The role of product brand image and online store image on perceived risks and online purchase intentions.

摘要

Purchase intentions for fashion apparel and accessories involve both hedonic and aesthetic considerations that result higher requirements for triability and tangibility prior to purchase, suggesting that product brand image may be a particularly important factor in shaping consumers online purchase intentions for fashion apparel and accessories. In addition, consumer research literature suggests that consumers use brand name and store name to refine their purchase choices and reduce risk when shopping in a physical store. This study examines the role of product brand image and online store image on consumers' perceptions of specific types of perceived risks and their online purchase intentions for fashion apparel and accessories. A conceptual model, built on the theory of perceived risk and information integration theory, is developed to examine the relative impact of product brand image and online store image on perceived risks and subsequent purchase intentions in the online shopping environment. A pretest was first conducted to select the less favorable and the more favorable product brands for shirts, dresses, and athletic shoes, and online stores where participants would like to shop for these products. A pilot test was conducted to examine the scales. A Web-survey of 875 female college students was used for the main study to investigate the relative impact of product brand image and online store image on perceived risks and online purchase intentions. Structural Equation Modeling statistical analysis was conducted to test hypotheses. The current study found that product brand image has significant impact on college students' online purchase intentions for fashion apparel and accessory products. It was also found that product brand image has greater importance weight in influencing online purchase intentions than online store image does. The results of this study showed that although online store image and product brand image significantly impact perceptions of financial/time risks perception of financial/time risk does not significantly influence purchase intentions. In contrast, product risk was found to be the major hindrance to online purchase intentions. Perceived product risks fully mediated the impact of online store image on purchase intentions and partially mediated the impact of product brand image on purchase intentions. This research will provide insights concerning risk perceptions in online shopping and how those risks impact consumers' online purchase intentions as well as understanding the relevant impact of product brand image and online store image on perceived risks and purchase intentions for fashion apparel and accessory products.