The Effect of Information Satisfaction and Relational Benefit on Consumer's Online Shopping Site Commitment

Abstract

The critical determinant of consumers’ commitment to online shopping sites is the information features on a given website because online shopping consumers cannot touch or smell the products as they usually do in traditional retail outlets. Customers have to base their judgments on the product information presented on the websites. To investigate the relationship between information features and consumers’ loyalty to a website, we have developed two constructs affecting consumer’s commitment to online shopping sites. The first construct indicates the consumer’s overall evaluation of the online site and the second is the relational benefit of psychological perception about an online site. Results of the online survey with 1,278 Korean customers of online bookstores and ticketing services indicate that information quality, user interface quality, and security perceptions affect information satisfaction and relational benefit. These, in turn, are significantly related to each consumer’s commitment to a site. Information satisfaction and relational benefit have a mediating role between online shopping sites’ information service quality and site commitment. The effect of information satisfaction and relational benefit appear differently with online bookstores and ticketing services.