Purpose This study aims to investigate the factors contributing to online shopping cart abandonment (OSCA), focusing on how choice and information overload lead to different types of consumer confusion, subsequently influencing OSCA. Moreover, the study assesses the mediating role of consumer confusion in the relationship between information overload, choice overload and OSCA. Additionally, it also explores the moderating impact of the perceived risk on the relationship between consumer confusion and OSCA. Design/methodology/approach The research involved Indian e-commerce users to analyze the factors influencing online shopping cart abandonment. A multi-analytical approach was used, combining two techniques: partial least squares structural equation modeling and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. These methods provide linear and configurational insights into the relationships among the study variables. Findings Findings reveal that both choice overload and information overload are positively associated with consumer confusion, namely, similarity, overload and ambiguity. Moreover, consumer confusion emerges as a salient explanatory factor, exhibiting a positive association with OSCA. Importantly, mediation analysis indicates a fully mediated relationship between information overload and OSCA, whereas the relationship between choice overload in relation to OSCA is partially mediated. Additionally, the moderating role of perceived risk weakens the relationship between similarity confusion and OSCA. However, its effect on overload confusion and ambiguity confusion was not statistically significant. Originality/value This study enhances the understanding of consumer behavior in online shopping by identifying how distinct forms of confusion contribute to OSCA. The insights offer practical guidance for e-commerce marketers to reduce cart abandonment rates by effectively managing overload, confusion and addressing perceived risk.
Changani et al. (Wed,) studied this question.