Assessing the consumer decision process in the digital marketplace

Abstract

This research focuses on the consumer decision process in the context of the online shopping environment in Singapore. An Internet survey was implemented and 1133 responses were received. Using structural equation modeling, our findings show that perceived risk has a negative relationship with consumers' overall evaluation of the deal, and overall evaluation of the deal has a positive relationship with consumers' willingness to buy online. In addition, there is a positive relationship between perceived benefits of search and overall deal evaluation. The implications of the above results are discussed and suggestions for future research are also proposed. © 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.