Purpose – The present study examines interrelationships among antecedent factors defining consumer behavior in selecting online shopping websites.
Research design, data, and methodology – The study identified factors from existing literature and used Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) to propose a conceptual approach to explain consumer website selection behavior. Through extensive discussions among industry and academia experts, qualitative assessment of the relationship between various factors was determined.
Results – According to the model, eight congregating factors do not converge directly for website selection, rather, they operate following a hierarchy of influence. The ISM and MICMAC analysis reveal that information on a website and website aesthetics play key roles in influencing website selection. However, convenience and the value proposition also play very significant roles.
Conclusions – The study’s findings can help the e-commerce industry, especially online retailers. The findings can be used to enhance e-retailer ability to attract, communicate, engage, achieve, monitor, and evaluate web traffic and design appropriate strategies. The study’s prime contribution is the application of Interpretative Structural Modeling (ISM) to the field of website selection.