Research Article
A Longitudinal Study of Gender Differences in Emotional Responses to Internet Shopping
Published: January 2004 · Vol. 33, No. 3 · pp. 703-739
Abstract
While prior research related to internet shopping has primarily focused on cognitive and technological factors, this study focuses on emotional factors experienced during internet shopping in addition to such factors. In particular, emotional responses are expected to differ substantially by gender, and the relationships between antecedent variables that trigger emotional responses and outcome variables are also expected to differ by gender over time. While existing prior studies have examined the relationships among these variables without considering time, this study investigates whether the same relationships hold at the point when consumers actually decide to revisit the shopping mall after time has elapsed. The empirical verification of this carries considerable managerial significance, as understanding which shopping mall features affect which emotional responses by gender over time, and which emotions influence customer behavior to what extent, can help in selecting and managing shopping mall features that trigger emotional responses affecting long-term customer behavior for both male and female customers, thereby aiding in formulating strategic plans. The results showed that over time, the shopping mall features influencing emotional responses differed by gender. For males, goal-oriented shopping mall features (content, products, security, and payment) were found to influence emotional responses, while for females, relationship-related shopping mall features (reliability, customer service, interactivity) influenced emotional responses. Furthermore, the emotional responses affecting revisit intention differed by gender over time: for males, positive emotions influenced revisit decisions as time passed, whereas for females, negative emotions influenced revisit decisions over time.
