Challenging the Mediator: How Users' Goals Influence Perceived System Usability, Outcomes Satisfaction, and Platform Usage in Digital Commerce

The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of the core design characteristics including loading time, the attributes of electronic commerce, the dynamics of pricing strategies, and the usability of the website, on satisfaction and popularity of the platform and the moderating role of device type. A mediated-moderated model was tested using information gathered from 346 online shoppers in Malaysia using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Loading time and usability have a significant impact to satisfaction for usability user satisfaction has a negative relationship, indicating possible impacts of usability complexity. Interestingly, dynamic pricing and e-commerce features were not found to enhance satisfaction perceptibly, and satisfaction itself did not mediate the relationship between design features and stage popularity. Instead, user friendliness and e-commerce capability influenced popularity because of usability within online services, and it is obvious in case of popularity. In addition, device type had a moderating effect on the link between loading time and satisfaction which confirms the popularity of mobile sensitivity in usability research. Although discriminant validity is questioned the model shows very high predictive power (R² > 0.97), providing novel insights into direct-only pathways in platform evaluation. The study contributes to the digital commerce literature by questioning the mediation role of user satisfaction and suggesting the contextual relevance of device-led usability expectations. Theoretical and design strategy considerations for mobile-first markets are considered.

Keywords

e-commerce usability, platform popularity, user satisfaction, mobile shopping, PLS-SEM

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Challenging the Mediator: How Users' Goals Influence Perceived System Usability, Outcomes Satisfaction, and Platform Usage in Digital Commerce

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