Introduction
1.1 Background to the study
Internet has grown tremendously in both its applications and number of users due to its unique characteristics of flexibility, interactivity, and personalization. It has been a very useful tool for communication, entertainment, education, and electronic trade (Ko et al., 2004; Koyuncu and Lien, 2003). The revolutionary change brought forth by information technology has an important impact on the daily lives. It has transformed the way we do business by allowing retailers to offer unlimited range of products and services to all consumers from around the world at any point in time. The Internet has emerged as an advertising medium (Silk et al., 2001). Many companies have turned to the Internet to advertise their products and services; and the Internet is deemed to be the most significant direct marketing channel for the global marketplace (Faber et al., 2004; Ko et al., 2004; Korgaonkar and Wolin, 2002). Companies are pouring billions of dollars into Internet advertising to obtain greater return on investment on ads (Edwards, 2005; Joines et al.,2003).
The Internet has given consumers more control in accessing information on products and services. There are several factors that contribute to consumers pull for online content—consumers are the one who decide when, where, what, and how much commercial content they wish to view (Korgaonkar and Wolin, 2002). The Internet enables consumers to access an unlimited range of products and services from companies around the world, and it has reduced the time and effort they spend on shopping (Ko et al., 2004).
Consumers play a much more active role in searching for information online with some goal in mind, and that goal can influence individual behaviors and responses to online information and advertisements (Smith, 2002). With the rapid advancement in the computer industry, many companies have made the Internet as part of their advertising media mix to take advantage of the online technologies (Calisir, 2003).
The Internet has become a popular advertising platform because marketers found that the Internet possess greater flexibility and control over the advertising materials (Ducoffe, 1996).
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