Human-Computer interaction in Consumer Behavior

Servidio, Davies and Hapeshi explore in their conceptual chapter the relationships between Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) studies and consumer behaviour, focusing on virtual environments for electronic and Internet e-commerce (online retail) services. The potential for multi-modal interfaces and virtual environments for business and marketing are examined by (1) providing an overview of the relationships between HCI and consumer behaviour, (2) showing how different interaction modalities can enhance the communication process between user and consumer system, and (3) showing how digital and interactive technologies can offer to the consumer many advantages and unique opportunities in exploring information and products. The authors stress that with he advent of the pervasive technology dedicated to online shopping, it is vital to study the navigation behaviour used by consumers interacting with the system's interface functionalities. The chapter concludes by providing recommendations concerning navigation within the virtual environment and interaction tasks and signposting new directions for possible future research