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This study seeks to investigate the signals on which consumers may rely to reduce the problems of information asymmetry on an online auction site. The research aims to develop and test based on information signaling theory. It classifies signals from auction web pages into three types: seller reputation, product condition, and argument quality. To understand how the signals affect consumers' online buying decisions, the study intends to test the impacts of these signals on the auction outcome variables: number of bids, auction success, and willingness to pay.

The paper employs an empirical test with real observation data comprised of 5,013 samples coded from the eBay auction site in the USA. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression is used to predict the effect of web page signals on the number of bids, logistic regression to determine which web page signals contribute to auction success, and Tobit maximum likelihood estimation to estimate the impact of web page signals on willingness to pay.

Results show that, in addition to the seller's reputation, signals like product condition and the quality of the sellers' arguments on the web page are significantly related to the three auction outcomes. Buyers tend to rely on these signals to resolve information asymmetry in online auction transactions.

Past studies have found that the seller's feedback score is central to a positive online auction outcome. This paper is the first to classify web page signals comprehensively and to investigate their impacts on online auction outcomes using real transaction data. The findings provide substantial evidence and implications for both academic research and practitioners in online auctions. A dynamic strategy for success in online auctions is offered in the conclusion section.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the issue of the influential factors of buyer satisfaction and loyalty toward online auction web sites and online auction sellers. Customers' loyalty toward the online auction web site and seller is also explored.

An internet survey is conducted on 221 buyers of online auction.

Loyalty intention toward an online auction seller positively affects a buyer's loyalty intention toward the online auction web site, whereas his/her loyalty intention toward the online auction web site negatively affects his/her loyalty intention toward the online auction seller.

The first is in its cross‐sectional design. Second, this paper examines the antecedents of the online auction web site and the online auction seller in a single country. The findings may have limited generalizability to other countries.

The results of this paper provide less positive news for online auction sellers. Sellers on an online auction web site should be careful in making online auction web site change decisions. Although a seller can secure buyer loyalty intention by providing strong e‐service quality, overall satisfaction and the specific asset investment (SAI), buyers still may not be enthusiastic about moving with the seller to another auction web site.

This paper contributes to comparing the pulling force of the web sites and the sellers, and explains that SAI can affect the buyers through web sites and sellers. There are three parties involved in the model.

This study aims to develop and empirically test a model examining the antecedents of consumer loyalty toward internet portals.

The data were collected based on an internet survey in Taiwan. Self‐administered questionnaires were used for all measures.

The results show that attributive satisfaction is very important in affecting consumers' overall satisfaction toward an internet portal, which in turn affects consumers' loyalty intention toward an internet portal. This study also demonstrates that consumers' specific asset investment on an internet portal exerted a positive impact on loyalty intention, whereas perceived opportunism toward an internet portal exerted a negative influence on loyalty intention.

This study contributes to the e‐commerce service studies in two ways. First, it developed and empirically tested a model for examining the antecedents of consumer loyalty intentions toward an internet portal. Second, it incorporated the concept of transaction cost (i.e. opportunism and asset specificity) into the model and examined the effect on the formation of loyalty intention. This inclusion also improved the theoretical foundation of loyalty formation in an internet‐connected service world.

This article presents the results of a survey of 202 male Taiwanese consumers. In this study, consumer judgements of two technological products varying in their level of complexity made in highly, moderately, and newly industrialised countries were obtained in a multi‐attribute context. The results show that the country‐of‐origin image of moderately and newly industrialised countries was less negative for technologically simpler products (i.e. a television) than they were for technologically complex products (i.e. a computer). It appears that the negative image of moderately and newly industrialised countries can be attenuated by making Taiwanese consumers more familiar with products made in these countries and/or by providing them with other product‐related information such as brand name and warranty. Newly industrialised countries were perceived more negatively as countries of design than as countries of assembly, especially in the context of making technologically complex products. The image of foreign countries as producers of consumer goods was positively correlated with education. The more familiar consumers were with the products of a country, the more favourable was their evaluation of that country. Consumer involvement with purchasing a technologically complex product such as a computer was positively associated with the appreciation of products made in moderately industrialised countries. Managerial and research implications are derived from these results.

Presents and discusses areas for future research into international marketing in the Asia‐Pacific region based on recent trends and gaps in the literature. Continues and develops the themes presented in the first Special Issue on international marketing in the Asia‐Pacific region (International Marketing Review, Vol. 20 No. 5).

This study is motivated by the theme of this special issue of International Marketing Review, which highlights the enormous economic success of Asia‐Pacific nations and their emergence as global marketers of the twenty‐first century. The success of firms situated in these nations has been even more pronounced since the 1990. This study highlights international marketing developments, opportunities, and research issues that warrant closer attention. In examining the topic, highlights a number of important developments including technological innovations, the penetration and influence of the Internet and electronic commerce in the region, the emergence of Asian multinational companies, the development of Asian brands, the importance of relationships and networks for firms in this region, and their greater international integration and cooperation with the rest of the world. International marketing research considerations pertaining to the Asia‐Pacific Region are explored in each section, as well as in the conclusions.