The Role of Online Product Information in the Relationship between Quality, Preference and Customer's Purchase Intention

This paper examines how online product information changes the customers' purchase intentions from subjectivity-objectivity dichotomy perspective. Quality and Preference are proposed as product evaluation criteria and their marginal changes with product information differentiation are hypothesized. An experimental survey was conducted to 57 subjects and the hypotheses were partially supported through PLS path comparison method. The study contributes to IS research by proposing a simple and effective product evaluation framework and by abstracting the impact of product information from other factors. Finally, we suggest the utilization of product information with the optimization of the cost-benefit structure between information and purchase intention.