo, 1981) while attitudes are evaluative (like/dislike) and are based on this information. The beliefs can be true or otherwise, based on fact or opinion. The cognitive state, which consists of awareness and knowledge, may vary in new customers and mature consumers in an online purchase environment. The opinions and maturity of consumers heavily depend on the skills a consumer has for dealing with this new medium.
This research work attempts to identify dimensions of online shopping skills, which operate in respondents positive on need for cognition (NFC).The following paragraphs present are view of studies and models previously published by various researchers, which identify variables and their linkages with consumers’ skills.
Several theories have been proposed to explain how and why consumers choose to use the Internet. The media choice theory proposed that selection of media (Internet) for a specific task (making purchase) is a function of the characteristics of the medium and the task, such as interactivity, communication richness, social presence and vividness (Fulket al., 1987). Researchers have evaluated those characteristics and applied them to the choice of the Internet for shopping (Hoffman & Novak, 1996; Palmer, 1997). Flow experience, theoretically characterized by interactivity, intrinsic enjoyment, loss of self-consciousness and self-reinforcing, was found to be a determining factor in consumers’ use of the Internet as a shopping channel (Hoffman &Novak, 1996).
Web shopping is a relatively new activity for a wide range of consumers. Online purchases are still perceived as riskier than terrestrial ones (Laroche Yang, McDougall & Bergeron, 2005). Therefore, web-shopping consumers depend heavily on experience quality obtained through prior online purchase experiences. These experiences are influenced by the information technology skills of the user. It is argued that the sum of the individual’s past experiences, context or background, and stimulus form the basis for an individual’s response to a judgmental task (Helson, 1964).
Previous research, which attempted to identify ‘who these buyers are?’, found that wired lifestyle buyers search for products information on the Internet, these people receive a large number of email messages every day and have Internet access in their offices (Bellman et al., 1999).
Various models have attempted to explain the online shopping behavior of different consumer segments. These models were referred to find variables for this research work.