The Influence of Web Design and Buyer Characteristics on Browsing Behaviour

Although the effects of interactivity and personalisation tools on browsing experience has been the subject of previous research, the impact of variable levels of such features on buyers’ evaluations of trust, attitudes towards websites and feelings of decision satisfaction has received relatively little attention. To address this gap, this study conducts an experiment with 273 subjects to examine these relationships in the context of complex, high risk purchase situations where the seller is new to the market and buyers demonstrate variable risk preference. Findings identify a positive association between website design features and browsing outcomes, and the effectiveness of such features higher for buyers with lower risk preference.