A TWO-STAGE DECISION-MAKING MODEL of ONLINE CONSUMER BEHAVIOR: PERSPECTIVE of IMAGE THEORY

Consumer decision-making behaviors in the context Of e-Business attracted enormous researchers from different disciplines. Based on image theory and MMAU decision-making theory, we proposed a two- stage decision-making model of online consumer behavior. The model proposed that online decision- making process can be divided into two stages with the perspective of image theory. The model was tested by a simulation experiment. 110 students in a Chinese university took part in the experiment. The results show that consumers adopt different strategies in online consuming decision-making process. The two- stage decision-making model was supported by the experiment results. These findings have implications for online sellers in terms of marketing strategy.