How wise are online procrastinators? A scale development
Purpose - Online purchases might be delayed. In some cases, this postponement could be a privileged, an adequate, or an efficient strategy. Online consumer procrastination is the voluntary and rational delay of a planned online purchase. The purpose of this research is to develop a measure of this behavior. Design/methodology/approach - The Churchill's paradigm adapted by Roehrich was adopted. A total of 77 items were generated from 27 interviews. This set of items was reduced to 23 after dropping out redundant or not representative items. In a pilot study, factor analysis on the 23-item scale yielded a two-factor structure scale of five items with a reliability ranging from 0.715 to 0.809. The Online Consumer Procrastination Scale (OCPS) was statistically confirmed and validated, in a subsequent investigation. Findings - Findings revealed a reliable and valid five-item scale. Its dimensions are online deal-proneness and online rationality. Research limitations/implications - This research allows a better conceptualization of the online consumer procrastination. Future research should assess the OCPS validity across different product categories. Practical implications - OCPS will make easier the recognition of e-shoppers who delay the achievement of online purchase intentions. Originality/value - OCPS is the first scale measuring the reasonable delay in an online purchase context.
scale development online consumer procrastination wise procrastination construct validity consumer behaviour electronic commerce