ABSTRACT
The objective of this study is to investigate how different online decision-making processes used by
consumers influence the complexity of their online shopping behaviors. During an online experiment,
subjects were asked to perform a shopping task on a website offering product recommendations.
Significant differences were observed between subjects’ decision-making processes and their online
shopping behavior. Subjects who did not consult a product recommendation had a significantly less
complex online shopping behavior (e.g., fewer web pages viewed) than subjects who consulted the
product recommendation. In addition, differences were also found between the online shopping behavior
of subjects who consulted but did not follow the product recommendation and subjects who consulted and
followed the product recommendation. Managerial and theoretical implications of these results are
provided.