온라인 추천 상품의 제시방법이 웹사이트 이용의도에 미치는 영향: -심적 시뮬레이션의 매개효과를 중심으로-

This study tests the effect of recommended product presentation on consumers' usage intentions of a website, mediated by mental simulation. Mental simulation refers to perceptual experience, a more automatic form of mental imagery, initiated by exposure to the representations of objects. This study expects that when compliments of clothes (coordination items) are vertically presented online, consumers are likely to feel as if they wear the outfits due to the activation of mental simulation. The survey was conducted on 147 women in an age group between 20 and 40 years in a panel of an online survey firm. Data are analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and bootstrapping analysis by SPSS 20.0. The results show that when compliments (vs. substitutes) of clothes are presented, participants perceive a greater mental simulation. When compliments of clothes are vertically presented (vs. horizontally presented), mental simulation is also highly driven. In addition, mental simulation mediates the effects of online product presentation on consumers' usage intentions of a website. The findings of this study contribute to marketing strategies of online retailers in terms of how product recommendation can be offered to consumers with more psychological benefits.