Understanding consumer online shopping behaviour from the perspective of transaction costs

3.4.2 Antecedents of Consumer TCs 
As mentioned above, these ten aspects representing three major dimensions of online 
transaction (i.e., uncertainty, asset specificity and frequency) would affect consumer TCs 
associated with online shopping as they are the specific forms of the dimensions of online 

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transaction at the disaggregated level. In the present study, the researcher further suggests 
that they can be viewed as the antecedents of consumer TCs in online shopping. This notion 
is supported by the findings of Teo et al., (2004) that product quality uncertainty and 
convenience are the antecedent variables of consumer TCs. In addition, this view gains some 
support from Kim and Li (2009b) who indicate that personal security and buying frequency 
are the antecedents of consumer TCs in the online tourism environment. The logic underlying 
the relationship between each antecedent variable and consumer TCs will be detailed in the 
section on Hypotheses Development. 
These ten antecedents of consumer TCs of online shopping are actually linked to consumer-
related characteristics, online store- and product-related characteristics, and online channel-
related characteristics (see more detains in Appendix A, B and C), therefore, they are grouped 
under these three broad categories, namely consumer-related characteristics, online store- and 
product-related characteristics, and online channel-related characteristics, to examine the 
impacts of these antecedents on consumer TCs associated with online transaction process, as 
displayed in Figure 3.1 in the next section on the Conceptual Model.
Specifically, consumer-related characteristics refer to a consumer’s perception of online 
shopping requirements and his/her transaction-related attributes. In this study, three 
antecedents associated with consumer-related characteristics are derived to test their effects 
on TCs: Internet access availability, perceived Internet expertise and online buying frequency. 
Online store- and product-related characteristics refer to a consumer’s direct transactional 
experience with an online store and his/her perception of the product, the online vendor and 
the site. Four antecedents falling in this category include: product quality concerns, site 
design, e-service quality and reputation of the online store. Online channel-related 

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characteristics are defined as a consumer’s general perception of online shopping and online 
environment. Three potential antecedents to consumer TCs falling into this category are 
examined: perceived convenience, privacy and security concerns, and environmental 
uncertainty. By analysing from the three categories, it will be easier to explain the details of 
the dimensions of online transaction and their effects on consumer TCs. 
It is important to note the list of antecedents is not exhaustive nor does the researcher assume 
that these antecedent variables are independent. The conceptual model represents a subset of 
important and interesting antecedents that may impact consumer TCs associated with online 
shopping. The study acknowledges some of these antecedents may be interconnected; 
however, in the interest of parsimony, the study limits its focus to the effects of identified-
antecedents on consumer TCs rather than expanding to include all interrelationships between 
these variables. The proposed model not only offers a cohesive view of antecedents of 
consumer TCs but also serves as a salient guide for researchers in the online shopping area.