User Motivations and Two-Stage Shopping Cart Decisions: Evidence from Consumer Digital Footprint

Authors

• Hongming Gao, School of Management, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, ChinaFollow
• Meiruo Zhang, School of Management, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, ChinaFollow
• Chenxiao Wang, School of Management, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, ChinaFollow
• Liwen Zhang, School of Humanities, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, ChinaFollow
• Xinlan Wu, School of Management, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, ChinaFollow
• Kun Xie, School of Management, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, ChinaFollow

Abstract

Grounded in Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), this study examines how user motivations shape two-stage online shopping cart decisions—cart use and abandonment—from a dynamic perspective. Using large-scale e-commerce clickstream data recording consumer digital footprints, we develop a sequential modeling framework that integrates a zero-inflated negative binomial model with conditional logistic regression. We distinguish among information-search, organizational, and purchase motivations, and uncover their heterogeneous effects across decision stages. Results show that search depth promotes cart use and reduces abandonment, whereas search breadth has the opposite effect. Organizational motivation reduces reliance on the cart and significantly lowers abandonment, while purchase motivation exhibits divergent effects. This study advances online consumer behavior research from a multi-motive, multi-stage perspective and provides actionable insights for optimizing recommendation and conversion strategies.

Recommended Citation

Gao, Hongming; Zhang, Meiruo; Wang, Chenxiao; Zhang, Liwen; Wu, Xinlan; and Xie, Kun, "User Motivations and Two-Stage Shopping Cart Decisions: Evidence from Consumer Digital Footprint" (2026). ICEB 2026 Proceedings (Beijing, China). 121.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/iceb2026/121