Early studies on Web design typically caution against the use of distracting website features in electronic commerce, such as animated banners, pop-ups, and floating advertisements, because they may cause annoyance for online consumers and disrupt information processing, leading to poorer purchase decisions. Yet, the recently uncovered deliberation-without-attention (D-W-A) effect suggests that distracting consumers from the decision-making process may improve their decision quality when there are a large number of decision parameters to consider. To ascertain whether the D-W-A effect can be triggered through the use of distracting website features in the context of online shopping, two experiments are conducted. The first experiment reveals that the presence of distracting website features, in the form of pop-ups, gives rise to annoyance in general, but also leads to better purchase decisions when the decision to be made is complex. The second experiment supports the findings of the first and sheds further light on the underlying mode of thought triggered by these features. In particular, by eliminating a number of potential alternative mechanisms, including online judgments, the mere disruption of decision-related thought, and cognitively constrained conscious deliberation, the second experiment demonstrates that unconscious deliberation is likely to be the underlying cause of superior decision making. With these findings, this research supports a more balanced view in the recent humanÐcomputer interaction literature, which suggests that the usual advice to minimize the use of distracting website features should be examined more carefully. The research also uncovers evidence that contributes to the ongoing debate surrounding the D-W-A effect and unconscious thought theory.
This work investigates the effects of three different online product presentation formats, namely, a noninteractive video presentation and two virtual product experience (VPE) presentations (full interaction and restricted interaction), on engaging users in online product experience as well as enticing users to try products offline. The experimental results show that restricted interaction, which deprives users of part of the interactive product experience, is more enticing than both the noninteractive and fully interactive design for users with more product-class knowledge. In addition, restricted interaction is generally as good as full interaction in engaging users. Both engagement and enticement positively affect users' purchase intentions. This study contributes to the information systems literature by extending the theory in curiosity formation to the interaction design context and advocating designs for enticement. It contributes to design practice by revealing that less interactive and less costly presentations can be more effective in attracting consumers toward the products. > >