Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles (한국의류학회지)

The Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles (한국의류학회)
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Social Cues, E-Social Ambience, and Emotions in Web-Based Fashion Retailing: A Case of U.S. Shoppers

  • Lee, Eun-Jung (The Fashion School, College of the Arts, Kent State University)
  • Received : 2012.11.05
  • Accepted : 2012.12.21
  • Published : 2012.12.31
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Abstract

In-store atmospherics involve quantified physical and social aspects; however, the social quality of a web-based retailing context has largely been under-examined. This study addressed some antecedents and consequences of social ambience in virtual shopping (or e-social ambience) within a web-based U.S. retailing fashion context. This study explored the role of social cues as a viable antecedent to e-social ambience and emotions as its consequence. A conceptual framework was built postulating the effect of social cue for web content, on e-social ambience, emotions, and e-shopping enjoyment. The experimental results (n=488) on a fictitious retail T-shirt website confirmed the positive correlation among the variables; in addition, the level of social cues included within the web content significantly increased the level of customer-perceived e-social ambience of the website and subsequent positive on-site emotions. On-site emotions positively influence purchase intentions. The results expand the current understanding of e-store management by providing novel insight relevant to fashion companies that wish to provide customers with a quality website shopping experience.

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