An Empirical Investigation of Personality Traits of Online Shoppers: A Hierarchical Approach

• Main Authors: CHEN, Tsai, 陳才
• Other Authors: HUANG, Ing-Shan
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/06092268574972135394

博士 === 國立臺北大學 === 企業管理學系 === 97 === Over the past decade, B2C e-commerce has flourished and enjoyed a growth rate unrivaled by the traditional retail business. As more and more mainstream consumers migrate to the online world, the future of e-commerce seems very promising. Numerous studies have been conducted from a variety of different perspectives in order to gain a deeper understanding of online consumers’ motivations, attitudes and actual purchasing behaviors. However, trait theorists have been reluctant to jump on this bandwagon. This study is meant to contribute to this underdeveloped area. Specifically, the hierarchical trait theory of the 3M Model is applied as the theoretical foundation of the research. Of the four level traits (i.e. Elemental, Compound, Situational, and Surface), Global Innovativeness and Need for Cognition are identified as Compound Traits, and Propensity to Trust, Value Consciousness, as well as Buying Impulsiveness are identified as Situational Traits. These traits are hypothesized to be predictive of Surface Trait Online Purchase Intention and related to some basic Elemental Traits. Data was collected through both online and paper-based surveys. SEM was employed to analyze the relationships between research constructs. Major findings include: (1) all five middle level traits are related to Online Purchase Intention, (2) The Elemental Traits of Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Need for Arousal, and Need for Material are related to one or two middle level traits respectively, and (3) none of the basic traits have any direct effect on Intention in the online shopping context. Moreover, this study empirically validated the Four-level Traits Hierarchical Model and demonstrated that traits can be the driving force behind human motivation and intention.