ARTICLE IN PRESS

JBR-06651; No of Pages 7
Journal of Business Research xxx (2008) xxx–xxx

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Journal of Business Research

Consumer e-shopping acceptance: Antecedents in a technology acceptance model

Sejin Ha a,⁎, Leslie Stoel b,⁎
a
Purdue University
b
The Ohio State University

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: This study integrates e-shopping quality, enjoyment, and trust into a technology acceptance model (TAM) to
Received 1 November 2007 understand consumer acceptance of e-shopping. Online surveys with college students (n = 298) were
Received in revised form 1 June 2008 conducted. E-shopping quality for apparel products consists of four dimensions: web site design, customer
Accepted 1 June 2008
service, privacy/security, and atmospheric/experiential. A structural equation model reveals that e-shopping
Available online xxxx
quality determines perceptions of usefulness, trust, and enjoyment, which in turn influence consumers'
Keywords:
attitudes toward e-shopping. Consumer perceptions of usefulness and attitude toward e-shopping influence
E-shopping quality intention to shop online, while perceived ease of use does not influence attitude toward e-shopping.
Enjoyment Shopping enjoyment and trust play significant roles in consumers' adoption of e-shopping. This study
Trust provides important implications for e-tailers whose web site developers must keep in mind that customers
Technology acceptance model are not only web users with trust/safety and information needs, but also shoppers with service and
Apparel shopping experiential needs.
© 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction The knowledge this study generates will be useful to e-tailers in

Forrester Research Inc predicts that online revenue will grow from
$144 billion in 2004 to $316 billion in 2010, representing a 14 percent
compound annual growth rate (Internet Retailer, 2004). Although
sales growth suggests that the number of online consumers is
growing, diverse research findings do not conclusively determine
which online shopping attributes influence consumer attitudes
towards online shopping. A few studies investigate consumer
acceptance of online shopping from the perspective of technology
acceptance. This perspective prescribes that beliefs about ease of use
and usefulness of a technology predict attitudes towards the
technology and subsequent acceptance and use. Marketing research,
however, suggests that beliefs about trust and enjoyment are key
factors influencing consumer acceptance of online shopping (Bruner
and Kumar, 2005; Dahlberg, Mallat, and Oorni, 2003). For e-tailers, a
more practical question is: what attributes increase consumer
perceptions that online shopping is easy, useful, fun, and safe? This
study examines consumer acceptance of online shopping from a
technology acceptance perspective, adding beliefs about trust and
enjoyment as additional influences on attitude. In addition, this study
investigates attributes of online retailers to learn which attributes
influence the pertinent acceptance beliefs.
⁎ Corresponding authors. Ha is to be contacted at Matthews Hall 316, 812 W. State
Street, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907–2060. Tel.: +1 765 494 8307. Stoel,
Campbell Hall 265W, 1787 Neil Avenue, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH,
43210–1295. Tel.: +1 614 688 4234.
E-mail addresses: ha5@purdue.edu (S. Ha), stoel.1@osu.edu (L. Stoel).
two ways. First, by knowing which web site attributes influence
consumers' beliefs about online shopping, e-retailers can improve
their e-shopping sites. Second, a more thorough understanding of the
impact of consumer beliefs about online shopping on attitude and
intention could help e-tailers learn more about how to entice
purchasers to shop online more frequently, and entice non-purchasers
to initiate their first transaction online. This study also adds to the
technology acceptance literature by incorporating additional beliefs
relevant to the online shopping context, and by investigating
antecedents to beliefs about online shopping.
2. Literature review
The technology acceptance model (TAM) (Davis, 1989; Davis,
Bagozzi, and Warshaw, 1989), provides a conceptual framework for
this study. Based on theories in social psychology, including the theory
of reasoned action (TRA) (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980) and the theory of
planned behavior (Ajzen, 1985), TAM suggests the belief–attitude–
intention–behavior causal relationship for explaining and predicting
technology acceptance among potential users. TAM proposes that two
beliefs about a new technology, perceived usefulness and perceived
ease of use, determine a person's attitude toward using that
technology, which in turn determine their intention to use it.
Perceived usefulness is the degree to which one believes that using
the technology will enhance his/her performance (Davis et al., 1989).
Perceived ease of use is the degree to which one believes that using
the technology will be free of effort. TAM further suggests that
perceived ease of use is instrumental in explaining the variance in

0148-2963/$ – see front matter © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2008.06.016

Please cite this article as: Ha S, Stoel L, Consumer e-shopping acceptance: Antecedents in a technology acceptance model, J Bus Res (2008),
doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2008.06.016
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
2 S. Ha, L. Stoel / Journal of Business Research xxx (2008) xxx–xxx
perceived usefulness. Prior studies have validated TAM as a robust and
parsimonious framework for understanding the user's adoption of
technology in a variety of contexts including banking technology
(Adamson and Shine, 2003; Chau and Lai, 2003; Suh and Han, 2002),
m-commerce (Bruner and Kumar, 2005), email (Huang, Lu, and Wong,
2003), online games (Hsu and Lu, 2004), Lotus notes (Li, Lou, Day, and
Coombs, 2004), desktop video conferencing (Townsend, Demarie, and
Hendrickson, 2001), telemedicine technology (Chau and Hu, 2001),
and so on. Since e-shopping is a retail format innovation and makes
use of innovative technology systems, and e-shopping behavior (e.g.,
browsing, transaction, etc.) is a type of consumer usage system, TAM
provides a useful foundation for research investigating consumer
acceptance of online shopping.
Despite the robustness of TAM, research has shown inconsistent
findings regarding the effect of ease of use on attitude. While some
studies found positive and significant effects of ease of use on attitude
(Chen and Tan, 2004; O'Cass and Fenech, 2003), others revealed
insignificant relationships (Chau and Hu, 2001; Townsend et al.,
2001). Researchers suggest belief factors such as usefulness, enjoy-
ment, trust, and performance may influence one's attitude toward
using a technology more strongly than by ease of use (Van der Heijden
and Verhagen, 2004).
2.1. Extending TAM
Although a large number of studies ascertain the validity of the
TAM as a parsimonious model in various technology-related contexts
(Davis, 1989; Davis et al., 1989; Igbaria, Zinatelli, Cragg, and Cavaye,
1997; Luo and Luo, 2000; O'Cass and Fenech, 2003; Rose and Straub,
1998), the literature notes TAM's parsimony as a key limitation
(Venkatesh, 2000; Vijayasarathy, 2004). Vijayasarathy (2004) argues
that the variables in TAM are better suited to decisions involving few
technology usage choices than to situations involving users' voluntary
choices (e.g., online shopping). Therefore, the original TAM variables
may not adequately capture key beliefs influencing consumers'
attitudes toward e-shopping.
2.2. Beliefs about online shopping: Trust
One key reason why many consumers use the internet but do not
purchase online is because of beliefs about the safety of conducting
business over the internet (Gefen and Straub, 2003). Consumers' trust
of e-tailers and internet technology are key factors that influence
beliefs about safety. McKnight and Chervany (2001) defined trust as
the extent to which one believes that the new technology usage will be
reliable and credible. Pavlou (2003) defined trust in B2C e-commerce
as “the belief that allows consumers to willingly become vulnerable to
Web retailers after having taken the retailers' characteristics into
consideration” (p.106). These definitions imply that trust in both the e-
tailer and online technologies underlie consumers' beliefs about the
safety of shopping online.
While trust is a central tenet in business relationships and trans-
actions (Moorman, Zaltman, and Deshpande, 1992; Sultan and Mooraj,
2001; Warrington, Abgrab, and Caldwell, 2000), trust is more critical
in the online shopping context than in brick-and-mortar stores
(Grewal, Lindsey-Mullikin, and Munger, 2004; Reichheld and Schefter,
2000). Because of the unique characteristics of the virtual shopping
environment (i.e., inability to directly see and touch a product,
absence of face-to-face interactions), consumers feel greater uncer-
tainty and heightened risk in their online buying decisions. Trust is
one of the most effective tools for reducing uncertainty and risks
(Pavlou, 2003; Suh and Han, 2002) and generating a sense of safety.
Therefore, consumer trust of e-tailers and internet technology is
believed to play a pivotal role in consumers' e-shopping behaviors.
Prior empirical studies incorporate trust into TAM in several ways.
Results support trust as an antecedent of ease of use (Pavlou, 2003),
Please cite this article as: Ha S, Stoel L, Consumer e-shopping acceptance: Antecedents in a technology acceptance model, J Bus Res (2008),
doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2008.06.016
usefulness (Dahlberg et al., 2003; Pavlou, 2003), attitude (Chen and
Tan, 2004; Suh and Han, 2002), and behavioral intention (Gefen and
Straub, 2003; Pavlou, 2003; Suh and Han, 2002). Dahlberg et al. (2003)
develop the trust-enhanced technology acceptance model and assert
that the model provides a better explanation of consumer technology
adoption than the basic TAM.
2.3. Beliefs about online shopping: Enjoyment
Beliefs about shopping enjoyment play a significant role in one's
acceptance of internet shopping. Shopping enjoyment is the extent to
which one believes that shopping will provide reinforcement in its
own right, going beyond performance consequences (Childers, Carr,
Peck, and Carson, 2001) and such enjoyment extends to the online
channel (Bauer, Falk, and Hammerschmidt, 2006). Consumer research
agrees that people have a range of underlying motivations (e.g.,
utilitarian and hedonic; intrinsic and extrinsic motivations) and
different shopping goals trigger one's shopping behavior in different
ways (Hirschman and Holbrook, 1982; Shang, Chen, and Shen, 2005).
Similarly, research investigating the shopping motives of internet
shoppers suggests that although the primary advantages of e-shopping
such as convenience, competitive pricing, and greater access to
information are related to utilitarian perspectives of e-shopping,
hedonic aspects of e-shopping such as enjoyment, self-gratification
and social experiences also affect one's shopping activities (Childers
et al., 2001; Joines, Scherer, and Scheufele, 2003; Parsons, 2002). Thus,
one's tendency to seek enjoyment via entertaining and fun experiences
while shopping online may influence his/her adoption of the internet
as a means for product shopping.
Enjoyment is a major factor that drives users to use a new tech-
nology (Bruner and Kumar, 2005; Davis, Bagozzi, and Warshaw,
1992; Lee, Cheung, and Chen, 2005). Incorporating the hedonic
aspects of technology usage (i.e., new computers in the workplace),
Davis et al. (1992) extended their original TAM to encompass
perceived enjoyment as an additional motivational determinant of
acceptance. Online shopping behavior research has reported evidence
that shopping enjoyment plays an important role in influencing
online shopping attitude, and the role is conceptually distinct from
the roles of perceived ease of use and usefulness (Childers et al.,
2001).
Previous studies note the roles of trust and enjoyment in formation
of consumer attitude and/or intention to use new technologies (Chen
and Tan, 2004; Childers et al., 2001; Davis et al., 1992; Gefen et al.,
2003; Gefen and Straub, 2003; Pavlou, 2003; Suh and Han, 2002).
However, the relationships among trust, enjoyment, ease of use, and
usefulness are unclear. Some researchers determined that perceived
usefulness influences trust (Suh and Han, 2002), while others
demonstrated that trust influences usefulness (Gefen, 2004). In a
study of e-shopping behavior, Pavlou (2003) reports that trust in-
fluences usefulness, as well as ease of use. These inconsistent findings
warrant further research regarding the relationships between ease of
use, usefulness, enjoyment, and safety beliefs in the online shopping
context.
Research indicates that perceived usefulness is the final outcome
resulting from a chain of shopping activities while consumers
associate ease of use, enjoyment and trust with one's shopping
process and/or one's intrinsic perception of e-shopping leading to the
consequent perception. Researchers have proposed that usefulness
primarily determines attitude toward a new technology, whereas ease
of use and enjoyment function as secondary determinants (Childers
et al., 2001; Davis et al., 1992). Also, given the implication that e-tailing
is technology-driven and associated with environmental uncertainty,
perceived trust about e-shopping may influence usefulness percep-
tions about e-shopping (Pavlou, 2003). Thus, this study proposes that
three belief variables—ease of use, enjoyment, and trust—are ante-
cedents to usefulness.
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
S. Ha, L. Stoel / Journal of Business Research xxx (2008) xxx–xxx
2.4. Antecedents of beliefs: e-shopping quality
From the consumers' perspective, online shopping refers to a
number of experiences including information search, web site
browsing/navigation, ordering, payment, customer service interac-
tions, delivery, post-purchase problem resolution, and satisfaction
with one's purchases. Several of these experiences differ from those
found in traditional brick-and-mortar shopping, suggesting that
consumer evaluation of the quality of online shopping may differ,
and research has begun to investigate these unique attributes.
E-shopping quality refers to overall consumer perceptions of the
excellence and effectiveness of an e-tailer's product and/or service
offering through its virtual store. Both the quality of web site features/
interface performance and the quality of features going beyond web
site interface influence a consumer's perception of Internet shopping
(Ahn et al., 2003; Wolfinbarger and Gilly, 2003).
To measure web site quality, some scales primarily assess the web
site environment interface whereas others measure the consumers'
entire online shopping experience. For example, WebQual™ by
Loiacono, Watson, and Goodhue (2002) identify 12 dimensions of
web site quality, informational fit-to-task, interactivity, trust, response
time, ease of understanding, intuitive operations, visual appeal,
innovativeness, flow/emotional appeal, consistent image, online
completeness, and better than alternative channels. In later research
examining apparel retailers' web site quality using the WebQual™
scale, Kim and Stoel (2004) identify six dimensions: web appearance,
entertainment, informational fit-to-task, transaction capability,
response time, and trust. SITEQUAL by Yoo and Donthu (2001)
conceptualized four dimensions, ease of use, aesthetic design,
processing speed, and security of personal and financial information.
These two scales focus on web site interface attributes. Zeithaml,
Parasuraman, and Malhotra (2000) developed the eSQ scale, which has
a comprehensive view of web site quality. The original scale was
composed of 11 key dimensions: reliability, responsiveness, access,
flexibility, ease of navigation, efficiency, assurance/trust, security/
privacy, price knowledge, site aesthetics, and customization/persona-
lization. More recently, the authors developed a refined 22-item scale
called E-S-QUAL with four dimensions—efficiency, fulfillment, system
availability, and privacy (Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Malhotra, 2004).
In an effort to develop a comprehensive, online retail quality scale,
Wolfinbarger and Gilly (2003) developed a 40-item scale composed of
eight factors—fulfillment/reliability, customer service, personalization,
experiential/atmospheric, ease of use, informativeness, selection, and
security/privacy—in which both web site interface and marketing
attributes are included. Succeeding analyses reduced the eTailQ scale
to 14 items. The scale measures consumers' perceptions of e-tail
quality and extracts four dimensions: web site design (all elements
that a consumer experiences at the web site such as information
search, order processing, personalization, and product selection),
security/privacy (security of payments and privacy of given informa-
tion), fulfillment/reliability (the precise presentation of a product and
delivery of the right product at the right time promised), and customer
service (ready and supportive service that is quick to respond customer
inquiries). All four factors are strongly indicative of consumer quality
judgments and attitudes toward the web site. The reliability and
validity of the eTailQ scale is confirmed in e-shopping quality research
across various retail settings and countries (Caruana and Ewing, 2006).
Thus, some service quality scales focus primarily on the web site
environment and interface (WebQual, SiteQual, eSQ), while the eTailQ
scale provides a more comprehensive look at the multiple dimensions
comprising online retail service quality. However, none of the scales
account for hedonic aspects of a web site, which is noted by Bauer,
Falk, and Hammerschmidt (2006). Thus, none can capture a
consumer's beliefs about enjoyment of a retail web site.
Prior research examining the relationship between quality and
ease of use and usefulness shows that heightened quality perceptions
Please cite this article as: Ha S, Stoel L, Consumer e-shopping acceptance: Antecedents in a technology acceptance model, J Bus Res (2008),
doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2008.06.016
3
of a consumer positively affect the degree of perceived ease of use
(Adamson and Shine, 2003; Lucas and Spider, 1999; Vijayasarathy,
2004) and perceived usefulness (Adamson and Shine, 2003; Lucas and
Spider, 1999; Vijayasarathy, 2004). Investigating perceptions of online
shoppers, Ahn et al., (2003) find that online feature factors including
system quality and information quality, as well as offline feature
factors such as service quality positively influence both perceived ease
of use and perceived usefulness, whereas product quality and delivery
service influence only perceived usefulness. Chen and Tan (2004) find
that customer service quality directly influences attitude toward using
virtual stores, while product quality factors and information influence
perceived usefulness but not attitudes.
2.5. E-shopping quality and trust/enjoyment
Previous studies show a significant relationship between con-
sumer perceptions of quality and trust (Janda, Trocchia, and Gwinner,
2002; Zeithaml et al., 2000). For instance, Sultan and Mooraj (2001)
find a direct link between quality and trust. Harris and Goode (2004)
observe a significant association between consumer perceptions of
quality and trust in online book purchasing but not in online flight
purchasing. Other researchers produce similar results in various retail
settings (Anderson and Sullivan, 1993; Sultan and Mooraj, 2001).
Similarly, high quality e-shopping sites may result in the percep-
tion that one's e-shopping experience is fun and enjoyable. Con-
sumers are likely to experience greater enjoyment and have more fun
completing a given task at an e-store that establishes high quality in
terms of information-related as well as marketing-related attributes.
Furthermore, all other conditions being equal, e-store features that
appeal to one's hedonic motivations, such as personalization and
experiential/atmospheric quality dimensions, will support greater
enjoyment and fun for the consumer (Childers et al., 2001).
3. Research hypotheses
Based on the review of the literature, the following hypotheses
result (see Fig. 1). H1: E-shopping quality has positive influences on
perceived ease of use (H1a), perceived trust (H1b), and perceived
shopping enjoyment (H1c). H2: Perceived ease of use (H2a), perceived
trust (H2b), and perceived shopping enjoyment (H2c) have positive
influences on perceived usefulness. H3: Perceived ease of use (H3a),
perceived trust (H3b), perceived shopping enjoyment (H3c), and
perceived usefulness (H3d) have positive influences on attitude
toward e-shopping. H4: Perceived usefulness (H4a) and attitude
toward e-shopping (H4b) have positive influences on intention to use
e-shopping.
Fig. 1. Research model of TAM extension and antecedents. χ2(208) = 661.81, p = .00,
NNFI = .911, CFI = .923, SRMR = .057, RMSEA = .083 [.076,.090] Note. ⁎⁎ significant at p-
value b .001; ⁎ significant at p-value b .05; Standardized coefficient and t-values in
parentheses; insignificant path is dotted.
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
4 S. Ha, L. Stoel / Journal of Business Research xxx (2008) xxx–xxx

4. Method The questionnaire consisted of four parts: (1) e-shopping experi-

At a large Midwestern university, college students who had
experience browsing and/or purchasing products online participated
in online surveys approved by the IRB (Institutional Review Board).
Research shows that college students are more likely than older
adults to use the internet (Williamson, 2006). However, type of usage
varies by age, with internet users younger than 29 more likely to
engage in communication and creative activities, but less likely to
purchase online than users aged 29–69 (Rainie and Horrigan, 2005).
Since college-age consumers are a major target market for e-tailers
(eMarketer.com, 2006) this convenience sample does provide
important information about the online shopping attitudes of
young adults. The study utilized apparel as a specific product
category for online shopping in this study. By 2010, analysts expect
apparel to be the second largest product category for online sales,
with $28.4 billion projected (Forrester Research, 2004 cited in
Internet Retailer, 2004).
4.1. Pre-test
Prior to the main survey, the authors used a pretest (1) to identify
e-shopping quality dimensions that reflect an apparel e-shopping
context and (2) to refine and finalize main survey instruments.
Given the importance of hedonic and emotional aspects in e-
shopping quality evaluation (Bauer et al., 2006), a key concern about
Wolfinbarger and Gilly's (2003) 14-item e-TailQ scale was the
deletion of their early measurements pertinent to hedonic and
emotional features of e-shopping experiences. To identify such e-
shopping quality dimensions, the original 40 eTailQ items were used
in the pretest. One hundred twenty undergraduate students
participated in an online survey. Seventy-five participants (62.5%)
had experience buying apparel items online, while 49 respondents
had only browsed for apparel items online.
ence; (2) e-shopping quality; (3) TAM variables of trust, shopping
enjoyment, ease of use, usefulness, attitude toward e-shopping, and
intention to use e-shopping; and (4) demographic information. All
variables except for demographic information and e-shopping experi-
ence were assessed using 7-point Likert scales (7 = strongly agree). To
assess e-shopping experience, respondents were asked to answer
whether or not they had experience purchasing apparel products
online or browsing online for apparel products. They were also asked to
name the online apparel retailer they had most recently patronized,
and to list an item that they had either purchased or browsed for most
recently. All the e-shopping quality and TAM variables were adopted
from previous research. In addition to Wolfinbarger and Gilly's (2003)
40-item eTailQ, Davis' (1989) scales were used to capture usefulness
(seven items), ease of use (four items), and intention to use (two items).
Three items from Wang et al. (2004), five items from Childers et al.
(2001), and five items from Suh and Han (2002) were used to assess
trust, shopping enjoyment, and attitude toward e-shopping, respec-
tively. When answering questions, respondents were asked to think of
the web site they named in the first part of the survey. On average
respondents spent about 15 minutes completing the survey.
Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the 40 e-shopping quality
measurements was conducted with maximum likelihood extraction
to identify underlying e-shopping factors. The presence of correlations
across underlying e-shopping factors was presumed so an oblique
rotation method (oblimin) was utilized. After eliminating items that
showed poor psychometric properties (b.30 communality, b.40 factor
loading, or N.40 cross-loading) the Cronbach's alphas of the measure-
ments were examined to ensure acceptable reliability. The analysis
yielded four factors comprised of 17 items including web site design,
customer service, privacy/security, and atmospheric/experiential
quality. These factors accounted for 68.6 percent of the total variance
(Table 1). A minimum eigenvalue of 1.0 and the scree plot were used as
criteria for the factor number decision. Following the same procedure,

Table 1
Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis: E-shopping quality

Factors/Items EFA CFA

Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 3 Factor 4 Std Factor Loading Construct reliability AVE
Factor 1: Web site design .89 .73
The site doesn't waste my time .87 .04 -.05 -.04 .91
I can go to exactly what I want quickly .74 .04 -.05 -.03 .85
The organization and layout of the web site facilities searching for products .57 -.00 -.05 -.28 .80
The site gives me enough information so that I can identify the item .41 .08 -.01 -.15 na
to the same degree as if I am in the storea

Factor 2: Customer service .89 .70

The company is ready and willing to respond to customer needs .00 .95 .08 -.13 .87
The web site has reasonable shipping and handling costs .01 .91 -.02 -.07 .55
Customer service personnel are always willing to help you -.02 .71 -.13 -.06 .91
Inquiries are answered promptly .04 .55 -.10 .10 .89
When you have a problem, the web site shows a .16 .48 -.08 .04 na
sincere interest in solving ita

Factor 3: Privacy/security .95 .78

I feel like my privacy is protected at this site .05 .04 -.92 .01 .97
I feel safe in my transactions with this web site -.08 .07 -.92 -.04 .72
I feel I can trust this web site .12 .08 -.81 -.02 .94
The web site has adequate security features -.12 .05 -.70 -.14 .87
The company behind the site is reputable .30 -.18 -.57 -.11 .79

Factor 4: Atmospheric/experiential .75 .60

It is really fun to shop at this web site .09 .13 .08 .92 .73
The site almost says, “come in and shop” .00 .07 -.17 .78 .82
Buying at this web site is exciting for mea .00 -.07 -.09 .66 na

Eigenvalue 12.88 1.76 1.48 1.04

Variance % 51.51 7.05 5.91 4.15
Cronbach alpha .90 .76 .83 .90

Note. a denotes items that were removed from CFA.

Please cite this article as: Ha S, Stoel L, Consumer e-shopping acceptance: Antecedents in a technology acceptance model, J Bus Res (2008),
doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2008.06.016
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
S. Ha, L. Stoel / Journal of Business Research xxx (2008) xxx–xxx 5

measurements for the remaining scales in the study were refined and
showed adequate reliabilities (exceeding Cronbach's alpha of .70).

5. Main study

The main survey followed the same procedure for the pretest using
measurements that were refined from the pretest. A total of 2,500
student email addresses were randomly selected from the university
registrar and invitation emails containing the survey URL were sent to
each of the potential participants. Two follow-up reminders were
emailed at five-day intervals. Of the 2,500, 151 emails were returned
as non-deliverable and 385 responses were collected, which repre-
sented a response rate of 16.4 percent. After eliminating 51 non-usable
responses due to significant missing data and 36 responses represent-
ing those who had neither browsed nor purchased products online,
298 final responses were usable for data analysis. Nonresponse bias
was assessed by comparing early respondents with later respondents
on key belief variables (Armstrong and Overton, 1977). No significant
differences in any of the variables were found, providing no evidence
of nonresponse bias.

6. Results
Fig. 2. Second-order factor analysis of e-shopping quality. Note. ⁎⁎ significant at p-value
6.1. Sample characteristics b.01; All coefficients are standardized.

The mean age of respondents is 26 with ages ranging from 18 to 68. goodness-of-fit statistics are: χ2(71) = 209.86, p = .00, SRMR = .055,
Approximately 229 of the total 298 respondents (82.5%) range in age RMSEA= .081 [.069,.094], NNFI = .949, and CFI = .960.
from 20 to 30 years. The majority are Caucasian (70.1%) and their The effects of e-shopping quality in the hypotheses presumed the
average time using the internet is approximately 15.6 hours per week. construct to be a second-order factor. Therefore, a second-order factor
One hundred eighty seven respondents (64.5%) are female; 111 measurement model with four sub-factors loading into the higher
(35.5%) are male. order e-shopping quality factor was tested (Fig. 2). The goodness-of-fit
Two hundred forty six participants (82.6%) have purchased apparel statistics were: χ2(73) = 211.07, p = .00, SRMR = .055, RMSEA = .080
items online, while 52 respondents (17.4%) have only browsed online [.067,.092], NNFI = .950, and CFI = .960. The analysis supports the
for apparel items. On average, participants are experienced shoppers operationalization of overall e-shopping quality as a second-order
with 3.94 years of online shopping experience and spending 150 U.S. factor consisting of the four factors.
dollars during the last six months. A second CFA was performed with all factors for the research structural
model. Following the same procedure used with the e-shopping CFA,
6.2. Measurement model results items producing large standardized residuals were excluded from the
final measurement model. Reliability and unidimensionality of each factor
Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to test the were confirmed with the final set of measurements (Table 3). An
measurement model using AMOS 5.0. First CFA was conducted with examination of discriminant validity verified that each construct is
the e-shopping quality items that remained from the pre-test. One item independent from each other. The goodness-of-fit statistics for the
from each web site design, customer service, and experiential/ measurement model show a reasonable fit as follows: χ2(209)=650.15,
experiential e-shopping factor was removed from the final scale due p=.00, SRMR=.060, RMSEA=.084 [.072,.092], NNFI=.908, and CFI=.925.
to their large standardized residuals. The final set of 14 items exhibit
construct reliabilities, average variance extracted (AVE) (Fornell and 6.3. Structural model results
Larcker, 1981) and Cronbach's alphas that exceed recommended
standards for reliability and unidimensionality (Table 1). According to The structural model suggested in this study was tested using the
Fornell and Larcker (1981), if AVE is greater than .50 of the total variance, maximum likelihood method with AMOS 5.0. The results shows an
convergent validity is established and the convergent validities of all
four e-shopping factors were confirmed. Discriminant validity, denoting
Table 3
that each factor differs from each other, is established if AVE is greater
Convergent and discriminant validity: e-shopping quality and extending TAM
than the squared correlation coefficient between factors. This criterion constructs
for all pairs of e-shopping factors was satisfactory (Table 2). The
e-shopping Ease of Enjoyment Trust Usefulness Attitude e-shopping
quality use intention
Table 2 e-shopping 0.60 0.58 0.33 0.42 0.38 0.24 0.12
Convergent and discriminant validity: e-shopping quality quality
Ease of use 0.74 0.17 0.29 0.41 0.18 0.13
Web site Customer Privacy/ Experiential/ Enjoyment 0.81 0.2 0.27 0.29 0.22
design service security atmospheric Trust 0.82 0.36 0.27 0.15
Web site design 0.73 0.30 0.27 0.30 Usefulness 0.65 0.48 0.38
Customer service 0.70 0.22 0.31 Attitude 0.82 0.49
Privacy/security 0.78 0.29 e-shopping 0.69
Experiential/atmospheric 0.60 intention

Note. The numbers in diagonal line are the average variance extracted by each construct. Note. The numbers in diagonal line are the average variance extracted by each construct.
The numbers above the diagonal show the squared correlation coefficients between the The numbers above the diagonal show the squared correlation coefficients between the
constructs. constructs.

Please cite this article as: Ha S, Stoel L, Consumer e-shopping acceptance: Antecedents in a technology acceptance model, J Bus Res (2008),
doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2008.06.016
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
6 S. Ha, L. Stoel / Journal of Business Research xxx (2008) xxx–xxx
acceptable fit of the proposed structural model with χ2(208) = 661.81,
p = .00, NNFI = .911, CFI = .923, SRMR = .057, and RMSEA = .083 [.076,.090]
(Browne and Cudeck, 1993). Hypothesis tests support all postulated
paths except for one, H3a (see Fig. 1 for standardized path coefficients
and significance levels).
Hypotheses 1a – 1c examine the impact of e-shopping quality on three
belief variables: ease of use, trust, and shopping enjoyment. E-shopping
has a significant impact on perceived ease of use (γ= .79, t-value=10.25),
perceived trust (γ=.67, t-value=9.56), and perceived shopping enjoy-
ment (γ=.57, t-value=8.33), supporting all the hypotheses.
Hypotheses 2a – 2c explicate the impacts of three belief factors—ease
of use, trust, and shopping enjoyment—on their consequent belief
variable, usefulness. Perceived usefulness is significantly influenced by
ease of use (β = .38, t-value= 5.65), trust (β = .29, t-value = 4.83) and
shopping enjoyment (β = .23, t-value= 4.15). Thus, the three hypotheses
are supported and 54 percent of variance in perceived usefulness is
explained by the three antecedent belief variables.
Hypotheses 3a – 3d postulate the associations between the four
belief factors, including ease of use, trust, shopping enjoyment, and
usefulness and attitude toward e-shopping. Results show that
attitude toward e-shopping is significantly affected by trust (β = .13,
t-value = 2.24), shopping enjoyment (β = .23, t-value = 4.23), and
usefulness (β = .55, t-value = 6.39), but not by ease of use. So, while
hypothesis 3a is not supported, hypotheses 3b, 3c, and 3c are
supported and 53 percent of variance in attitude toward e-shopping
is explained by the three significant belief factors (trust, enjoyment,
and usefulness).
Hypotheses 4 a and 4 b explicate the associations between
intention to use e-shopping and two antecedents, perceived
usefulness and attitude toward e-shopping. One's behavioral inten-
tion to use e-shopping is significantly influenced by both perceived
usefulness (β = .26, t-value = 3.41) and attitude toward e-shopping
(β = .53, t-value = 6.43). Both hypotheses are thus supported and 53
percent of the variance in intention to use e-shopping is explained by
these antecedents. Furthermore, given that trust, ease of use, and
shopping enjoyment may have direct influences on intention, a
modified structural model that allows these paths was estimated. All
three paths are not significant and, thus, the findings support the
proposals in the model.
7. Discussion
This study explores factors influencing customer acceptance of
online shopping. The study proposes trust and enjoyment as critical
beliefs about online shopping and e-shopping quality as an antecedent
to beliefs about online shopping, and tests the impact of these
concepts using a modification of the TAM.
Results of the study suggest that web site quality consists of four
dimensions: (1) web site design, (2) customer service, (3) privacy/
security, and (4) atmospheric/experiential. The explained variance of the
first factor, web site design (51.51 percent), is greater than the other
three factors, accounting for the greatest proportion of variation in
overall perceptions of e-shopping quality. Previous apparel e-shopping
studies have found similar factors (Kim and Kim, 2004; Kim and Stoel,
2004). Research suggests that the dimensionality of web site quality may
differ by product type or by retailer (Peterson, Balasubramanian, and
Bronnenberg, 1997). Positive perceptions of e-shopping quality predict
consumers' beliefs about ease of use, shopping enjoyment, and trust.
This study confirms the robustness of TAM, explaining technology
acceptance behavior for users within the context of online shopping.
Suggesting an extended TAM to which two belief variables (i.e.,
perceived trust and perceived shopping enjoyment) are added, this
study finds that a consumer's perceptions of usefulness, enjoyment,
and trust are predictive of his/her attitude toward online shopping.
The finding that trust and enjoyment perceptions play considerable
roles in consumers' adoption of e-shopping supports previous
Please cite this article as: Ha S, Stoel L, Consumer e-shopping acceptance: Antecedents in a technology acceptance model, J Bus Res (2008),
doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2008.06.016
research (Bruner and Kumar, 2005; Childers et al., 2001; Gefen,
2004; Pavlou, 2003). Also the important role of e-shopping quality
perception in e-shopping adoption is in agreement with TAM research
(Ahn et al., 2003).
In comparing path coefficients of antecedents of attitude toward
e-shopping, usefulness emerges as the most powerful predictor
of attitude toward e-shopping relative to the other belief factors. This
supports prior TAM research finding usefulness to be the primary
determinant of one's use of a technology while ease of use, trust, and
enjoyment are secondary determinants (Childers et al., 2001; Davis,
1989; Davis et al., 1989, 1992). However, this is inconsistent with
findings from previous studies that observed a stronger effect
of enjoyment on attitude than ease of use and/or usefulness within
the contexts of handheld Internet device use (Bruner and Kumar,
2005), e-learning (Lee et al., 2005), and Internet grocery shopping
(Childers et al., 2001). This inconsistency suggests the need
for further investigation. For instance, Childers et al. proposed
that different webmospheres (e.g., hedonic vs. utilitarian appealing
web-shopping environments) cause differential importance of
usefulness, ease of use, and enjoyment, which in turn influence
attitude differently.
8. Limitations and future research
Limitations in generalizing the results of this study include, first,
this study surveys college students at a Midwestern university. The
convenient sampling process impedes the generalization of findings
to older online consumers. Additionally, taking the number of factors
in the research model into consideration, this study does not have
adequate sample size to examine which specific e-shopping quality
factor(s) affect ease of use, trust, and shopping enjoyment perceptions.
Lastly, though the authors confirmed the face validity and discrimi-
nant validity of the variables of interest, high correlations among error
variances of e-shopping quality factors (i.e., web site design and
atmospheric/experiential quality) and those of belief variables (i.e.,
perceived shopping enjoyment and perceived ease of use) were
observed. Confounding effects among those measurements may exist.
Replicating the study using different measurements would contribute
to confirmation of research model.
Future research needs to replicate the study using different
product categories to improve generalizability of the research
model. Further investigation into possible dynamic interactions
among e-shopping quality factors and TAM beliefs may help
researchers and e-tail marketers develop a richer understanding of
TAM in a consumer context and develop marketing strategies that
enhance consumers' e-shopping activity. This study focuses on one
hedonic aspect of e-shopping, shopping enjoyment. Further examina-
tions of self-gratification and social experience as driving forces for
consumer e-shopping behaviors will enrich understanding of hedonic
features of e-shopping. In addition, consumers who browse but do not
purchase online may represent a unique segment of future online
purchasers. Thus, it may be useful to investigate browsers' e-shopping
quality perceptions because they may be different than those of online
purchasers.
References
Adamson I, Shine J. Extending the new technology acceptance model to measure the
end user information systems satisfaction in a mandatory environment: A bank's
treasury. Technol Anal Strat Manage 2003;15(4):441–55.
Ahn T, Ryu S, Han I. The impact of the online and offline features on the user acceptance
of internet shopping malls. Electron Commer Res Appl 2003;3(4):405–20.
Ajzen I. From intentions to actions: a theory of planned behavior. In: Kuhl J, Beckmann J,
editors. Action Control: From Cognition to Behavior. Berlin: Springer; 1985. p. 101–28.
Ajzen I, Fishbein M. Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Englewood
Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall; 1980.
Armstrong JS, Overton TS. Estimating nonresponse bias in mail surveys. J Market Res
1977;14(3):396–402.
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
S. Ha, L. Stoel / Journal of Business Research xxx (2008) xxx–xxx
Anderson EW, Sullivan MW. The antecedents and consequences of customer
satisfaction for firms. Marketing Science 1993;12(2):125–43.
Bauer HH, Falk T, Hammerschmidt M. e-TransQual: a transaction process-based approach
for capturing service quality in online shopping. J Bus Res 2006;59(7):866–75.
Browne MW, Cudeck R. Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In: Bollen KA, Long JS,
editors. Testing structural equation models. Newbury Park, CA: Sage; 1993. p. 136–62.
Bruner II GC, Kumar A. Explaining consumer acceptance of handheld Internet devices.
J Bus Res 2005;58(5):553–8.
Caruana A, Ewing MT. The psychometric properties of eTail quality: An international
investigation across product categories. Int Market Rev 2006;23(4):353–70.
Chau PYK, Hu PJ-W. Information technology acceptance by individual professionals: a
model comparison approach. Dec Sci 2001;32(4):699–719.
Chau PYK, Lai VS. An empirical investigation of the determinants of user acceptance of
Internet banking. J Organ Comp Electron Commer, 2003;13(2):123–45.
Chen L-D, Tan J. Technology adaptation in e-commerce: Key determinants of virtual
store acceptance. Eur Manage J 2004;22(1):74–86.
Childers TL, Carr CL, Peck J, Carson S. Hedonic and utilitarian motivations for online
retail shopping behavior. J Retail 2001;77(4):511–35.
Dahlberg T, Mallat N, Oorni A. Trust enhanced technology acceptance model – Consumer
acceptance of mobile payment solution. Proceedings of the CIC roundtable 2003;
2003. web.hhs.se/cic/roundtable2003/papers/D31_Dahlberg_et_al.pdf.
Davis FD. Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and user acceptance of
information technology. MIS Q 1989;13(3):319–39.
Davis FD, Bagozzi RP, Warshaw PR. User acceptance of computer technology: a
comparison of two theoretical models. Manage Sci 1989;35(8):982–1003.
Davis FD, Bagozzi RP, Warshaw PR. Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation to use computers
in the workplace. J Appl Soc Psychol 1992;22:1111–32.
eMarketer.com. Online retail marches ever upward. www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?
1003754. 2006 [January 5].
Fornell C, Larcker DF. Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable
variables and measurement error. J Market Res 1981;8(1):39–50.
Gefen D. What makes an ERP implementation relationship worthwhile: Linking trust
mechanisms and ERP usefulness. J Manage Inform Syst 2004;21(1):263–88.
Gefen, D, Straub D. Managing user trust in B2C e-services. e-Serv J 2003;2(2):7–24.
Gefen D, Karahanna E, Straub DW. Inexperience and experience with online stores: The
importance of TAM and trust. IEEE Trans Eng Manage 2003;50(3):307–21.
Grewal D, Lindsey-Mullikin J, Munger J. Loyalty in e-tailing: a conceptual framework.
J Rel Market 2004;2(3/4):31–49.
Harris LC, Goode MMH. The four levels of loyalty and the pivotal role of trust: a study of
online service dynamics. J Retail 2004;80(2):139–58.
Hirschman EC, Holbrook MB. Hedonic consumption: emerging concepts, methods and
propositions. J Market 1982;46(3):92–101.
Hsu CL, Lu HP. Why do people play on-line game(s)? An extended TAM with social
influences and flow experience. Inform Manage 2004;41(7):853–68.
Huang L, Lu M-T, Wong BK. The impact of power distance on email acceptance: evidence
from the PRC. J Comp Inform Syst 2003;44(1):93–101.
Igbaria M, Zinatelli N, Cragg P, Cavaye ALM. Personal computing acceptance factors in
small firms: a structural equation model. MIS Q 1997;21(3):279–305.
Internet retailer Forrester's forecast: full speed ahead. internetretailer.com/printArticle.
asp?id=12766. 2004 [September].
Janda S, Trocchia PJ, Gwinner KP. Consumer perceptions of Internet retail service
quality. Int J Serv Ind Manage 2002;13(5):412–33.
Joines JL, Scherer CW, Scheufele DA. Exploring motivations for consumer web use and
their implications for e-commerce. J Consum Market 2003;20(2):90–108.
Kim EY, Kim Y-K. Predicting online purchase intentions for clothing products. Eur J
Market 2004;38(7):883–97.
Kim S, Stoel L. Apparel retailers: website quality dimensions and satisfaction. J. Retail.
Consum Serv 2004;11(2):109–17.
Lee MKO, Cheung CMK, Chen Z. Acceptance of Internet-based learning medium: the role
of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Inform Manage 2005;42(8):1095–104.
Li D, Lou H, Day J, Coombs G. The effect of affiliation motivation on the intention to use
groupware in an MBA program. J Comp Inform Syst 2004;44(3):1–8.
Please cite this article as: Ha S, Stoel L, Consumer e-shopping acceptance: Antecedents in a technology acceptance model, J Bus Res (2008),
doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2008.06.016
7
Loiacono ET, Watson RT, Goodhue DL. WEBQUAL: a measure of website quality. In:
Evans K, Scheer L, editors. Marketing educators' conference: Marketing theory and
application 2002, 13. ; 2002. p. 432–7.
Lucas Jr HC, Spider VK. Technology use and performance: a field study of broker
workstations. Dec. Sci. 1999;30(2):291–310.
Luo H, Luo W. Perceived critical mass effect on groupware acceptance. Eur J Inform Syst
2000;9(2):91–103.
McKnight DH, Chervany NL. What trust means in e-commerce customer relationships:
an interdisciplinary conceptual typology. International Journal of Electronic
Commerce 2001/2002; 6(2): 35–60.
Moorman C, Zaltman G, Deshpande R. Relationships between providers and users of
market research: the dynamics of trust within and between organizations.
J. Market. Res. 1992;29(3):314–28.
O'cass A, Fenech T. Web retailing adoption: exploring the nature of internet users web
retailing behavior. J. Retail. Consum Serv 2003;10(2):81–94.
Parasuraman A, Zeithaml VA, Malhotra A. E-S-Qual: A multiple item scale for assessing
electronic service quality. Report No. 04–112. Cambridge, MA: Marketing Science
Institute; 2004. www.msi.org/msi/publication_summary.cfm?publication=780.
Parsons AG. Non-functional motives for online shoppers: why we click. J Consum
Market 2002;19(5):380–92.
Pavlou PA. Consumer acceptance of electronic commerce: integrating trust and risk
with the technology acceptance model. Int J Electron Commer 2003;7(3):101–34.
Peterson RA, Balasubramanian S, Bronnenberg BJ. Exploring the implications of the
Internet for consumer marketing. J Acad Market Sci 1997;25(4):329–46.
Rainie L, Horrigan J. A decade of adoption: How the internet has woven itself into
American life. Pew internet & american life project; 2005. www.pewinternet.org/
PFF/r/148/report_display.asp.
Reichheld FF, Schefter P. E-loyalty. Harv. Bus. Rev. 2000;78(4):105–13.
Rose G, Straub D. Predicting general IT use: applying TAM to the Arabic world. J Glob
Inform Manage 1998;6(3):39–46.
Shang R-A, Chen Y-C, Shen L. Extrinsic versus intrinsic motivations for consumers to
shop on-line. Inf Manage 2005;42(3):401–13.
Suh B, Han I. Effect of trust on customer acceptance of Internet banking. Electron.
Commer. Res. Appl. 2002;1(3/4):247–63.
Sultan F, Mooraj HA. Designing a trust-based E-business strategy. Market Manage
2001;10(4):40–5.
Townsend AM, Demarie SM, Hendrickson AR. Desktop video conferencing in virtual
workgroups: anticipation, system evaluation and performance. Inf Syst J
2001;11(3):213–27.
Van der Heijden H, Verhagen T. Online store image: conceptual foundations and
empirical measurement. Inf Manage 2004;41(5):609–17.
Venkatesh V. Determinants of perceived ease of use: integrating control, intrinsic
motivation, and emotion into the technology acceptance model. Inform Syst Res
2000;11(4):342–65.
Vijayasarathy LR. Predicting consumer intentions to use on-line shopping: the case for
an augmented technology acceptance model. Inf Manage 2004;41(6):747–62.
Wang S, Beatty SE, Foxx W. Signaling the trustworthiness of small online retailers.
J Interact Market 2004;18(1):53–69.
Warrington TB, Abgrab NJ, Caldwell HM. Building trust to develop competitive
advantage in e-business relationships. Compet Rev 2000;10(2):160–8.
Williamson AW. College Students Embrace the Web. eMarketer.com www.imediacon-
nection.com/content/8237.asp 2006 [February 10].
Wolfinbarger M, Gilly MC. e-TailQ: dimesionalizing, measuring and predicting etail
quality. J. Retail. 2003;79(3):183–98.
Yoo B, Donthu N. Developing a scale to measure the perceived quality of an Internet
shopping site (SITEQUAL). Q J Electron Commer 2001;2(1):31–46.
Zeithaml VA, Parasuraman A, Malhotra A. A conceptual framework for understanding
e-service quality: implications for future research and managerial practice.
Working Paper No.00–115. Cambridge, MA: Marketing Science Institute; 2000.