Consumer response to Online visual merchandising cues: a case study of Forever 21

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of online visual merchandising cues on consumers' approach and avoidance behavior and identify the relative importance of various visual merchandising cues to consumers. The study took a case study approach and used Stimulus-Organism-Response framework. Multiple regression and Sobel test were used for hypotheses and mediation effect testing. Findings showed the importance of interactivity of product presentation and layout of website even with the presence of other online visual merchandising cues. The mediation effects are significant for pleasure on the link between interactivity of product presentation and approach-avoidance behavior and for perceived ease of use on the link between layout of the website and approach-avoidance behavior, which supported the adoption of ease of use and usefulness from Technology Acceptance Model into the S-O-R framework and gave implications for retailers of how to improve interactivity of product presentation and layout of website.