Fashionability vis-a-vis rationality: investigating factors driving users' e-tourism website stickiness

Understanding what drive users' website stickiness is of strategic importance for e-tourism managers. This study examines the role of a neglected construct ` perceived fashionability' in forming users' e-tourism website stickiness in comparison with four commonly studied rational factors: system quality, information quality, security and e-shopping value. Drawing upon dual-system theories and social influence theories, a conceptual model with hypotheses was developed and tested. A sample of 376 e-tourism website users in China participated in this study. The results indicate that perceived fashionability has a positive impact on user's stickiness to the website, and perceived fashionability also performs a mediating role between website security and stickiness. This study contributes to theory by explaining that website stickiness is not entirely driven by rationality but also perceived fashionability. Managerial implications for e-tourism strategies are provided.