Abstracts Category : Other

lmpact of Gender Differences in Retail E-Commerce

by Carolyn A Ward

The purpose of this research is to explore gender as a moderating factor in retail e-commerce, attempting to uncover trends in online shopping. This thesis analyzes how gender impacts a consumer's responses to website aesthetic factors and affective and cognitive engagement factors. Data was collected through a three-phase survey administered through the University of Florida Marketing Department Behavioral Research Lab, however the focus of this study largely encompasses data from phase three. Survey question data were combined to create the main factors of this study: Navigation, Simplicity, Design, Ease of Understanding, Arousal, Pleasure, and Approach. Using the Technology Acceptance Model as a reference, we derived our own model to look at the relationships and strength between factors. This thesis also features a literature review, connecting our findings to Gestalt, Kaplan and Berlyne Theories. ( en )