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Feeling leads to believing: a Kansei-based approach to explore website users’ purchase intention in the travel agency sector

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Abstract

Although website users’ affective and cognitive perceptions interactively influence their purchase intention toward a company’s website products, little research has simultaneously examined the effects of website users’ perceived affective quality (PAQ) and perceived website quality (PWQ) on purchase intention (PI) in the travel agency sector. Particularly, the moderating roles of website users’ perceived affective trust (PAT) and perceived cognition trust (PCT) on the PAQ–PWQ–PI interrelationships were explored. To this end, by applying the Kansei engineering approach, this study first collected the positive and negative affective words relevant to four travel product properties on the travel agency websites from related media sources and categorized them using the affinity diagram method. Multiple regression analysis of the interrelationships among PAQ, PWQ, and PI showed that certain PAQs (including content feeling unique, content feeling trustworthy, graphic feeling eye-catching, graphic feeling favorable price, and layout feeling comprehensive) had positive effects on PWQ. However, only certain PAQs (including color feeling relaxing, graphic feeling eye-catching, graphic feeling topical, and layout feeling humanistic) engendered positive effects on PI. Finally, multiple group analysis by structural equation modeling showed that only PAT had a moderating effect on the relationship between PAQ and PWQ. These results suggest that affective factors exerted more significant effects on website users’ perceptions and behaviors than did cognitive factors in the travel agency website context. Drawing on the empirical findings, managerial implications and directions for future research are provided.

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Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank anonymous reviewers for useful suggestions and the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan (R.O.C.) for financial support (MOST 103-2410-H-263-004).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Leisure and Recreation Management, Chihlee University of Technology, No. 313, Sec. 1, Wunhua Rd., Banciao District, New Taipei City, 22050, Taiwan, ROC

    Kuo-Chien Chang

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Correspondence to Kuo-Chien Chang.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Perceived website quality (PWQ)

Pwql:

I find the site easy to learn to operate

pwq2:

My interaction with the site is clear and understandable

pwq3:

I find the site easy to navigate

pwq4:

I find the site easy to use

pwq5:

The site has an attractive appearance

pwq6:

The design is appropriate to the type of site

pwq7:

The site conveys a sense of competency

pwq8:

The site creates a positive experience for me

pwq9:

Provides accurate information

pwq10:

Provides believable information

pwqll:

Provides timely information

pwq12:

Provides relevant information

pwq13:

Provides easy to understand information

pwq14:

Provides information at the right level of detail

pwq15:

Present the information in an appropriate format

pwq16:

Has a good reputation

pwq17:

It feels safe to complete transaction

pwq18:

My personal information feels secure

pwq19:

Creates a sense of personalization

pwq20:

Conveys a sense of community

pwq21:

Makes it easy to communicate with the organization

pwq22:

I feel confident that products/services will be delivered as promised

Perceived affective trust (PAT)

pat1:

I feel secure about relying on this travel agency’s website for my decision

pat2:

I feel comfortable about relying on this travel agency’s website for my decision

pat3:

I feel content about relying on this travel agency’s website for my decision

Perceived cognitive trust (PCT)

pct1:

I think that this travel agency’s website usually fulfils the commitments it assumes

pct2:

I think that the information offered by this travel agency’s website is sincere and honest

pct3:

I think I can have confidence in the promises that this travel agency’s website makes

pct4:

This travel agency’s website does not make false statements

pct5:

This travel agency’s website is characterized by the frankness and clarity of the services that it offers to the consumer

Purchase intention (PI)

pi1:

It is likely that I will transact with this travel agency’s website in the near future

pi2:

Given the chance, I intend to use this travel agency’s website

pi3:

Given the chance, I predict that I will use this travel agency’s website in the near future

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Chang, KC. Feeling leads to believing: a Kansei-based approach to explore website users’ purchase intention in the travel agency sector. Inf Syst E-Bus Manage 15, 21–50 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-016-0308-9

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