The impact of Web quality and playfulness on user acceptance of online retailing

We investigated the effect of playfulness on user acceptance of online retailing and tested the relationship between Web quality factors and user acceptance behavior. A survey of 942 users of Web-based online retailing was conducted to test our model. The results showed that playfulness plays an important role in enhancing user attitude and behavioral intention to use a site. We also found that Web quality, categorized into system, information, and service quality, had a significant impact on the perceived case of use, playfulness, and usefulness, and consequently, that it encouraged website use in the context of online retailing. Our study thus provided a balanced and integrative framework for determining Web quality. It enhanced our knowledge of the effect of playfulness, which should help Web practitioners and researchers better understand user behavior in Web-based online retailing. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.