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Thanks COVID-19, I'll reconsider my purchase: Can fear appeal reduce online shopping cart abandonment?

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  • Wang, Siqi
  • Cheah, Jun-Hwa
  • Lim, Xin-Jean
  • Leong, Yee Choy
  • Choo, Wei Chong

Abstract

Despite the widespread prevalence of online shopping cart abandonment (OSCA) and allusions to this behavior in popular press, scholars have yet to examine the key determinants of OSCA. This study used the stimulus-organism-response (S–O-R) model to explore the factors influencing consumers' OSCA and decision to buy from a land-based retailer. Two studies were carried out to test the proposed hypotheses among Mainland China's Generation Y consumers. Data was collected based on two product categories (i.e., apparel and electrical appliances) at two different time scenarios (i.e., pre- and post-pandemic). The findings reveal that hesitation at checkout increases OSCA, while consumers' decision to buy from a land-based retailer is influenced by their emotional ambivalence and OSCA. Furthermore, fear appeals appear to weaken the relationship between OSCA and the decision to buy from a land-based retailer. This study has implications for researchers and practitioners who seek to effectively reduce the rate of OSCA.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Siqi & Cheah, Jun-Hwa & Lim, Xin-Jean & Leong, Yee Choy & Choo, Wei Chong, 2022. "Thanks COVID-19, I'll reconsider my purchase: Can fear appeal reduce online shopping cart abandonment?," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:64:y:2022:i:c:s0969698921004094
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102843
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    1. Fei Huang & Wenqiu Guo, 2023. "Rise of Mental Sub-Health Consumers: Examining the Compulsive Buying Behavior in the Post-COVID-19 Era," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, December.
    2. Lim, Xin-Jean & Cheah, Jun-Hwa & Dwivedi, Yogesh K. & Richard, James E., 2022. "Does retail type matter? Consumer responses to channel integration in omni-channel retailing," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    3. Fu, Shixuan & Zheng, Xiaojiang & Wang, Hongpeng & Luo, Yunzhong, 2023. "Fear appeals and coping appeals for health product promotion: Impulsive purchasing or psychological distancing?," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    4. Meiwen Guo & Liang Wu & Cheng Ling Tan & Jun-Hwa Cheah & Yuhanis Abdul Aziz & Jianping Peng & Chun-Hung Chiu & Rongwei Ren, 2023. "The impact of perceived risk of online takeout packaging and the moderating role of educational level," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-18, December.
    5. Anastasia Theodorou & Leonidas Hatzithomas & Thomas Fotiadis & Anastasios Diamantidis & Antonios Gasteratos, 2023. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Online Consumer Behavior: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-17, January.
    6. Khan, Asad & Rezaei, Sajad & Valaei, Naser, 2022. "Social commerce advertising avoidance and shopping cart abandonment: A fs/QCA analysis of German consumers," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).

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