Consumer Responses to Online Atmosphere: The Moderating Role of Atmospheric Responsiveness
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Due to the nature of online shopping, online shoppers aremostly affected by visual cues shown on websites. Visual cuesused in the site design and layout (Davis, Wang, & Lindridge,2008) influence consumer emotions and image of the website. The use of a variety of colors and materials draws consumers’attention and influences their browsing tendency and purchaseintention in the store (Kerfoot, Davis, & Ward, 2003). Becauseapparel cannot be physically examined online, perceived riskhas also become a major concern for online shoppers whenpurchasing apparel products in-home. If consumers are pleasedby online atmospheric cues, they may evaluate online shoppingmore favorably and perceive less risk. Previous researchshowed that perceived risk is negatively related to patronageintention (Forsythe, Liu, Shannon, & Gardner, 2006) and actualpurchase decision (Lin, 2008). Applying the Stimulus-Organism-Response paradigm, Eroglu,Machleit, and Davis (2001) develop a conceptual model thatdescribes the function of various site stimuli in the onlineshopping environment. According to the model, online stimuli,such as colors and decorative images, can influence consumers’affective and cognitive responses that in turn influence theirbehaviors (Eroglu et al., 2001). Affective response can be explainedby consumers’ emotional or feeling states such aspleasure (Holbrook & Hirschman, 1982; Lavidge & Steiner,1961). Consumers who are pleased may evaluate websitesmore favorably than those who are not. Cognition describesconsumers’ internal mental processes (Eroglu et al., 2001) – abelief system that can be measured by negative or positiveperceptions and thoughts generated by consumers when theyare exposed to stimuli (Holbrook & Batra, 1987; Yoo & Kim,2005). In an online shopping situation, website ambient anddesign factors influence affective responses (Mummalaneni,2005) and cognitive response such as perceived risk (Park,Lennon, & Stoel, 2005). Researchers conceptualize that individual’saffective and cognitive responses toward websitesmay differ as a function of personal differences in atmosphericresponsiveness (Eroglu et al., 2001; Fiore & Kim, 2007). Oneempirical study finds that the site atmosphere influences pleas-ure for shoppers high in atmospheric responsiveness, but notfor those low in atmospheric responsiveness (Eroglu, Machleit,& Davis, 2003). Although one study (Eroglu et al., 2003) examines the effectof atmospheric responsiveness in the relationship between siteatmosphere and affective responses such as pleasure and arousal,no research has investigated the moderating role of atmosphericresponsiveness in determining consumer cognitive responsesin the online shopping context. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to 1) investigate theeffects of website atmospheric cues on consumer pleasure andperceived risk that in turn affect consumer patronage intentionand 2) examine the moderating effect of atmospheric responsivenessin the relationship between website atmosphericcues and both consumers’ affective and cognitive responses towardthe website atmosphere. Two mock websites varied in relation to the presence of atmosphericcues: one website (presence of atmospheric cues)featured colored icons, a flashing brand logo, and a backgroundwith a logo pattern, while the other website (absenceof atmospheric cues) had a static brand logo, text hyperlinks,and no background pattern. The two websites contained thesame product information such as product views, available colors,fabric and style information, and other verbal descriptions. Each website consisted of an instruction page, a main pageshowing two pairs of trousers together, a product page foreach of the two products, and a page with dependentmeasures. A random sample of 148 female students at a largeMidwestern University participated in the study. Participantswere randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groupsand instructed to browse and look around the website. Afterbrowsing the website, participants completed dependentmeasures. The results showed a significant effect for online atmosphericcues on pleasure and perceived risk. Respondents experiencedmore pleasure and perceived less risk while browsingthe website with atmospheric cues as compared to respondentsin the condition without atmospheric cues. In addition, resultsrevealed the moderating effect of atmospheric responsivenesson the relationship between site atmospheric cues and shoppers’pleasure and risk perception. Site atmospheric cuesevoked greater pleasure and less perceived risk for respondentswith high atmospheric responsiveness but not for respondentswith low atmospheric responsiveness. This highlights the importantrole of atmospheric responsiveness in determining consumercognitive responses in addition to affective responses inthe online shopping context. In addition, the findings demon strated that respondents who felt more pleased by and perceivedless risk from the site environment were likely to havegreater patronage intention. More importantly, pleasure and perceivedrisk mediated the relationship between site atmosphereand patronage intention. The effects of online stimuli on consumers’behavioral intentions tend to be indirect via affectiveand cognitive responses toward the site rather than direct. Online retailers need to make online shopping less risky andsubsequently help consumers make purchases online with moreconfidence. Online apparel retailers may need to redesign thewebsites considering differences in consumers’ personalcharacteristics. Website personalization based on consumer preferencesmay help to attract consumers with different levels ofatmospheric responsiveness. Then, the website design formatselected by each consumer can be a default option for all subsequentvisits to the website. Even inexpensive site redesigncan also influence consumer responses.
Abstract
Due to the nature of online shopping, online shoppers aremostly affected by visual cues shown on websites. Visual cuesused in the site design and layout (Davis, Wang, & Lindridge,2008) influence consumer emotions and image of the website. The use of a variety of colors and materials draws consumers’attention and influences their browsing tendency and purchaseintention in the store (Kerfoot, Davis, & Ward, 2003). Becauseapparel cannot be physically examined online, perceived riskhas also become a major concern for online shoppers whenpurchasing apparel products in-home. If consumers are pleasedby online atmospheric cues, they may evaluate online shoppingmore favorably and perceive less risk. Previous researchshowed that perceived risk is negatively related to patronageintention (Forsythe, Liu, Shannon, & Gardner, 2006) and actualpurchase decision (Lin, 2008). Applying the Stimulus-Organism-Response paradigm, Eroglu,Machleit, and Davis (2001) develop a conceptual model thatdescribes the function of various site stimuli in the onlineshopping environment. According to the model, online stimuli,such as colors and decorative images, can influence consumers’affective and cognitive responses that in turn influence theirbehaviors (Eroglu et al., 2001). Affective response can be explainedby consumers’ emotional or feeling states such aspleasure (Holbrook & Hirschman, 1982; Lavidge & Steiner,1961). Consumers who are pleased may evaluate websitesmore favorably than those who are not. Cognition describesconsumers’ internal mental processes (Eroglu et al., 2001) – abelief system that can be measured by negative or positiveperceptions and thoughts generated by consumers when theyare exposed to stimuli (Holbrook & Batra, 1987; Yoo & Kim,2005). In an online shopping situation, website ambient anddesign factors influence affective responses (Mummalaneni,2005) and cognitive response such as perceived risk (Park,Lennon, & Stoel, 2005). Researchers conceptualize that individual’saffective and cognitive responses toward websitesmay differ as a function of personal differences in atmosphericresponsiveness (Eroglu et al., 2001; Fiore & Kim, 2007). Oneempirical study finds that the site atmosphere influences pleas-ure for shoppers high in atmospheric responsiveness, but notfor those low in atmospheric responsiveness (Eroglu, Machleit,& Davis, 2003). Although one study (Eroglu et al., 2003) examines the effectof atmospheric responsiveness in the relationship between siteatmosphere and affective responses such as pleasure and arousal,no research has investigated the moderating role of atmosphericresponsiveness in determining consumer cognitive responsesin the online shopping context. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to 1) investigate theeffects of website atmospheric cues on consumer pleasure andperceived risk that in turn affect consumer patronage intentionand 2) examine the moderating effect of atmospheric responsivenessin the relationship between website atmosphericcues and both consumers’ affective and cognitive responses towardthe website atmosphere. Two mock websites varied in relation to the presence of atmosphericcues: one website (presence of atmospheric cues)featured colored icons, a flashing brand logo, and a backgroundwith a logo pattern, while the other website (absenceof atmospheric cues) had a static brand logo, text hyperlinks,and no background pattern. The two websites contained thesame product information such as product views, available colors,fabric and style information, and other verbal descriptions. Each website consisted of an instruction page, a main pageshowing two pairs of trousers together, a product page foreach of the two products, and a page with dependentmeasures. A random sample of 148 female students at a largeMidwestern University participated in the study. Participantswere randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groupsand instructed to browse and look around the website. Afterbrowsing the website, participants completed dependentmeasures. The results showed a significant effect for online atmosphericcues on pleasure and perceived risk. Respondents experiencedmore pleasure and perceived less risk while browsingthe website with atmospheric cues as compared to respondentsin the condition without atmospheric cues. In addition, resultsrevealed the moderating effect of atmospheric responsivenesson the relationship between site atmospheric cues and shoppers’pleasure and risk perception. Site atmospheric cuesevoked greater pleasure and less perceived risk for respondentswith high atmospheric responsiveness but not for respondentswith low atmospheric responsiveness. This highlights the importantrole of atmospheric responsiveness in determining consumercognitive responses in addition to affective responses inthe online shopping context. In addition, the findings demon strated that respondents who felt more pleased by and perceivedless risk from the site environment were likely to havegreater patronage intention. More importantly, pleasure and perceivedrisk mediated the relationship between site atmosphereand patronage intention. The effects of online stimuli on consumers’behavioral intentions tend to be indirect via affectiveand cognitive responses toward the site rather than direct. Online retailers need to make online shopping less risky andsubsequently help consumers make purchases online with moreconfidence. Online apparel retailers may need to redesign thewebsites considering differences in consumers’ personalcharacteristics. Website personalization based on consumer preferencesmay help to attract consumers with different levels ofatmospheric responsiveness. Then, the website design formatselected by each consumer can be a default option for all subsequentvisits to the website. Even inexpensive site redesigncan also influence consumer responses.
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