Consumer Decision-Making Styles Extension to Trustbased Product Comparison Site Usage Model

Paper describes implementation of extended consumer decision-making styles concept in explaining consumer choices made in product comparison site environment in the context of trust-based information technology acceptance model. Previous authors’ research proved that trust-based acceptance model is useful in explaining purchase intention and anticipated satisfaction in product comparison site environment. Product comparison sites are examples of online decision shopping aids, acting for consumer as infomediaries and sales intermediaries in online sales channel. Trust to such aids is important in explaining their usage by consumers, although there are other potentially important constructs influencing their usage. In this paper, connections between consumer decisionmaking styles (extended by adding two dimensions by authors), product and sellers opinions usage, cognitive and affective trust toward online product comparison site, as well as choice outcomes (in terms of purchase intention and brand choice on example of automatic coffee machine) are explored. Study on snowball sample of 461 young consumers with data collected through CAWI questionnaire containing choice task in real product comparison engine confirmed reliability and validity of measurement scales and allowed to estimate structural equation models using PLS-SEM and PLSMGA approaches (the latter with groups formed by chosen product brand). Research confirmed validity of trust-based acceptance model in explaining product comparison usage, and some consumer decision-making styles influenced (as predicted) made choices and purchase intention. Product and sellers reviews usage were partially mediating some of mentioned relationships.