Federal University of Juiz de Fora

Postgraduate Program in Administration PPGA

Consumer Behavior
Prof. Dr. Danilo de Oliveira Sampaio

Student: Andria de Ftima Hoelzle Martins

Review: Article 2 Modeling online consumer behavior: Preeminence of emotions and
moderating influences of need for cognition and optimal simulation level (RICHARD &
CHEBAT, 2016)

Internet users have been increasing over the last years; making this tool even more
interesting to business. More than entertainment, the internet is a place to information,
shopping, education and others objectives. In this sense, understand online behavior
visitors/users are important to elaborate effective websites.
With this aim, the authors Richard and Chebat (2016) elaborated an article, proposing
to develop a model of online consumer behavior incorporating important variables related
with visitor behavior, such as emotions, cognitions, entertainment, flow, online attitudes and
purchase intentions. Furthermore, this article proposed test the moderating effects of need for
cognition (NFC) and optimum stimulation (OSL) in the model.
With a strong theoretical basis, the authors elaborated thirteen hypotheses and three
research prepositions that guided the model about online behaviors visitors. The hypotheses
are about how would be the correlation and the path (directions) between the visitor behavior
variables. Among these variables, it was included Cognitions, Emotions, Entertainment, Flow,
Online Attitudes (Website Attitudes; Product Attitudes) and Purchase intentions; where the
authors could visualized the main correlations between Information, website attitude,
Pleasure, Arousal, Dominance, Flow, Entertainment, Product Attitudes and Purchase
Intentions.
Each hypothesis was related to one or two variables correlation, according the theory
findings and expectations. In relation to research prepositions, these are related to the need for
cognition and optimum stimulation interactive with online consumer behavior. It was
expected that need for cognition and optimum stimulation are related to online consumer
behavior and also related to each other.
Need for cognition (NFC) is the tendency of some people enjoy informative websites
(enjoy effortful cognitive activity); while Optimum stimulation level (OSL) is amount
stimulation some people prefer in life influencing the tendency to enjoy new and unknown
websites. Know about how design websites to each online consumer behavior is essential to
achieve the purchase intention and more browser time.
To obtain the data more than 1000 cases were analyzed using questionnaire like collect
method. The research participants answered the questionnaire and browse on some pre-
selected websites. To the data analysis, Richard and Chebat (2016) used statistical tests that
demonstrated the correlation between the listed variables to develop the model of online
consumer behavior; as well as, present the correlation between the variables in people with
Need for cognition and Optimum Stimulation different levels. Thus, pointing how the
preferences for information (hight NFC) and/or unfamiliar websites (high OSL) could
interfere in purchase intention.
The results showed the correlations between the variables, in which some hypothesis
were validated; such as, the positively influence between attitudes and emotions; the
importance of the dominance to have a pleasant experience with the website; positively
influence between entertainment and positive website attitudes. In addition, the importance of
an informative website to positive purchase intentions.
Interesting results were found about the correlation between NFC and OSL; that
confirm the theoretical expectations. High NFC and OSL individuals like more of informative
and entertainment websites. With these results, the authors elaborated four nomenclatures,
that can contribute to websites designs and to obtain a better performance with the online
consumers. The four classifications were Online information seekers high NFC and OSL;
Screen shoppers low NFC and OSL; Purposive online shoppers high NFC and low OSL
and Online Browsers Low NFC and high OSL.
The measurement model would be more understandable to the reader, contributing to
use the operational model in other studies; the discussion about the variables could be more
extensive, maybe with the topics of the Conceptual development. Nevertheless, the article is
very interesting and contributes with the online consumer behavior theory, proposing a
statistical model to analyses several variables in online consumer behavior. The stronger
theoretical basis contribute to pointed the main variables related to online consumer behavior
and introduce the NFC and OSL in the model; what enriched the theoretical analysis and
practical contributions.

References:
Richard, M-O., Chebat, J-C. (2016). Modeling online consumer behavior: Preeminence of
emotions and moderating influences of need for cognition and optimal stimulation level.
Journal of Business Research, vol. 69, Issue 2, February, 541553.