A Meta-Analysis Approach toward the Development of an Integrative Framework for Online Consumer Behavior Research

Abstract

The recent failure of a large number of e-tail companies epitomizes the challenges of operating through virtual channels and underscores the need to better understand key drivers of online consumer behavior. The objective of this study was to provide a comprehensive review of the extant information systems (IS) literature related to online consumer behavior and integrate the literature, in order to enhance our knowledge of consumer behavior in electronic markets and provide clear directions for future research. Forty-two studies published in major IS journals were located via computer searches of large bibliographic databases (UMI-Proquest and ScienceDirect) and by scanning journals manually. We group these studies into three categories of web use, online purchase, and post-purchase behavior, and describe important predictors identified by those studies for each category. We also conducted a meta-analysis to quantify the interrelationships between the study variables that appeared multiple times across studies. We then introduce a framework, which integrates research findings across studies, to develop a coherent and comprehensive picture of the online consumer behavior research conducted in the IS field. The integrative framework proposes system quality, information quality, service quality, and vendor and channel characteristics as key factors that impact online consumer behavior, achieving their effects by altering the perceptions of usefulness, ease of use, trust, and shopping enjoyment. Consumer characteristics and social context variables are also included in the framework. Future research directions are identified to advance the current status of knowledge and stimulate further research.