Recognizing that a consumer’s congruity judgment with a store image can be formed with both actual and ideal self-images, this study investigates the differential effects that these two congruity judgments might have on a consumer’s evaluation of an online store. The results indicate that the closer the image of an online store is to the consumer’s actual self, the more favorably the store is e...

Perceptions regarding an online store, developed after a brief study of the website, can significantly influence somebody’s attitude towards purchasing at that store. These perceptions are collectively characterised as an ‘‘online store image.’’ Our research developed reliable and valid measures for the components of an online store image, and examined the relationships of these components to a...

Previous research has shown that external reference prices provided by price comparison sites are known to increase both sellers’ price competition and buyers’ price sensitivity. However, there is no clear answer regarding the different impacts of various competition patterns, which are caused by the advent of competitors within price comparison sites, with respect to consumers’ perceptions of ...