Measuring the customer experience in online environments: A structural modeling approach

Intuition and previous research suggest that creating a compelling online e nvironment for Web consumers will have numerous positive consequences for c ommercial Web providers. Online executives note that creating a compelling online experience for cyber customers is critical to creating competitive a dvantage on the Internet. Yet, very little is known about the factors that make using the Web a compelling experience for its users, and of the key co nsumer behavior outcomes of this compelling experience. Recently, the flow construct has been proposed as important for understandi ng consumer behavior on the World Wide Web, and as a way of defining the na ture of compelling online experience. Although widely studied over the past 20 years, quantitative modeling efforts of the flow construct have been ne ither systematic nor comprehensive. In large parts, these efforts have been hampered by considerable confusion regarding the exact conceptual definiti on of flow. Lacking precise definition, it has been difficult to measure fl ow empirically, let alone apply the concept in practice. Following the conceptual model of flow proposed by Hoffman and Novak (1996) , we conceptualize flow an the Web as a cognitive state experienced during navigation that is determined by (1) high levels of skill and control; (2) high levels of challenge and arousal; and (3) focused attention; and (4) is enhanced by interactivity and telepresence, Consumers who achieve flow on the Web are so acutely involved in the act of online navigation that though ts and perceptions not relevant to navigation are screened out, and the con sumer focuses entirely on the interaction. Concentration on the navigation experience is so intense that there is little attention left to consider an ything else, and consequently, other events occurring in the consumer's sur rounding physical environment lose significance Self-consciousness disappea rs, the consumer's sense of time becomes distorted, and the state of mind a rising as a result of achieving flow on the Web is extremely gratifying. In a quantitative modeling framework, we develop a structural model based o n our previous conceptual model of flow that embodies the components of wha t makes for a compelling online experience We use data collected from a lar ge-sample, Web-based consumer survey to measure these constructs, and we fi t a series of structural equation models that test related prior theory. Th e conceptual model is largely supported, and the improved fit offered by th e revised model provides additional insights into the direct and indirect i nfluences of flow, as well as into the relationship of flow to key consumer behavior and Web usage variables. Our formulation provides marketing scientists with operational definitions of key model constructs and establishes reliability and validity in a compr ehensive measurement framework. A key insight from the paper is that the de gree to which the online experience is compelling can be defined, measured, and related well to important marketing variables. Our model constructs re late in significant ways to key consumer behavior variables, including onli ne shopping and Web use applications such as the extent to which consumers search for product information and participate in chat rooms. As such, our model may be useful both theoretically and in practice as marketers strive to decipher the secrets of commercial success in interactive online environ ments.