Abstract:

The purpose of this study is two-fold: 1) to identify the Website design elements that constitute as
exchange benefits and its corresponding exchange costs; thus a cost-benefit model of Website design elements is proposed, and 2) to observe the effect of this cost-benefit model on user attitude, satisfaction, and online purchase intention. Borrowing the categorization of Web design elements into motivators and hygiene factors, this empirical study applies an exchange theory that views a Website visit as an exchange transaction. It is argued that motivators are the benefits the users obtain from such an exchange transaction, while hygiene factors are the corresponding costs. A laboratory experiment shows that, as hypothesized, 1) perceived exchange benefits have a positive effect on attitude toward online purchase and user satisfaction, and 2) perceived exchange costs have a negative effect on attitude toward online purchase and user satisfaction. A brief practical and theoretical implication is discussed.