The Impact of Attitude Towards Online Shopping in Strengthening the Relationship Between Online Shopping Experience and E-Customer Engagement

Introduction

Online shopping has become a dominant form of shopping in the 21st century, growing tremendously due to the rise of internet access and convenience, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has become a convenient option for consumers who prefer to shop from the comfort of their homes or offices (Erjavec & Manfreda, 2022; Shao et al., 2022). According to (Coppola et al., 2021), in 2020, retail e-commerce sales worldwide amounted to 4.28 trillion United States (U.S.) dollars, and this was projected to grow to 5.4 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022. Despite its convenience, not all consumers have embraced online shopping with open arms.

Previous studies (Agrawal & Mittal, 2022; Akroush & Al-Debei, 2015; Barari et al., 2020; Brodie et al., 2011; Ho et al., 2022; Izogo & Jayawardhena, 2018a, 2018b; Kawaf & Tagg, 2017; Kim et al., 2013; Lin et al., 2011; Mosteller et al., 2014; Pappas et al., 2014; Utami et al., 2022) have mentioned that some theories, such as flow theory (Mirvis, 1991), the technology acceptance model (Davis, 1989), and the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991), have been used to investigate online purchasing. This research has emphasized the significance of online shopping experience (OSE), attitude toward online shopping (ATOS), and attitude toward online shopping (E-CE) as even more difficult concerns in the setting of online purchasing. Firstly, OSE is crucial for online shopping as it helps in building a solid connection between customers and their retailers. Engaged customers are most likely to return to the retailer and suggest it to others. E-CE also provides valuable feedback to the retailer, which can assist them in enhancing their products and services. Also, it can aid in increasing brand loyalty and customer satisfaction, which are essential for the long-term success of the retailer. Secondly, the ATOS determines the customer’s overall evaluation of their shopping experience. A positive ATOS can result in greater customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention. It may also result in favorable word-of-mouth marketing, which can attract new customers to the retailer. Customer trust, satisfaction and loyalty can all suffer because of a poor ATOS. Thirdly, the E-CE contributes to the establishment of a solid relationship between the online shopper and the retailer. Engaged customers have a greater probability of making additional purchases and promoting these online stores to others. E-CE also provides valuable feedback to the retailer and helps to increase brand loyalty and customer satisfaction, which can help them improve their products and services.

Despite these promising results, these studies have not made the connection between these theories to build models for online shopping. Indeed, Table 1 emphasizes current literature shortcomings, such as an absence of research exploring the relationships between OSE, ATOS, and E-CE, and the moderating role of ATOS. Therefore, this study aims to fill these gaps of existing literature on online shopping by investigating the relationships between OSE, ATOS, and E-CE. More specifically, it aims to examine whether ATOS as a moderator strength the relationship between OSE and E-CE. Based on the above discussion, the following are the research questions for the study that came up: which connections exist between OSE, ATOS, and E-CE; and what is the moderating role of ATOS between OSE and E-CE. Moreover, does gender as a control variable have an impact on the relationship between OSE, ATOS and E-CE.

Note. Date: May 9, 2023; search period: 2000–2023.