Abstract

Purpose – The primary purpose of this article is to bring together apparently disparate and yet interconnected strands of research and present a unifying framework to explain e-consumer behaviour. It has a secondary objective of stimulating more research in areas identified as still being under-explored.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper is discursive, based on exploratory research, analysis and synthesis of e-consumer literature.

Findings – Despite a broad spectrum of disciplines that investigate e-consumer behaviour and despite this special issue in the area of marketing, there are still areas open for research into e-consumer behaviour in marketing, for example the role of image, trust and e-interactivity. The paper develops a model to explain e-consumer behaviour.

Research limitations/implications – The exploratory study is limited to examining consumer preferences in information search, but there is support from the literature and prior empirical research. It offers the benefit of new research directions for e-retailers in understanding and satisfying e-consumers. The paper provides researchers with a proposed integrated model of e-consumer behaviour.

Originality/value – The value of the paper lies in linking a significant body of literature within a unifying theoretical framework and the identification of under-researched areas of e-consumer behaviour in a marketing context.