online purchase intention

Online Purchase IntentionUnderstanding the Blogosphere Effect

Olfa BouhlelUNIVERSITY OF SOUSSE

Nabil MzoughiUNIVERSITY OF SOUSSE

Mohamed Skander GhachemUNIVERSITY OF SOUSSE

Anissa NegraUNIVERSITY OF SOUSSE

ABSTRACT

This study examines consumers attitude toward the blog and the effect of the blog on the purchaseintention. The research model developed by the authors on the basis of previous research can beused as a reference schema for predicting future choices of bloggers. It integrates perceptual variablessuch as the credibility, the interactivity, the ease of use, the usefulness, the attitude toward the blog,and the purchase intention. Using the model, the study surveyed 245 Internet users. The results showthat the credibility, the usefulness and the ease of use of the blog generate a positive attitude towardthe blog. The attitude toward the blog had a positive impact on the purchase intention. The findingsprovide some answers to marketers about the blog phenomenon and the behaviour of consumersin this context. They will help managers to understand the consumer assessment process in thisparticular field of the web.

Keywords: Attitude toward the blog, perceived credibility, perceived interactivity, perceived easeof use, perceived usefulness.

Weblogs or blogs belong to the new generation ofWeb 2.0 technology (Fieseler et al., 2010;

Ng & Matanda, 2009; Youngs, 2009; Wyld, 2008). It is a way of sharing a private diary

with other people over the Internet using different online multimedia (Lu & Hsiao, 2009;

Ng &Matanda, 2009; Leight, 2008; Leu et al., 2007; Furukawa et al., 2007). The content

is frequently updated with posts displayed in chronological order (Lu&Hsiao, 2009; Gunter,

2009;Wyld, 2008, Thelwall &Hasler, 2007; Pacquet, 2007; Herring et al., 2004). According

to Ng and Matanda (2009), blogs allow direct and spontaneous interaction between the

blogosphere members (bloggers and readers). It is an easy, simple and fast way to create web

pages (Lu & Hsiao, 2009; Wyld, 2008; Demopoulos, 2007), making it a more popular

online advertising and retail platform in comparison to websites (Ng & Matanda, 2009;

Hsu & Lin, 2008; Albert, 2007). Blogs have become a powerful online communication tool

that enables brands to promote products and services (Duke, 2009; Wyld, 2008; Ng &

Matanda, 2008; Zhang & Han, 2007; Du &Wagner, 2006; Lei & Wang, 2005). Getting

brands visible on blogs is an increasingly interesting way not only to improve attitudes, but

also to better reach potential buyers (Wyld, 2008; Zhang & Han, 2007).

Only few studies have investigated blogs, the antecedent of the attitude toward them,

and their impact on purchase intention. The attitude of consumers toward blogs and their

use in brands strategies have received little attention.

RMIT Publishing, http://www.rmitpublishing.com.au/ijebm.html

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This research proposes a conceptual model to understand the impact of blogs on con-

sumers behaviour. It investigates the impact of the perceived credibility, the interactivity,

the perceived usefulness, and the ease of use on the users attitude toward the blogs and the

effect of the latter on the purchase intention.

The study emphasises the importance of using the blog as an advertising and communic-

ation tool. The findings provide some answers to marketers about the blog phenomenon

and the behaviour of consumers in this context. Results can help managers to understand

the consumer assessment process in this particular field of the web; they can use this inform-

ation in their e-marketing strategies.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Attitude Toward the BlogAttitude refers to the positive or negative orientation of the consumer toward a product or

brand (Assael, 1987). It concerns also a psychological tendency that expresses itself by the

assessment of a specific entity, according to a certain degree of favour or disfavour (Eagly &

Chaiken, 1993). Breckler (1984) identified three components of the attitude: (1) the cognitive

dimension refers to the individuals beliefs toward an object; (2) the affective dimension

refers to the feelings and emotions generated by a stimulus. It is the evaluative aspect of the

beliefs. These judgments are intrinsically subjective and personal; (3) the conative dimension

is related to actions. It is the predisposition to make a purchase expressed by a purchase in-

tention (Vernette, 1998).

Several researches have investigated individuals attitudes and behaviours toward shopping

and non-shopping websites (Boulaire & Ballofet, 1999; Hocque & Lohse, 1999). According

to Chen and Wells (1999), the attitude toward a website is the predisposition to respond

in a favourable or unfavourable way in a particular situation. It is the assessment of a website

on the bases of three types of information: cognitive, affective and behavioural (Wu, 1999).

Perceived CredibilityPerceived credibility is the trust dimension that affects positively or negatively the acceptance

of a message (Corritore et al., 2003; Hovland&Weiss, 1951). The more a person is familiar

with a particular medium, the higher he tends to rate it in terms of credibility (Sweester et

al., 2008). The credibility of the source of information is crucial for Internet users (Tseng

& Fogg, 1999): 12 to 23 percent of them find blogs credible (Sweester et al., 2008).

Perceived InteractivityNewhagen et al.s (1995) conceptualisation of perceived interactivity encompasses two di-

mensions: (1) internally based self-efficacy and (2) externally based system efficacy. The first

refers to the perceived control of the web user over his navigation (where is he, and where

is he going?). The second is associated to his perception of the responsiveness of the website

to his actions. Wu (1999) labelled these two components navigation and responsiveness.

The interactivity of a blog implies, first, the use of hypertexts, which are links to related

websites (Ducate & Lomika, 2008; Zhang&Han, 2007). Second, an interactive blog implies

expressing ideas and communicating with other blogosphere members (Sweester et al., 2008).

It provides a space for readers reactions and allows them to deliver their comments (Ducate

& Lomika, 2008; Zhang & Han, 2007).

38 | International Journal of e-Business Management, vol. 4, no. 2, 2010

Yen

Perceived Ease of UsePerceived ease of use is the perception of the effort made by the individual when using a

system (Venkatesh & Davis, 1996). According to Davis (1989), the perceived ease of use is

the motivational aspect inherent to the interaction between the user and the computer.

People interact, probably more, with technologies when they expect the use of a few cognitive

efforts during the interaction (Adams et al., 1992). Other researchers argue that website ease

of use measures the effort made by the visitor on performing tasks (information search,

purchase, etc.). It can be defined as the degree to which Internet users believe that the

amount of effort needed to use a website is free or low (Rotchanakitumnuai, 2005, p. 4).

Perceived ease of use of a blog is the degree to which a user believes that the amount of effort

needed to use a particular technology is free or low (Hsu & Lin, 2008, p. 67).

Perceived UsefulnessThis concept is a theoretical substitute to the relative advantage proposed in the adoption

theory (Limayem & Frini, 2004; Chen et al., 2002). Drawing on the definition proposed

by Davis (1989), Hsu and Lin (2008) define perceived usefulness as the degree to which a

person believed that using a blog enhanced his or her performance (p. 67). In this research,

the concept indicates the advantages that the web surfer expects to obtain when using the

blog: avoiding waste of time, accessing to extra information, and to different ideas about

the products.

Online Purchase IntentionBehavioural intention reflects the individuals likelihood of engaging in the behaviour of

interest. It measures how hard an individual is willing to take a specific action (Ajzen &

Fishbein, 1980). Online purchase intention refers to the strength of a consumer's intention

to perform a specified purchasing behaviour over the Internet (Salisbury et al., 2001).

HYPOTHESES AND RESEARCH MODEL

Perceived Credibility and Attitude Toward the BlogCredible blogs are prominent determinants of consumers beliefs (Buzzlogic, 2008; Cohen,

2008). The individual considers the information in his data processing and wonders about

the degree of credibility of its sources. His perception of the information coming from the

market and the social environment guides his decision (Gurviez, 1998). The attitude depends

on the credibility and the level of entertainment perceived on the site (Brackett & Carr,

2001). The credibility has instantaneous and deferred effects on the consumers attitude and

behaviour (Ohanian, 1990). The source credibility can generate a change of the customers

attitude (Bhate, 1999).

H1: The perceived credibility has a positive effect on the attitude toward the blog.

H1a: The perceived credibility has a positive effect on the cognitive attitude toward the

blog.

H1b: The perceived credibility has a positive effect on the affective attitude toward the

blog.

H1c: The perceived credibility has a positive effect on the conative attitude toward the

blog.

Olfa Bouhlel, Nabil Mzoughi, Mohamed Skander Ghachem & Anissa Negra,'Online Purchase Intention' | 39

Perceived Interactivity and Attitude Toward the BlogThe interaction with the media creates a flow between the transmitter and the receiver of

the information (Steuer, 1992). Websites and blogs are multimedia products that contain

audio, videos, graphic and texts with which the users interact (Wu, 1999).

Wu (1999) pointed out the existence of a positive relationship between the perceived

interactivity and the attitude toward the site. Cho and Leckenby (1999) found that the users

intention to interact with a website and the number of interactive aspects provided by this

site (chat rooms and search engine) are positively associated with the attitude toward the

site. McMillan (2000) provided empirical support relating the perceived interactivity (virtual

tours and online reservations systems) and the attitude toward the site. As they allow two-

way conversations between the blogosphere members, blogs are considered to be more inter-

active than traditional websites (Demopoulos, 2007). The more interactive a blog, the more

favourable is the visitors attitude (Ng & Matanda, 2009).

H2: The perceived interactivity has a positive impact on the web surfers attitude toward the

blog.

H2a: The navigation has a positive impact on the cognitive attitude toward the blog.

H2b: The navigation has a positive impact on the affective attitude toward the blog.

H2c: The navigation has a positive impact on the conative attitude toward the blog.

H2d: The responsiveness has a positive impact on the cognitive attitude toward to the

blog.

H2e: The responsiveness has a positive impact on the affective attitude toward the blog.

H2f: The responsiveness has a positive impact on the conative attitude toward the blog.

Perceived Usefulness and Attitude Toward the BlogPerceived usefulness refers to the advantages that the consumer perceives during his visit to

a website (Au & Enderwick, 2000; Davis, 1989). It positively influences the consumers

behaviour, either directly or, more often, indirectly through the attitudes (Malhotra &

McCort, 2001). Consumers attitude toward a website are favourably strengthened by the

perceived usefulness (Oh et al., 2009; Lee, 2009, Elliot & speck, 2005; Klopping &

Mckinney, 2004; Shih, 2004; Ocass & Fenech, 2003; Moon & Kim, 2001). Hsu and Lin

(2008) expected that web surfers appreciating the advantages related to the use of a specific

blog exhibit a favourable attitude.

H3: The perceived usefulness of the blog positively influences the users attitude toward the

blog.

H3a: The perceived usefulness of the blog positively influences the users cognitive attitude.

H3b: The perceived usefulness of the blog positively influences the users affective attitude.

H3c: The perceived usefulness of the blog positively influences the users conative attitude.

Ease of Use and Attitude Toward the BlogThe perceived complexity of technology is one of the most important issues explaining the

non-adoption of Internet and computers (Katz, 1997). Information system literature suggests

that the ease of use has a direct impact on the attitude (Agarwal & Prasad, 1997; Mathieson,

1991; Taylor & Todd, 1995). Nevertheless, some scholars stipulate that this relationship is

not so obvious. Liu et al. (2003) found that the attitude toward the use of a website is strongly

affected by the perceived usefulness, and insignificantly affected by the ease of use. On the

other hand, ease of use has been found to have a major influence on the attitude toward

websites (Lee, 2009; Elliot & Speck, 2005; Klopping&Mckinney, 2004; Shih, 2004; Ocass


&Fenech, 2003; Chen et al., 2002;Moon&Kim, 2001). According to Hsu and Lin (2008),

perceived ease of use positively affects visitors attitude toward participating in a blog.

H4: The perceived ease of use positively influences the users attitude toward the blog.

H4a: The perceived ease of use positively influences the cognitive attitude toward the blog.

H4b: The perceived ease of use positively influences the affective attitude toward the blog.

H4c: The perceived ease of use positively influences the conative attitude toward the blog.

Attitude Toward the Blog and Intention of PurchaseThe Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) proposed by Ajzen and Fishbein (1980) confirmed

that individuals attitude has a positive impact on his behavioural intention. This relationship

has received substantial empirical support in the online shopping context. It has been

demonstrated that the consumers attitude affects the intention to shop online (Lin et al.,

2010; Lee, 2009; Monsuw et al., 2004; Li & Zhang, 2002; Chen et al., 2002; Moon &

Kim, 2001; Chen &Wells, 1999). The relationship between the attitude toward a blog and

the intention to use it was also supported in Hsu and Lins study (2008).

H5: The attitude toward the blog has a positive effect on the purchase intention.

H5a: The cognitive attitude toward the blog has a positive effect on the purchase intention.

H5b: The affective attitude toward the blog has a positive effect on the purchase intention.

H5c: The conative attitude toward the blog has a positive effect on the purchase intention.

Figure 1: Research Model

7

demonstrated that the consumers attitude affects the intention to shop online (Lin et al., 2010; Lee, 2009; Monsuw et al., 2004; Li & Zhang, 2002; Chen et al., 2002; Moon & Kim, 2001; Chen & Wells, 1999). The relationship between the attitude toward a blog and the intention to use it was also supported in Hsu and Lins study (2008).

H5: The attitude toward the blog has a positive effect on the purchase intention. H5a: The cognitive attitude toward the blog has a positive effect on the purchase

intention.

H5b: The affective attitude toward the blog has a positive effect on the purchase intention.

H5c: The conative attitude toward the blog has a positive effect on the purchase intention.

Figure 1: Research model

Methodology

Measures

The measuring scales used in the questionnaire (Appendix 1) were drawn from the existing marketing literature. They were selected according to their content validity, their reliability as

H3

Purchase

intention

H5 Attitude toward the

blog

H1

H4

Perceived

interactivity

H2

Perceived ease of

use

Perceived

credibility

Perceived

usefulness

METHODOLOGY

MeasuresThe measuring scales used in the questionnaire (Appendix 1) were drawn from the existing

marketing literature. They were selected according to their content validity, their reliability

as well as their operational feasibility. All the items were measured using a five-point Likert

scale ranging from (1) strongly disagree to (5) strongly agree.

The three-item Sundars scale (1998; 1999; 2000) was used to measure perceived credib-

ility. The instrument that was used to assess perceived interactivity is Wus measure (1999).

It is a ten-item scale. Perceived ease of use was measured using two items drawn from

SITEQUAL Yoo and Donthus scale (2001). Perceived usefulness was measured using a

two-item scale adapted from Chen et al.s (2002) research.


Blog attitude was assessed using Wus (1999) scale. It consists of fifteen items measuring

the cognitive, affective and conative dimensions. Purchase intention was assessed using the

three-item scale developed by MacKenzie et al. (1986).

ProcedureTo assess the effect of the blogs features on the attitude toward it and on the purchase in-

tention, a quantitative research design was utilised. The first step in the research methodology

was to select the blog. Several researches on the Internet, within newspapers and specialised

magazines were realised in order to make our choice. A group of experts, composed of five

marketing university teachers, dealing with blogs frequently, were requested to select the

investigated weblog. Experts based their choice on design, layout (Ducate & Lomicka, 2008),

topics (Ducate & Lomicka, 2008), ease of use, and number of users (Dweyer, 2007).

www.lebloggadget.com was accordingly selected. Bloggers were invited to visit it for at least

15 minutes, before answering a 39 item online questionnaire. The survey was proposed on

a Tunisian forum www.marhaba.com in order to gain access to various online communities

sharing interest in blog shopping. A notification was sent to respondents in order to invite

them to participate to the study. A snowball sampling method was also used to invite more

users.

The online survey started on January 15 and ended on March 30, 2007 and permitted

fast data collection. Ultimately, 245 bloggers participated in the study. The sample included

few respondents who had experience in blog shopping (only 3 percent), as well as others

with no experience in blog purchasing. It was composed of 130 women and 115 men, most

of them belonging to the 20-30 years old group (88.6 percent). In accordance with

www.twnic.net.tw, Internet users are mainly in the range of 20-24 years old (Chiou et al.,

2008). In addition, young and educated adults are the group that uses blogs the most. Table

1 summarises the respondents profile.

Table 1: Respondents Profile

9

Table 1: Respondents profile

CharacteristicsCharacteristicsCharacteristicsCharacteristics FrequencyFrequencyFrequencyFrequency %%%%

Female 130 53 .1 GenderGenderGenderGender

Male 115 46.9

Under 20 10 4.1

20-30 217 88.6

30-40 16 6.5 AgeAgeAgeAge

More than 40 2 0.8

High School 8 3.3

College/University 189 77.2

Master 43 17.5

EducationEducationEducationEducation

PhD 5 2

TotalTotalTotalTotal 245 100

Results

A series of exploratory factor analyses (EFA) were first performed in order to purify the scales and to examine their dimensionality. Internal consistency of measurements was then assessed using Cronbachs alpha. In order to validate the research hypotheses, linear regression analyses were carried out.

Psychometric Properties of the Scales Each measurement was subjected to principal component factor analysis. As outlined in Table 2, PCA results show that perceived credibility, ease of use, perceived usefulness, and purchase intention are one-dimensional. The items of the perceived interactivity were reduced to two factors: navigation and responsiveness. Attitude toward the blog is three-dimensional: cognitive, affective and conative. The reliability coefficients of the used measurements range from 0.662 to 0.921. Except for the perceived ease of use, the perceived usefulness and the responsiveness, all the other variables and dimensions meet the suggested minimum level for internal consistency of 0.70.


Table 2: Summary of the Factor Analyses with Oblimin Rotation and Reliability

10

Blog attitude Perceived

interactivity Items

Co Aff Ca

Perceived

credibility navig respo

Perceived

ease of

use

Perceived

usefulness

Purchase

Intention

attib1 .888

attib2 .876

attib3 .838

attib4 .681

attib5 .569

attib6 .918

attib7 .808

attib8 .786

attib9 .721

attib10 .615

attib11 -

.834

attib12 -

.827

attib13 -

.725

attib14 -

.790

attib15 -

.731

Cred1 .853

Cred2 .881

Cred3 .707

int1 .920

in2 .870

int3 .821

int4 .767

int5 .732

int6 .773

int9 .814

e. use1 .875

e. use2 .875

Useful 1 .865

Useful 2 .865

PI1 .873

PI2 .926

PI3 .876

Cronbachs Cronbachs Cronbachs Cronbachs

.859.859.859.859 .890.890.890.890 .867.867.867.867 .750.750.750.750 .868.868.868.868 .667.667.667.667 .693.693.693.693 .662.662.662.662 .871.871.871.871

RESULTS

A series of exploratory factor analyses (EFA) were first performed in order to purify the scales

and to examine their dimensionality. Internal consistency of measurements was then assessed


using Cronbachs alpha. In order to validate the research hypotheses, linear regression analyses

were carried out.

Psychometric Properties of the ScalesEach measurement was subjected to principal component factor analysis. As outlined in

Table 2, PCA results show that perceived credibility, ease of use, perceived usefulness, and

purchase intention are one-dimensional. The items of the perceived interactivity were reduced

to two factors: navigation and responsiveness. Attitude toward the blog is three-dimensional:

cognitive, affective and conative.

The reliability coefficients of the used measurements range from 0.662 to 0.921. Except

for the perceived ease of use, the perceived usefulness and the responsiveness, all the other

variables and dimensions meet the suggested minimum level for internal consistency of 0.70.

Antecedents of the Attitudinal FactorsResults show that only the perceived usefulness (s = 0.471, p < 0.001) and the perceivedcredibility (s = 0.368, p < 0.001) significantly and positively influence the cognitive dimen-sion of the attitude toward the blog. The positive impact of the perceived ease of use on the

cognitive dimension of the attitude is not supported (s = - 0.273, p < 0.001).No significant impact of navigation (s = 0.049, p > 0.05) and responsiveness (s =

0.062, p > 0.05) on the cognitive dimension is noticed.

As shown in Table 3, the affective dimension of the attitude toward the blog is significantly

and positively affected by the responsiveness (s = 0.443, p < 0.001), the perceived usefulness(s = 0.156, p < 0.01) and the perceived ease of use of the blog (s = 0.129, p < 0.05). Re-gression results revealed that the perceived credibility and the navigation do not have signi-

ficant effects on the affective dimension of attitude.

The positive impact of the perceived credibility (s = - 0.314, p < 0.05), the perceivedease of use (s = - 0.121, p < 0.05), the navigation (s = - 0.092, p > 0.05), the responsiveness(s = - 0.256, p < 0.000), and the perceived usefulness (s = - 0.539, p < 0.001) on theconative dimension of the attitude were not supported.

Table 3: Regression Results on Predicting the Attitude Toward the Blog

11

Antecedents of the Attitudinal Factors Results show that only the perceived usefulness (s = 0.471, p < 0.001) and the perceived credibility (s = 0.368, p < 0.001) significantly and positively influence the cognitive dimension of the attitude toward the blog. The positive impact of the perceived ease of use on the cognitive dimension of the attitude is not supported (s = - 0.273, p < 0.001). No significant impact of navigation (s = 0.049, p > 0.05) and responsiveness (s = 0.062, p > 0.05) on the cognitive dimension is noticed. As shown in Table 3, the affective dimension of the attitude toward the blog is significantly and positively affected by the responsiveness (s = 0.443, p < 0.001), the perceived usefulness (s = 0.156, p < 0.01) and the perceived ease of use of the blog (s = 0.129, p < 0.05). Regression results revealed that the perceived credibility and the navigation do not have significant effects on the affective dimension of attitude. The positive impact of the perceived credibility (s = - 0.314, p < 0.05), the perceived ease of use (s = - 0.121, p < 0.05), the navigation (s = - 0.092, p > 0.05), the responsiveness (s = - 0.256, p < 0.000), and the perceived usefulness (s = - 0.539, p < 0.001) on the conative dimension of the attitude were not supported.

Table 3: Regression Results on Predicting the Attitude Toward the Blog

Cognitive dimension Affective dimension Conative dimension Antecedents s t p s t p s t p

Perceived credibility .368 6.129 .000*** .064 1.000 .318 -

.314 -5.127 .000***

Navigation .049 .664 .507 .024 .376 .707 -

.092 -1.635 .103

Perceived

Interactivity Responsiveness .062 .857 .392 .443 6.885 .000*** -

.092 -1.635 .103

Perceived usefulness .471 8.076 .000*** .156 3.031 .003** -

.539

-

12.170 .000***

Perceived ease of use -

.273

-

3.813 .000*** .129 2.050 .041*

-

.121 -2.224 .027*

Adjusted R 26.736*** 19.313*** 32.450***

***p

Purchase Intention and Attitude Toward the BlogAs shown in Table 4, the attitude toward the blog had a positive effect on the bloggers in-

tention to buy the products and the brands that were discussed in the blog. Measures show

that the cognitive dimension of the attitude had a positive impact on bloggers purchase in-

tention (s = 0.423, p

on the fact that consumers control a part of the blog conversations by expressing their beliefs

and opinions (Cohen, 2005; Lei & Wang, 2005).

CONCLUSION

This study emphasises the importance of examining consumers attitudes toward the blogs

and its effect on the purchase intention. The research model can be used as a reference

schema for predicting future choices of bloggers. It integrates perceptual variables such as

the credibility, the interactivity, the ease of use, the usefulness, the attitude toward the blog,

and the purchase intention. The concepts were assessed through the adaptation of scales

initially constructed for websites. Data were collected using a survey involving 245 Internet

users. The results show that the credibility, the usefulness and the ease of use of the blog

generate a positive attitude toward the blog. The attitude toward the blog had a positive

impact on the purchase intention.

Practitioners begin using blogs to inform about the latest news on brands. This study

allows them to use this emerging tool in a more strategic way. It can be used in the improve-

ment of the content of blogs and reach a favourable attitude toward the blog. For instance,

managers might improve the usefulness of their blogs and take special care of the content

they display; they have to make sure not to publish false information or rumours that can

damage the credibility of the blog and have lately negative consequences on their turnover.

This study has some inherent limitations. The subjects were Tunisian blog users. Culture,

values and purchase behaviour may differ among countries. The research model explains

the purchase intention from a blogosphere perspective, but excluded factors such as the

content and the design of the investigated blog. It would be interesting to study their direct

and indirect effect on the purchase intention.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The authors would like to thank Kaouther Ben Nejma for her precious help in administering

the questionnaire.

APPENDIX 1

Measure of the attitude toward the blog (Wu, 1999)

- I think that this blog is trustworthy.

- I think that this blog is honest.

- I think that this blog is credible.

- I think that this blog is interesting.

- I think that this blog is intelligent.

- I think that this blog is attractive.

- I think that this blog is agreeable.

- I think that this blog is appealing.

- I think that this blog is amusing.

- I think that this blog is stimulating.

- I would add it to my favourite sites.

- I would recommend this site to my friends.

- I would use the email or the online-form to contact the company.

- I would revisit this blog when I will need information about products.


- I would have the intention to buy from this blog.

Measure of the perceived credibility (Sundar, 1998; 1999; 2000)

- This blog is fair.

- This blog is neutral.

- This blog is objective.

Measure of the perceived interactivity (Wu, 1999)

- When I was on the blog, I always knew where I was.

- When I was on the blog, I always knew where I was going.

- When I was on the blog, I was always capable to go where I thought I was going.

- The hypertext links and the pictures indicate me exactly what I should expect.

- The layout was like a roadmap during my exploration of this blog.

- When I clicked on the hypertext link or the pictures, I felt well toward the published in-

formation.

- When I was on the blog, I could skip quickly from one page to another.

- I felt that I could not have sufficiently useful information merely because there was too

much of it.

- I was delighted with being capable to choose the link or to click on it.

- I was happy to express my feelings and opinions about the blog through the comments or

the feedback.

Measure of the perceived ease of use (Yoo & Donthu, 2001)

- The use of this blog is convenient.

- It is easy to search information.

Measure of the perceived usefulness (Heijden et al., 2000; Moon & Kim, 2001; Chen et

al., 2002):

- This blog makes my purchases easier.

- This blog provides useful information about the products and the services.

Measure of the purchase intention (MacKenzie et al. 1986)

- This blog raised in me the desire to buy its product.

- I am going to test the product proposed on this blog.

- If I buy this product, it would be the brand that is proposed on this blog.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORSNabil Mzoughi is Professor of marketing and director of the research unit MaPReCoB at the HigherInstitute of Management, University of Sousse (Tunisia). His researches on consumer behaviourand online consumer behaviour, has presented at several national and international conferencesand published in various journals such as Journal of Internet Business, Journal of Customer Behaviour,Journal of Global Information Technology Management and Innovative Marketing. He is in charge ofseveral PhD projects developed around the topics of banking, e-banking and e-commerce.

Nabil MzoughiBP 37. Khezama-Est. 4051Sousse TunisiaTel: +216 73 332976,Email: [email protected]

Olfa Bouhlel is teaching assistant of marketing at the University of Sousse and member of the re-search unit MaPReCoB. Her main research line is the relationship between marketing and onlineconsumer behaviour. She participated in international conferences of several associations: Interna-tional Business Information Management Association, and The International Group of E-systemsResearch and Applications. She has published in Journal of Internet Business, Journal of CustomerBehavior and Innovative Marketing Journal.

E-mail: [email protected]

Mohamed Skander Ghachem is a teaching assistant of management at the Higher Institute of Financeand Taxes of Sousse, Tunisia. He is a member of the Research Unit MaPReCoB. His research focuseson Supply Chain Management and e-management. Some of his research has been presented atinternational conferences to managerial and academic audiences and has been published in inter-national journals such as Journal of Global Information Technology Management. He was managerat the second textile company of Tunisia.


Anissa Negra is a teaching assistant of marketing at the University of Sousse and member of theresearch unit MaPReCoB. Her current areas of interest include online procrastination, online con-sumer behaviour, e-marketing, e-commerce and e-tourism. She has published in various journalssuch as Journal of Internet Business and Journal of Customer Behavior.



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