A Journey to Save on Travel Expenses: The Intentional Buying Process of Consumers on Opaque-Selling Websites

Abstract

The method of opaque-selling websites provides leisure travelers an option to lower their travel expenses. Through this method, travelers blindly make a reservation at a profoundly discounted price with limited product information available. Compared with booking hotels through a transparent travel website, consumers may perceive a higher level of uncertainty when purchasing through opaque-selling websites. This study aimed to examine consumers’ intentional buying process while booking hotels through opaque-selling websites. The results indicate that (a) consumers’ perceived risks include hotel performance and website credibility; (b) perceived risks and perceived benefits had different influences on purchase intentions; (c) value assessment played a vital role that transformed consumers’ perceptions toward purchase intentions; and (d) consumers’ risk propensity only influenced their perceived risks and benefits of booking, yet past experience affected all factors except purchase intentions. The insight from this study provides hospitality marketers information regarding consumers’ strategic buying behavior with online hotel bookings.