A Grounded Theory Approach to Understanding the Website Experiences of Restaurant Customers

摘要

This study establishes coding paradigms for the process of visiting restaurant Websites in order to more fully understand the Website experience of restaurant customers. Applying grounded theory, based on Strauss (1987) coding paradigms of main context, causal condition, action/interaction strategies, intervening conditions, and consequences the study found "Website experience" and "Website usability" emerging as core categories of the main context. "The source of information," "Website searching motivation" and 'the process of visiting Websites' are represented as core categories of causal conditions that induced the main context. The findings suggest that user's "demographic characteristics," "socio-psychological characteristics," and "Internet usage behavior (Webographics)" can be understood as intervening conditions of the main context. While "level of communication," "formed relationship," and "effect of building relationship" can be understood as core consequences of restaurant Website experience. This theory-building approach was found to be theoretically and practically meaningful addressing unverified human behavior processes at restaurant Websites.