Extrinsic versus intrinsic motivations for consumers to shop on-line

Previous research has usually assumed that shopping on-line is a goal-oriented activity and is motivated by extrinsic factors of the customers. On the other hand, intrinsic factors, such as entertainment, have been found to be a major reason for peoples to use the Internet. This study examined whether such intrinsic motivations can be used to explain consumers’ acceptance of on-line shopping. A theoretical model, based on the technology acceptance model, was proposed to describe the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations of consumers to shop on-line. Results of this empirical study showed that perceived usefulness is not an antecedent of on-line shopping, while fashion and a cognitive absorption experiences on the web were more important than their extrinsic factors in explaining on-line consuming behavior. Implications and limitations were discussed.