Exploring factors influencing consumers' participation in online shopping days: using double 11 day as an example

As online shopping days gain popularity, understanding how consumers decide to participate in an online shopping day becomes increasingly important. Extant studies on online shopping days have considered participation intention as a personal intention, which does not allow for a complete understanding of group actions like shopping day participation. Thus, our study's investigation of online shopping focuses on group intention. This study considers participation in an online shopping day as a form of group behavior and, to explain such behavior, develops a conceptual model based on the model of goal-directed behavior. Ladder interviews are used to identify the features of an online shopping day and the kinds of value that drive consumers to participate in an online shopping day. We find that excitement, fun and enjoyment of life, a sense of accomplishment, a sense of belonging, and self-respect are the major types of value that motivate consumers to participate. Furthermore, two online surveys and a structural equation modeling are conducted to test the conceptual model. The result shows that positive anticipated emotions, group norms, and social identity can increase consumers' desire, we-intention, and participation behavior. Our findings can help marketers and online store managers devise strategies to attract consumers to participate in online shopping days.