Unraveling the Drivers and Consequences of Flow Experience in E-Commerce: A Consumer-Centric Perspective

Abstract

A website is one of the most effective ways to communicate with consumers in the e-commerce setting. E-commerce is expanding at an explosive rate, and its related websites, known as the e-servicescape, are now heavily involved in fostering customer loyalty and drawing in new clients. However, due to the lack of empirical data that has been gathered and examined, the characteristics of the e-servicescape remain poorly understood. Thus, the goal of this work is to use flow theory to explore a conceptual model of the e-servicescape, flow experience, as well as purchasing intentions. A survey administered to 291 participants in Pakistan successfully operationalized a comprehensive, multi-item (28 items in total), multi-scale (five scales), and multi-dimensional measures of e-servicescape, layout/ functionality aesthetic appeal, financial security, and free shipping.

The study demonstrates that the flow is significantly impacted by how customers interpret the e-servicescape aspects. Consequently, we found that the flow is positively influenced by the e-servicescape, which in turn affects customers behavioural intentions. The purpose of this study is to identify the fundamental issue in the interaction between the e-servicescape and customer behaviour, and to provide a new catalyst for defining the concept of the e-servicescape in Pakistani e-commerce sites. Lastly, the findings provide valuable insights into aspects that practitioners and theorists can focus on to refine their methods.