Third International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

The current study investigates the potential of applying interactive music to the design of e-commerce websites aiming to create more engaging consumer experience. The model of Theory of Interactive Media Effects (TIME) is applied to propose two psychological mechanisms – heightened consumer control and perceived vividness of the website – that explain the effect of interactive music on consumer engagement. A single-factor experiment with three conditions (the control condition without background music, the static background music condition, the interactive background music condition) was conducted and data from 251 consumers were collected. Results found that consumers in the interactive music condition were more affectively engaged in the shopping task compared to those in the other two conditions due to its novelty aspect. The novelty dimension of affective engagement subsequently led to stronger behavioral intentions and more positive perceptions toward the website and its brand. Whereas consumer control explained only affective engagement with the online store, perceived vividness of the website predicted both cognitive and affective engagement. In conclusion, this study contributes to scholarship by addressing the deficiency of discussion on interactive music under the context of consumer behavior and drawing attention to perceived control and vividness as critical mediators of consumer engagement in the digital retailing environment.