Vital Interface Components’ Relative Importance in Online Shopping Tasks

Empirical exploration of how online consumers interpret and value the marketing communication embedded in shopping interface components has the potential to advance knowledge of online consumer behavior and to inform design decisions concerning consumer-oriented Web sites. To date, little research has been completed regarding how interface components hinder or aid consumer perceptions of the online marketing message. This research investigates the relative importance of online shopping interface components for online consumer shopping tasks and the role they play within the context of the Elaboration Likelihood Model’s central and peripheral routes of persuasion. The components

convenience, access to information

, and

trust

were implemented in an online shopping task. Specific preferences of respondents for each component were found to differ depending on three market segments:

time savers

,

information seekers

, and

general surfers

. A descriptive model of Web-based marketing components is presented.