Exploring consumer value of cross-border online shopping: An application of means-end chain theory and Maslow`s hierarchy of needs

Abstract

While online shopping websites are facing the difficulties of price and low-quality competition, crossborder online shopping is on a vigorous development trend, showing that cross-border online shopping is an important trend of online shopping field. Due to the complexity of cross-border online shopping is much higher than the traditional domestic online shopping, so understanding the value of cross-border online shopping consumers is the most important success factors. Companies want to develop new markets abroad, must understand the local consumer`s behaviour and their decision-making process in order to make good business strategies. This study uses means-end chain to construct Taiwanese cross-border online shopping consumers` hierarchical value map, and also uses Maslow`s hierarchy of needs to sort these value elements` importance. After obtained the reason why consumers use cross-border online shopping service and what values they got in this service. Researcher can predict and analyse the evolution and development of crossborder online shopping, provide reference for future online shopping academic studies and online shopping industry`s decision-making.