The role of experiential value in online shopping: The impacts of product presentation on consumer responses towards an apparel web site

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether Pine and Gilmore's four experience realms (4Es) are affected by web site features; the 4Es affect consumer emotional components of pleasure and arousal; and pleasure and arousal lead to enhanced web site patronage intention.

Design/methodology/approach

For the main experiment, two stimulus web sites reflecting high experiential value and low experiential value were developed. Data were collected in a laboratory setting from 196 participants. An analysis of the causal model was conducted using the maximum‐likelihood estimation procedure of Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) for hypotheses testing.

Findings

Using AMOS, the results indicated that web site features affected the 4Es and three of the 4Es (entertainment, escapist and esthetic experiences) influenced pleasure and/or arousal. Pleasure, arousal, entertainment, and esthetic experiences had direct effects on web site patronage intention.

Practical implications

The results present an effective way to offer experiential value, which enhances web site patronage intention, to online retailers.

Originality/value

This is the first empirical research to investigate the holistic process of the effects of product presentation on consumer responses towards an apparel web site that there is a clear need for further study.

Citation

Won Jeong, S., Fiore, A.M., Niehm, L.S. and Lorenz, F.O. (2009), "The role of experiential value in online shopping: The impacts of product presentation on consumer responses towards an apparel web site", Internet Research, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 105-124. https://doi.org/10.1108/10662240910927858