| The objective of this study is to propose and test the Social Identity Approach to Website Design research model, which extends the traditionally examined interaction between website design and e-Commerce Success by considering the role of Social Identity in the development of e-Loyalty in women online shoppers. The Social Identity Approach is a well-researched theoretical perspective in the field of social psychology that includes the Social Identity Theory (Tajfel, 1978) and the Self-Categorization Theory (Turner et al., 1987). The methodology applied an experimental, quantitative, and qualitative approach through the creation of a functioning e-Commerce boutique using theory-based website design. Using an online survey instrument comprised of existing Information Systems and Social Identity measures, data were collected from 322 women online shoppers who were members of the salient ingroup. Data analysis was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling techniques via AMOS 18.;The results of this study indicate that, in women online shoppers, the perception of social presence in an online retail store positively influences their enjoyment of the online shopping experience. The results also suggest that women online shoppers' enjoyment of an online shopping experience positively influences their intention to revisit the website or recommend the website to other online shoppers, which are e-Loyal behaviors. Although the moderating effect of Social Identity on the relationship between social presence and enjoyment was not found to be statistically significant, qualitative data analysis suggests that Social Identity is an underlying factor in the overall interaction between Social Presence, Enjoyment, and e-Loyalty, prompting the suggestion of future research to determine the specific relationship.;This multidisciplinary study contributes to literature in Information Systems, Social Psychology, Marketing, Media/Communications, Gender Studies, and Entrepreneurship. Specifically, the results support those of previous studies related to gender-based and culture-based perceptions of website quality and e-Loyalty. In addition, this study extends related studies by proposing and testing the psychographic nature of human-computer interaction as a possible catalyst for e-Commerce Success. |
