Web Aesthetics Effects on User Decisions: Impact of Exposure Length on Website Quality Perceptions and Buying Intentions

This study examines the impact of three types of aesthetics (classical, expressive, and design aesthetics) on users' quality perceptions about websites based on very short exposure (one second) to websites. It also examines the consistency of website quality perceptions based on very short exposure with the quality perceptions based on a long exposure and the impact of the quality perception based on a very short exposure on users' buying intentions. An experimental design was developed on participants exposed to different web shops for different exposure times. The findings indicate that quality perceptions and buying intentions are not affected by the first impression of a website if this is based on one second exposure. Longer exposure to a website is an important determinant of buying behavior, while all three types of aesthetics are important determinants of the customer's quality perception about the site and the customer's intention to buy a product.