The Effect Of Page Switching Mode And Interruptions On Mobile Shopping Behavior

In resent years, the rapid change of mobile devices promotes the rise and speedy advancement of Mobile Internet. As one segment of Mobile Internet, mobile shopping has occupied an indispensable position. Many Internet enterprises and retailers have been expanding their business significantly into the mobile shopping market. They either develop their own mobile shopping applications (apps for short), or set up shops on existing mobile shopping platforms. The mobile shopping app is a new type of information system, and its interface design has attracted lots of researchers’ attention, who are trying to explore the interface design features that may affect mobile shoppers’behavior. One crucial design feature is page switching mode of product list, i.e., vertical vs. horizontal page switching mode, which has been employed to facilitate consumer experiences. However, the there is no consensus on which type of page switching mode can motivate more effective mobile shopping task processing and more positive decision outcomes. Besides, interruptions, such as phone calls and pop-up messages, are rather commonplace in mobile shopping scenarios, which require immediate response and action, and can hardly been ignored. Thus, there is a great possibility for interruptions to influence mobile shoppers’ behavior and decision outcomes. Jointly, it is interesting to investigate whether the effects of page switching modes on mobile shoppers’behavior can be changed by interruptions. The current research will focus on the effects of page switching mode and interruptions on mobile shoppers’behavior and decision outcomes.After reviewing the existing literature about page switching mode and interruptions, we find there is an association between the two them regarding consumers’ cognitive load and cognitive resources incurred during the mobile shopping process. By leveraging on Distraction-Conflict Theory and Event Segmentation Theory as the theoretical basis, this study investigates the influence of interruptions on consumers’ mobile shopping behavior based on the choice of different types of page switching mode designed in mobile shopping apps.A controlled laboratory experiment was designed to get sample data and test the research hypotheses. Questionnaires and eye-tracking methodology were applied to support the experiment findings. Analysis results show that:(1) interruptions enhance shopping efficiency in terms of reducing decision time under vertical page switching mode but inhibit shopping efficiency under horizontal page switching mode; (2) decision time will influence information recall positively; and (3) decision time will influence attitude toward using mobile shopping apps. The eye-tracking data indicates that:(1) the scan paths formed during mobile shopping are different from those found in previous research which focused on browsing computer screens; and (2) the number of fixation is larger and fixation duration is longer under horizontal page switching mode than under vertical page switching mode. Overall, this research supports research hypotheses through the application of cognitive psychology theories and the multi-method approach on the study of mobile shopping apps’ interface design.Our study not only has certain theoretical contributions, but also guides the developers and sellers to understand the effects of page switching mode and interruptions for effective consumer mobile shopping assistance.