Dianne Cyr

Modeling Web Site Design Across Cultures: Relationships to Trust, Satisfaction, and E-Loyalty

Despite rapidly increasing numbers of diverse online shoppers, the relationship of Web site design to trust, satisfaction, and loyalty has not previously been modeled across cultures. In the current investigation, three components of Web site design (information design, navigation design, and visual design) are considered for their impact on trust and satisfaction. In turn, relationships of trust and satisfaction to online loyalty are evaluated. Utilizing data collected from 571 participants in Canada, Germany, and China, various relationships in the research model are tested using partial least squares analysis for each country separately. In addition, the overall model is tested for all countries combined as a control and verification of earlier research findings, although this time with a mixed country sample. All paths in the overall model are confirmed. Differences are determined for separate country samples concerning whether navigation design, visual design, and information design result in trust, satisfaction, and ultimately loyalty-suggesting design characteristics should be a central consideration in Web site design across cultures.

The role of social presence in establishing loyalty in e-Service environments

Compared to offline shopping, the online shopping experience may be viewed as lacking human warmth and sociability as it is more impersonal, anonymous, automated and generally devoid of face-to-face interactions. Thus, understanding how to create customer loyalty in online environments (e-Loyalty) is a complex process. In this paper a model for e-Loyalty is proposed and used to examine how varied conditions of social presence in a B2C e-Services context influence e-Loyalty and its antecedents of perceived usefulness, trust and enjoyment. This model is examined through an empirical study involving 185 subjects using structural equation modeling techniques. Further analysis is conducted to reveal gender differences concerning hedonic elements in the model on e-Loyalty.

Exploring human images in website design: a multi-method approach

Effective visual design of e-commerce websites enhances website aesthetics and emotional appeal for the user. To gain insight into how Internet users perceive human images as one element of website design, a controlled experiment was conducted using a questionnaire, interviews, and eye-tracking methodology. Three conditions of human images were created including human images with facial features, human images without facial features, and a control condition with no human images. It was expected that human images with facial features would induce a user to perceive the website as more appealing, having warmth or social presence, and as more trustworthy. In turn, higher levels of image appeal and perceived social presence were predicted to result in trust. All expected relationships in the model were supported except no direct relationship was found between the human image conditions and trust. Additional analyses revealed subtle differences in the perception of human images across cultures (Canada, Germany, and Japan). While the general impact of human images seems universal across country groups, based on interview data four concepts emerged--aesthetics, symbolism, affective property, and functional property--with participants from each culture focusing on different concepts as applied to website design. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Colour appeal in website design within and across cultures: A multi-method evaluation

Colour has the potential to elicit emotions or behaviors, yet there is little research in which colour treatments in website design are systematically tested. Little is known about how colour affects trust or satisfaction on the part of the viewer. Although the Internet is increasingly global, few systematic studies have been undertaken in which the impact of colour on culturally diverse viewers is investigated in website design. In this research three website colour treatments are tested across three culturally distinct viewer groups for their impact on user trust, satisfaction, and e-loyalty. To gather data, a rich multi-method approach is used including eye-tracking, a survey, and interviews. Results reveal that website colour appeal is a significant determinant for website trust and satisfaction with differences noted across cultures. The findings have practical value for web marketers and interface designers concerning effective colour use in website development.

Beyond Trust: Web Site Design Preferences Across Cultures

The growth of Internet shopping motivates a better understanding of how e-loyalty is built online between businesses and consumers. In this study, Web site design and culture are advanced as important to Web site trust, Web site satisfaction, and e-loyalty in online business relationships. Based on data collected in Canada, the U.S., Germany, and Japan, the research considers (1) examining within culture preferences for design elements of a local vs. a foreign Web site and subsequent participant perceptions of trust, satisfaction, and e-loyalty; and (2) comparisons between cultures for design preferences of local and foreign Web sites and subsequent participant perceptions of trust, satisfaction, and e-loyalty. As predicted, similarities were greatest among Americans, Canadians, and Germans, with the Japanese representing a different and unique case. The results are discussed against hypothesized expectations. Implications for future research are outlined.

Perceived interactivity leading to e-loyalty: Development of a model for cognitive-affective user responses

Novel applications of website interactivity are important to attract and retain online users. In this empirical study five designs for interactivity are examined using different web-poll interfaces. The goal of the investigation is to examine perceived interactivity in a model which includes most commonly tested cognitive elements such as efficiency and effectiveness, but augments this model with the inclusion of a cognitive-affective element for trust, and an affective element of enjoyment. More specifically, a model is created to validate the relationship of perceived interactivity (comprised of user control, user connectedness, and responsiveness of the web-poll application) to efficiency, effectiveness, trust and enjoyment, of the website. In turn, efficiency, effectiveness, trust, and enjoyment are tested for their influence on user behavioral intentions for e-loyalty. All relationships in the model are supported. In addition, exploratory evaluation of qualitative comments is conducted to investigate additional insights between the five web-poll treatments in this investigation. The research confirms the complexity of a model in which cognitive, cognitive-affective and affective elements are present, and advances knowledge on the consequences of perceived interactivity. In additional to theoretical advancements, the research has merit for web designers and online marketers regarding how to enhance interactive online web applications.

Gender and website design in e-business

Although online shopping has increased exponentially in recent years, very little is known about the difference in male and female perceptions of this experience. This investigation is focused on examining how perceptions between the genders differ concerning transaction security, website design elements, and how the experience of online shopping results in perceptions of website trust, website satisfaction, and e-loyalty. Results of the research indicate that transaction security was not as large a concern as expected, and perceptions about it did not differ between men and women. Alternately, in support of the research hypotheses, there are significant differences in perceptions of website design and website satisfaction between the genders, but not for e-loyalty.

The effects of website design on purchase intention in online shopping: the mediating role of trust and the moderating role of culture

Lack of trust in online transactions has been cited as the main reason for the abhorrence of online shopping. We have tested the mediating role of trust in online transactions to provide empirical evidence that trust in the online store represents the generic mechanism through which the focal independent variables of website design are able to positively influence purchase intention and reduce the perceived risk. We have further demonstrated the moderating effect of the individuals culture in e-commerce and thereby offered insights into the relative importance of website design factors contributing to trust for customers of different cultural values.

Web site design, trust, satisfaction and e‐loyalty: the Indian experience

Purpose – With the rapid expansion of global online markets including India, researchers and practitioners are challenged to understand drivers of customer satisfaction, trust and loyalty towards web sites. The paper aims to focus on web site design, which is expected to influence whether customers revisit an online vendor.Design/methodology/approach – Participants in India evaluated a local and foreign web site of the same online vendor. Surveys and interviews were used to collect the data.Findings – The results indicate significant preference for the local web site in almost all design categories. Further, the local site instilled greater trust, satisfaction and loyalty. Data collected for this study are compared with parallel work conducted using the same procedures in four other countries.Research limitations/implications – The current investigation is relevant for researchers who aim to expand knowledge concerning the impact of web site design related to user trust, satisfaction and loyalty. The work...

Website design, trust and culture: An eight country investigation

User perceptions of website design (for Information Content, Information Design, Navigation Design, Visual Design), Website Trust, and Transaction Security are examined for differences in an eight country sample. Motivation for the investigation includes: (1) to test and compare user reactions to website design in countries with different degrees of uncertainty avoidance, (2) to consider user reactions based on country economic and technological conditions related to the theory of institutional trust and social capital, and (3) to extend clustering theory and the GLOBE cultural cluster model to determine if culturally similar countries group regarding user perceptions of websites. Overall and as predicted, users in low uncertainty avoidance, high institutional trust and social capital countries such as Canada and the USA have the most favorable perceptions of website design. An interesting finding is that while country economic and technological conditions may temper user perceptions in some instances, overall culture is a stronger predictor. Clustering theory is a useful determinant of user perceptions, and there is strong support that users within a given cultural cluster have similar requirements regarding website design.