Title: Sex, gender and self-concept: predicting web shopping site design preferences

Authors: Maureen E. Hupfer, Brian Detlor

Addresses: DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4M4, Canada. ' DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4M4, Canada

Abstract: Studies of sex differences in website design preferences often attribute these differences to gender roles and thereby directly link sex and gender identity. This paper, however, demonstrates the value of measuring specific self-concept traits that are associated with gender identity, rather than inferring them from sex. A survey collected website feature importance ratings and measured Self-Orientation (agentic or interdependent) and Other-Orientation (communal or interdependent) self-concept characteristics, and found these characteristics were better predictors than sex. High-Other individuals desired website features that facilitated comprehensive processing of information-rich environments, while High-Self respondents preferred features that improved processing efficiency and minimised effort.

Keywords: gender identity; sex differences; self-concept; web shopping; internet shopping; online shopping; site design; electronic business; e-business; website features; feature importance ratings; website design preferences.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEB.2009.026527

International Journal of Electronic Business, 2009 Vol.7 No.3, pp.217 - 236

Published online: 19 Jun 2009 *

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