Purpose

Online shoppers make product purchase decisions based on product information shown on a retailer's website and potentially in comparison to that seen on competitors' websites. Insufficient, poor quality or missing information about a product can lead to reduced retailer sales. Measuring online product information quality (PIQ) is therefore an essential element in helping retailers maximize their potential success. This paper aims (1) to identify directly quantifiable PIQ criteria, (2) to assess the effects of PIQ and (3) to evaluate the moderating effect of product involvement.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a scenario-based experiment within 3,544 do-it-yourself (DIY) online shoppers from the United Kingdom (UK). Within an 8 × 2 × 2 between-subjects design, the authors manipulated the factors PIQ criteria (8), PIQ level (2) and product type (2).

Findings

The findings support that poor PIQ has a negative impact on consumers online shopping outcomes. The authors also found that the effects of PIQ differ between the various criteria, the product category and the level of consumer involvement in the selling process. In the context of product depiction, title readability and product attribute comparability with other retailers' websites a high level of PIQ is required. Moreover, high involvement products need a higher level of PIQ than low involvement products.

Originality/value

This research expands website quality and service failure literature by introducing PIQ criteria and its effects in the context of online retailing. The authors also establish actionable managerial recommendations to assist retailers to embrace and utilize PIQ to better understand their own potential website and thus business improvements.

中文翻译：

---

在网站上展示产品——信息质量标准对在线购物者的重要性

目的

在线购物者根据零售商网站上显示的产品信息以及可能与竞争对手网站上看到的产品信息进行比较来做出产品购买决定。产品信息不足、质量差或缺失可能会导致零售商销售额下降。因此，衡量在线产品信息质量 (PIQ) 是帮助零售商最大限度提高潜在成功的重要因素。本文的目的是 (1) 确定可直接量化的 PIQ 标准，(2) 评估 PIQ 的影响，以及 (3) 评估产品参与的调节作用。

设计/方法论/途径

作者对来自英国 (UK) 的 3,544 名 DIY 在线购物者进行了一项基于场景的实验。在 8 × 2 × 2 受试者间设计中，作者操纵了 PIQ 标准 (8)、PIQ 水平 (2) 和产品类型 (2) 等因素。

发现

研究结果表明，不良的 PIQ 会对消费者的在线购物结果产生负面影响。作者还发现，PIQ 的影响因不同标准、产品类别和消费者参与销售过程的程度而异。在产品描述、标题可读性以及产品属性与其他零售商网站的可比性方面，需要高水平的 PIQ。此外，高参与度产品比低参与度产品需要更高水平的 PIQ。

原创性/价值

这项研究通过介绍 PIQ 标准及其在在线零售背景下的影响，扩展了网站质量和服务失败的文献。作者还提出了可行的管理建议，以帮助零售商接受和利用 PIQ 来更好地了解他们自己的潜在网站，从而改善业务。