Unpacking Mobile Website Aesthetics and Its Effect: A Case of M-commerce Website Offering Search and Experience Goods.

A major challenge for mobile commerce operators is how to attract customers to access their websites displayed on a mobile device screen only twice the size of a palm, so making design of such websites is especially important in order to catch customers' eyes. Based on S-O-R model, the study developed a research model to explain how aesthetics of m-commerce websites affects customers' continuing access to the websites. The model was evaluated through a stratified survey of 285 participants on m-commerce websites with varying levels of mobile website aesthetics. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to analyze the data. The results uphold the applicability of visual aesthetics (VisAWI) scale in m-commerce, which has significant positive effect on websites' perceived usability. The study also finds that mobile websites selling experience goods have higher demand for website aesthetics than those for search goods. The study offers a well-structured practical instrument based on visual aesthetics (VisAWI) scale, helping mobile website designers understand the effect of specific aesthetic elements on user behavioral intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]