Understanding Psychological Ownership in the Digital Environment

With expansion of the e-commerce market, such as online shopping, there is a great deal of practical and academic interest in understanding new consumer behavior in the online environment. This paper focuses on the effects of two changes in this environment on consumer purchasing behavior: (1) product possession type and (2) difference in tactile experience based on usage of digital media involved with haptics (such as the sense of touch when clicking on a mouse). Previous research has shown that these two changes are associated with development of psychological ownership of the product. Moreover, this perception of psychological ownership has been shown to enhance evaluations of products. As future research subjects, this paper will present three issues: re-examination of psychological ownership theory in a digital environment, subdivision of product ownership, and refining the relationship between psychological ownership and product evaluation.