Cognitive Lock-In Effects On Consumer Purchase Intentions In The Context Of B2C Web Sites

There are a lot of new business models that have significant effect on customer behave accompany with the developing of everything around us. Online shopping is attractive. When consumption or use of a particular product or brand repeatedly, consumers tend to form cognitive lock-in which has very important influence on consumer purchase intention, especially in the context of B2C web sites, the phenomenon of cognitive lock-in is more obvious.This study based on the online consumers’cognitive lock-in, combined with the actual situation of B2C online shopping in China, exploring the effects of cognitive lock-in played on consumer purchase intentions in the context of B2C web sites. First, basis of review on literature about cognitive lock-in and perceived value and its dimensions, this study sorted cognitive lock-in into two kinds:material lock-in and emotional lock-in, treated functional value, emotional value and social value as three dimensions of perceived value. Then using variable analysis, exploring the influence of different kinds of lock-in effects on purchase intention, the mediating role of perceived value and the regulating role of consumer trust between cognitive lock-in and purchase intentions. In response to these issues, this study put forward the research hypothesis and build a theoretical model.We issued questionnaires to consumers who had online shopping experience and did statistical analysis. The empirical results showed cognitive lock-in (include material lock-in and emotional lock-in)as a key factor to increase consumer value perception(include functional value, emotional value and social value) to motivate online shopping behavior. Emotional lock-in have a more significant positive impact on emotional value, social value and purchase intention than material lock-in, material lock-in have a more significant positive impact on functional value than emotional lock-in. Perceived value plays a mediating role between cognitive lock-in and purchase intention, and consumer trust plays a regulating role between cognitive lock-in and purchase intention. Because this study used both mediating variable and regulating variable, and in order to further analysis the relationship between this two variables, we introduced a mediating model which has regulating utility, and a regulating model which has mediating utility. Analysis shows that this mediating variable with a regulating function, and the regulating variable of this model does not exist a mediating function. Based on empirical results, this study proposed some strategies and ways to assist online retailers how to enhance consumers’cognitive lock-in and perceived value. In the end, this study presented some suggests to help online consumers how to shopping more reasoningly.