Pick Me Up - Lead Me Through: The Impact Of Online Contextual Experiences On Consumer Decision Making.

Human decision making does not exist in isolation, but is determined by consumers’ prior experiences, expressed by the notion of “context-dependent choice”. Few research has examined the effect of contextual experiences on consumer decision making, and there is a specific lack regarding how pre-shopping experiences in online ambiences affect consumer decision making. Our paper proposes a novel approach to extract information from the path, respectively, to derive a holistic understanding of path-dependent consumer decision making in online environments. Specifically, we offer new insights, how predecisional experiences based on path data (i.e., websites/content, consumer experienced prior the arrival of a specific website/shop) affect consumer decision making (i.e., the link between predecisional experiences and subsequent decision making). Thus, we contribute to the recent call of AMS, AMA, MSI, and SCP recommending a strengthening of research in online path data analysis, respectively, linking path data and consumer decision making. Furthermore, as a side finding, we extend the scope of prior work on fluency theory by enhancing the contextual embedding of predecisional experiences in stimuli processing with regard to consumer decision making. Additionally, the insights of this research inform marketing practitioners about how to use path data to determine consumers’ experiences on their website and how they can shape consumer decision making (i.e., the integration of individual consumer path data through responsive website-interfaces).