When Is Information Quality More Important?

One of the key elements that an electronic retailer (e-tailer) relies on for converting website visitors to buyers is information quality management. Previous studies recognized that information quality is a significant predictor of the online consumers' trust, satisfaction with the goods offered by the e-tailer, and most importantly, purchase intention. However, the extant research has largely ignored the possibly contingent effects of information quality on consumer's purchasing intention. By integrating theories and prior research findings from the marketing and e-commerce field, this article validates the direct effect of information quality on consumer's purchasing intention. More importantly, the authors propose that an e-tailer's market-oriented image (perceived market orientation) and consumer's shopping value would have a moderating role on the relationship between information quality and purchasing intention. A survey was conducted to collect data to test the proposed research model. The results generally support the authors' hypotheses. The practical and theoretical contributions of the study are discussed.