Visual Complexity and Figure-Background Color Contrast of E-Commerce Websites: Effects on Consumers' Emotional Responses

This paper examines the effects of visual complexity and figure-background color contrast of e-commerce Web sites on consumers' emotional responses (i.e., pleasantness, arousal, and dominance) which is considered as the direct antecedents to online shopping behaviors. Data collection was carried out in a laboratory experiment, which was a 4 (visual complexity) x 4 (figure-background color contrast) between-subjects factorial design. Based on questionnaire responses from 324 subjects, the results showed that visual complexity and figure-background color contrast of website had partially significant effects on consumers' emotional responses. We believed that a well-designed Web site with adequate visual complexity and figure-background color contrast can create a desired environment to attract and retain consumers. The findings of this study provide important implications for theory and practice.