Why leave items in the shopping cart? The impact of consumer filtering behavior

Abstract

Online product information provides crucial cues for consumer shopping behavior; however, the impact of consumer-side information manipulation on non-purchase behavior (e.g., shopping cart abandonment) remains unclear. Filtering, a common manipulation strategy, was initially considered synonymous with searching, both of which contribute to consumer purchase behavior. However, recent research suggests significant differences, particularly in terms of cost and product matching. This study explores how such differences affect information manipulation and subsequently shape shopping cart abandonment, drawing on information foraging theory. Based on the premise that a forager's interaction with the environment is mediated by cognition, we find that consumer filtering behavior influences perceptions of serendipity (i.e., discovering unexpected items) and similarity (i.e., encountering similar items), thereby influencing shopping cart abandonment. Mediation analyses reveal that perceived serendipity and similarity are equally potent mediators. Marginal effects analyses demonstrate that a one standard deviation increase in consumer perceptions of serendipity (similarity) in filtering results increases the likelihood of shopping cart abandonment by 32.2% (22.1%). Theoretical contributions and practical insights for information behavior researchers and digital marketers are also provided.