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them make their purchase decision. Search convenience is “the speed and ease with which<br />

consumers identify and select products they wish to buy” (Seiders, Berry, and Gresham 2000, p.<br />

83), and includes effective interactive customer systems, store design and layout, product displays,<br />

store signage, and knowledgeable salespeople.<br />

Search convenience is extremely important for retailers operating virtual stores. One of the<br />

greatest consumer benefits of shopping online is the advanced search capability and the ease with<br />

which consumers can locate product information (Hof 2001; Shop.org 2001; Burke 2002).<br />

Wolfinbarger and Gilly (2001, p. 35) support this by stating that the “the online medium facilitates<br />

utilitarian behavior as search costs for product information are dramatically reduced.” Thus,<br />

shopping on the Internet facilitates search convenience.<br />

Possession convenience. Seiders, Berry, and Gresham (2000, p. 85) define possession<br />

convenience as “the speed and ease with which consumers can obtain desired products.” Included<br />

within the domain of possession convenience are in-stock merchandise, timely production, and<br />

timely delivery of merchandise. One of the main reasons why consumers choose traditional stores<br />

over virtual stores is the ability to actually leave the store with the desired product. Online shoppers<br />

must wait for their order to be processed and then wait for delivery to their home or office. For<br />

consumers shopping online, low possession convenience may be seen as a cost rather than a benefit.<br />

Transaction convenience. Transaction convenience is defined as “the speed and ease with<br />

which consumers can effect or amend transactions” (Seiders, Berry, and Gresham 2000, p. 86) and<br />

includes the checkout process as well as the return process. Hence, transaction convenience<br />

addresses the ease of doing business with a retailer during and/or after the act of purchase. One<br />

benefit of online shopping is that consumers never have to wait in line at virtual stores, thus<br />

enhancing transaction convenience (Wolfinbarger and Gilly 2001). Traditional stores as well as<br />

virtual stores with quick checkouts and easy return policies also rank high in transaction<br />

convenience.<br />

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