Abstract
The concept of flow has become increasingly relevant in the field of online navigation and specifically in explaining consumer behaviour in electronic markets. Not only can it be used to characterize the user’s interactive relationship with virtual environments, but it can also have a positive and desirable impact on the individuals’ consumption experiences and also on the performance of the companies’ websites which induce flow state in their customers. The purpose of this conceptual article is to analyse in-depth the concept of flow and elucidate its relevance to the context of online consumer behaviour. It contains a comprehensive and critical analysis of the literature and highlights the potential for businesses to generate flow experiences in their online environments. It also identifies the ambiguities and inconsistencies regarding the conceptualisation and operationalisation of flow in online commercial websites. Finally, we stress the importance of conducting further research in this area, with particular focus on the role of flow within the prevailing social web context.
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Notes
- 1.
The term “flow” was actually mentioned by many of his study’s interviewees, who spontaneously used it to explain how they felt during their experiences (Csikszentmihalyi and Csikszentmihalyi 1988). Specifically, Csikszentmihalyi (1975) called such feelings “flow states” or “flow experiences”. Later, Csikszentmihalyi and LeFevre (1989) called them “optimal experiences”.
- 2.
The Greek etymology of the term “autotelic” clearly reveals its meaning. Formed by “autos” (self) and “telos” (goal), it is habitually used to denote any type of activity that, in itself, justifies its own end.
- 3.
The various studies conducted on flow experience have used definitions of the term with essentially convergent meanings, but differ with regard to the elements they class as being involved in the experience (see, among others, Csikszentmihalyi 1977; Day 1981; Csikszentmihalyi and LeFevre 1989; Webster et al. 1993).
- 4.
An analysis of interactivity as a flow-related element appears in the previous section of this chapter.
- 5.
There are two types of approach to studying playfulness. In the first, it is viewed as a personal trait, and thus represents an enduring personal distinction. In the second, it is viewed as a situational state resulting from a subjective experience that takes place during interaction with a medium. The latter approach is more common in flow studies.
- 6.
Some studies regard perceived enjoyment as a dimension of perceived playfulness (see Moon and Kim 2001).
- 7.
Nonetheless, Novak et al. (2000) indicate that further research would be advisable to obtain conclusive data on the relationship between flow and exploratory behaviour.
- 8.
Only flow variables validated in the corresponding model have been taken into account where the empirical studies presented in the table are concerned.
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Appendix. A Selection of the Main Articles on Online Flow
Appendix. A Selection of the Main Articles on Online Flow
Author/s and year | Antecedents of flow | Flow experience | Consequences of flow | Object of study | Scope of analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hoffman and Novak (1996) | • Challenges | • Perception of control | Flow experience in the online consumer | Web users (conceptual model) | |
• Skills | |||||
• Focus attention | • Increased learning | ||||
• Exploratory attitude | |||||
• Involvement | |||||
• Interactivity | • Positive subjective experience | ||||
• Vividness | |||||
• Telepresence | |||||
Chan and Repman (1999) | • Challenges/skills | Flow experience in online learning activities | 17 graduate students from an introduction to the internet course | ||
• Clear goals | |||||
• Feedback | |||||
• Concentration | |||||
• Control | |||||
• Merging of action and awareness | |||||
• Loss of self-consciousness | |||||
• Time distortion | |||||
• Autotelic experience | |||||
Chen et al. (1999) | • Challenges/skills | • Concentration | • Loss of self-consciousness | User’s flow experience during Web activities | 304 web users |
• Immediate feedback | • Control | • Time distortion | |||
• Autotelic experience | |||||
• Clear goals | • Merging of action and awareness | ||||
Nel et al. (1999) | • Control | Flow experience in navigation behaviour across different websites | 33 university students who are internet users | ||
• Focus attention | |||||
• Curiosity | |||||
• Intrinsic interest | |||||
Agarwal and Karahanna (2000) | • Fun | • Temporary dissociation | • Perceived usefulness | Cognitive absorption in the use of technology | 288 university students who are internet users |
• Personal innovation | |||||
• Focused immersion | • Perceived ease of use | ||||
• Enjoyment | |||||
• Control | |||||
• Curiosity | |||||
Chen et al. (2000) | • Potential control | • Concentration | • Autotelic experience | User’s flow experience during Web activities | 304 web users |
• Merging of action and awareness | • Loss of self-consciousness | • Positive affects | |||
• Time distortion | |||||
• Telepresence | |||||
Novak et al. (2000) | • Challenges | • Exploratory behaviour | Flow experience in the online consumer | 1,654 web users | |
• Skills | |||||
•Focus attention | |||||
• Importance | |||||
• Interactivity (speed) | |||||
• Time distortion | |||||
• Stimulation | |||||
• Telepresence | |||||
• Control | |||||
Moon and Kim (2001) | • Ease of use | • Enjoyment | • Attitude toward use | User’s flow experience in the acceptance and use of the web | 152 graduate students who are web users |
• Concentration | |||||
• Intention of use | |||||
• Curiosity | • Use | ||||
Rettie (2001) | • Clear goals | • Concentration | Flow experiences on the internet | 32 internet users | |
• Immediate feedback | |||||
• Potential control | |||||
• Challenges/skills | |||||
• Time distortion | |||||
• Enjoyment | |||||
Koufaris (2002) | • Product involvement | • Perception of control | • Intention to repeat | Flow experience in the acceptance and use of the Web and in consumer behaviour | 280 web consumers |
• Skills | • Enjoyment in buying | ||||
• Search mechanisms | |||||
• Concentration | |||||
• Challenges | |||||
Sénécal et al. (2002) | • Enjoyment | Flow experience in hedonic and utilitarian shopping values | 105 undergraduate students | ||
• Concentration | |||||
• Control | |||||
• Challenges | |||||
Chou and Ting (2003) | • Repetitive behaviour | • Concentration | • Addictive behaviour (behavioural disorder, obsession and confusion of objectives) | Flow experience in addictive behaviour related to internet gambling | 395 users with experience in online interactive games |
• Fun | |||||
• Time distortion | |||||
• Telepresence | |||||
• Exploratory behaviour | |||||
Finneran and Zhang (2003) | • Task | Flow experience in computer-mediated environments | Web users (conceptual model) | ||
• Tool | |||||
• Person (status, feature) | |||||
Huang (2003) | • Complexity | • Control | • Utilitarian aspects of Web performance | Flow experience according to website attributes | 243 web users |
• Interactivity | • Focus attention | ||||
• Innovation | |||||
• Curiosity | • Hedonic aspects of Web performance | ||||
• Intrinsic interest | |||||
Korzaan (2003) | • Exploratory behaviour | Flow experience in the consumer’s online purchase intention | 342 undergraduate students | ||
• Attitude | |||||
• Purchase intention | |||||
Luna et al. (2003) | • Interactivity | • Purchase intention | Consumer’s flow experience in a specific website and in a transcultural context | 111 web users | |
• Challenges | • Intention to repeat the visit | ||||
• Focus attention | |||||
• Attitude toward the website | |||||
Novak et al. (2003) | • Challenges | • Exploratory behaviour | Flow experience in the online consumer | 588 web users | |
• Skills | |||||
• Focus attention | |||||
• Importance | |||||
• Interactivity (speed) | |||||
• Time distortion | |||||
• Stimulation | |||||
• Telepresence | |||||
• Control | |||||
Chung and Tan (2004) | • Content | • Perceived fun | Background of the perception of fun in the acceptance of websites for general information searches | 154 undergraduate and graduate students who are internet users | |
• Speed | |||||
• Ease of use | |||||
• Curiosity or experimentation | |||||
• Variety | |||||
• Navigation | |||||
• Feedback | |||||
• Perceived usefulness | |||||
• Focus attention | |||||
• Control | |||||
• Search motivation | |||||
Dailey (2004) | • Control | • Negative attitude | Experience of flow and psychological reactance in online consumer behaviour caused by restrictive navigation signals | Web consumers (conceptual model) | |
• Website acceptance/rejection conducts | |||||
Hsu and Lu (2004) | • Ease of use | • Involvement | • Intention of use | User’s flow experience in the adoption of online games | 233 online game users |
• Fun | |||||
• Control | |||||
• Concentration | |||||
• Intrinsic interest | |||||
Mathwick and Rigdon (2004) | • Challenges/skills in information searches | • Fun (enjoyment and immersion) | User’s experience of flow and fun in online information searches | 110 web users with experience in online information searches | |
• Attitude toward the brand | |||||
• Perception of control | • Attitude toward the website | ||||
Pace (2004) | • Clear goals | • Enjoyment in discovering and learning | User’s flow experience in information search activities on the Web | 22 web users | |
• Feedback | |||||
• Curiosity | |||||
• Urgency | • Loss of awareness of irrelevant factors | ||||
• Challenges/skills | |||||
• Focus attention | |||||
• Time distortion | |||||
• Distractions | |||||
• Merging of action and awareness | |||||
• Interest in the content | |||||
• Usability | • Control | ||||
• Mental alertness | |||||
• Telepresence | |||||
Pilke (2004) | • Concentration | Flow experience in the use of information technology | 20 undergraduate or graduate students who are ICT users | ||
• Challenges/skills | |||||
• Control | |||||
• Immediate feedback | |||||
• Clear goals | |||||
• Good usability | |||||
Skadberg and Kimmel (2004) | • Quick response from the website | • Time distortion | • Increased learning | Flow experience in the individual’s behaviour in a tourism website | 272 tourism website users |
• Changes in attitude and behaviour | |||||
• Enjoyment | |||||
• Interactivity | • Telepresence | ||||
• Attractiveness of a website | |||||
• Ease of use | |||||
Smith and Sivakumar (2004) | • Intensity | • Navigation | Flow experience in online purchasing behaviour | Web consumers (conceptual model) | |
• Duration | • Impulse purchasing | ||||
• Repetition purchasing | |||||
• (certain purchasing behaviours) | |||||
Shoham (2004) | • Challenges/skills | • Clear goals | Flow experience and image management in the behaviour of the user in an ethnography chat room | Between 500 and 1,000 users in portal rooms | |
• Immediate feedback | |||||
• Focused concentration | Between 10 and 100 in specific rooms | ||||
• Control | |||||
• Time distortion | |||||
• Self-transcendence | |||||
Jiang and Benbasat (2005) | • Visual control | • Control | • Perceived diagnosticity (usefulness of the shopping experience in evaluating products) | Virtual control in the flow experience and perceived diagnosticity | 53 undergraduates and graduate students |
• Functional control | • Focus attention | ||||
• Cognitive enjoyment | |||||
Pearce (2005) | • Challenges | • Perception of control | • Learning | Flow experience in an online training environment | 42 first-year information systems students and 17 first-year physics students |
• Skills | |||||
• Enjoyment | |||||
Richard and Chandra (2005) | • Challenges | • Optimal stimulation level | Flow experience in the consumer’s navigation behaviour on a pharmaceutical website | 264 users of a pharmaceutical website | |
• Skills | |||||
• Interactivity | • Involvement in the website | ||||
• Need for cognition | |||||
• Exploratory behaviour | |||||
• Attitude toward the website | |||||
• Pre-purchase intentions | |||||
Sánchez-Franco (2005) | • Challenges | • Positive affects | Flow experience in the Web user’s behaviour | 1,154 web users | |
• Skills | • Tendency to play (cognitive spontaneity) | ||||
• Involvement | |||||
• Concentration | |||||
• Exploratory behaviour | |||||
• Stimulation | |||||
• Control | |||||
• Telepresence | |||||
• Time distortion | |||||
Sánchez-Franco and Roldán (2005) | • Ease of use | • Enjoyment | • Usefulness | Flow experience of directed and experiential users in the acceptance and use of the Web | 340 web users |
• Control | • Concentration | • Intention of use | |||
• Challenges/skills | • Attitude toward the use | ||||
Sicilia et al. (2005) | • Interactivity | • Attitude toward the website | Interactivity in processing information from a website and the consumer’s flow experience | 213 university students who are Web users | |
Siekpe (2005) | • Concentration | • Purchase intention | Multidimensionality of flow in the online shopping experience of consumers | 281 web users | |
• Intention to repeat the visit | |||||
• Control | |||||
• Challenges | |||||
• Curiosity | |||||
Wu and Chang (2005) | • Interactivity | • Enjoyment | • Interaction intentions | Flow experience in the consumer who is a member of an online travel community | 286 users who are members of an online travel community |
• Time distortion | |||||
Chen (2006) | • Potential control | • Concentration | • Positive affects | User’s flow experience during Web activities | 233 web users |
• Enjoyment | |||||
• Merging of action and awareness | • Loss of self-consciousness | ||||
• Time distortion | |||||
• Immediate feedback | |||||
• Telepresence | |||||
• Clear goals | |||||
Huang (2006) | • Control | Flow experience and durable and situational involvement | 290 undergraduate and graduate students who are Web consumers 363 web consumers | ||
• Curiosity | |||||
• Enjoyment | |||||
• Intrinsic interest | |||||
Sharafi et al. (2006) | • Pleasure | User’s flow experience in the use of information technology | 290 ICT users | ||
• Concentration | |||||
• Control | |||||
• Exploration | |||||
• Challenges | |||||
Wan and Chiou (2006) | • Intrinsic interest | Flow experience and humanistic theory of needs in motivation behind online gaming addiction | 127 adolescent students with experience in online games 182 adolescent students with experience in online games | ||
• Curiosity | |||||
• Control | |||||
• Focus attention | |||||
Pace (2007) | • Clear goals | Flow experience in the design of online learning environments | Students in an online learning environment (conceptual model) | ||
• Significant feedback | |||||
• Interest | |||||
• Challenges/skills | |||||
• Focus attention | |||||
• Time distortion | |||||
• Rich sensory experience | |||||
• Telepresence | |||||
Sánchez-Franco et al. (2007) | • Ease of use | • Enjoyment | • Usefulness | User’s flow experience in the acceptance and use of the Web | 227 internet users |
• Control | • Concentration | • Intention of use | |||
• Challenges/skills | • Attitude toward use | ||||
Bridges and Florsheim (2008) | • Challenges | • PIU | Directed hedonic elements of flow experience in online consumer behaviour | 337 university students | |
• Skills | • Online shopping | ||||
• Control | |||||
• Interactivity (speed) | |||||
• Stimulation | |||||
• Importance | |||||
• Telepresence | |||||
• Time distortion | |||||
Chang and Wang (2008) | • Interactivity | • Perception of control | • Usefulness | Flow experience in the user’s communication behaviour | 426 web users experienced in online communication tools |
• Ease of use | • Attitude toward | ||||
• Enjoyment in shopping | The use | ||||
• Behavioural intention | |||||
• Concentration | |||||
Thatcher et al. (2008) | • Problematic internet use (PIU) | Flow experience, problematic internet use and internet procrastination | 1,399 internet users | ||
• Procrastination | |||||
Guo and Poole (2009) | • Complexity of the website | • Concentration | Flow experience in online shopping | 354 university students who are web users | |
• Skills/challenges | • Merging of action and awareness | ||||
• Feedback | |||||
• Control | |||||
• Time distortion | |||||
• Loss of self-consciousness | |||||
• Autotelic experience | |||||
Liu et al. (2009) | • Types of e-learning presentation | • Concentration | • Intention to use e-learning technology | Flow experience and wealth of media in the acceptance and use of e-learning technology | 88 students of an online training course in information systems |
Lee and Chen (2010) | • Concentration | Consumer’s flow experience | 288 university students | ||
• Enjoyment | |||||
• Telepresence | |||||
• Time distortion | |||||
Srivastava et al. (2010) | • Need for cognition | • Time distortion | User’s flow experiences | 113 internet users | |
• Self efficacy | • Skills | ||||
Hsu et al. (2012) | • Continuance intention | Consumer’s flow experiences | 395 customers of an online shopping store | ||
• Purchase intention | |||||
• Impulsive buying. |
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Esteban-Millat, I., Martínez-López, F.J., Luna, D., Rodríguez-Ardura, I. (2014). The Concept of Flow in Online Consumer Behavior. In: Martínez-López, F. (eds) Handbook of Strategic e-Business Management. Progress in IS. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39747-9_17
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