Analysis of the Consumer Behaviour of University Students towards Dissertation

Analysis of the Consumer Behaviour of University Students towards Online Shopping - Dissertation Example Only hedonic orientation and convenience were agreed upon by the sample of university students. Thus, these are the drivers of their continued patronage of online shopping. Generally, consumers are attracted by the convenience of online shopping since customers could purchase items without leaving their place. Moreover, canvassing online could be done more efficiently, which enables consumers to make better decisions by purchasing items at the lowest price available. However, security concerns have affected the intentions of consumers to conduct online transactions. Certain consumers would prefer to gather information about a product rather than purchasing it online. Recommendations were then presented based on the gathered outcomes. Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1. Background of the Study Electronic commerce is widely considered to be one of the most fundamental components of Internet usage. Online shopping has also been noted as third of the most popular activities conducted through the Internet, after web browsing and messaging. Online shopping has gained much considerable attention compared to common Internet activities, such as obtaining news or entertainment information (Foucault, and Scheufele 2002). In 2001, almost 50% of Internet users made their purchases through online shopping with which more than half of these reported that they typically purchase 1 to 10 online goods annually. Establishing efficient interactions between consumers and websites has become an important concern for companies who utilize electronic commerce as a means of increasing the reliability of their online transactions. Understanding the needs of consumers along with the factors that can influence their intentions, attitudes, and behaviours with regards to online shopping is of great importance to establish efficient transactions. It is most likely that consumers will interact with and make use of websites in various ways, thereby having various perceptions. For instance, Cheung and Lee (2003) pointed out that the unique characteristics of an individual can influence behaviour towards online shopping. Wu (2005) also asserted that the goals of consumers are strongly associated with their intentions of purchasing and revisiting of the website. Because consumer characteristics are essential and are used to describe the consumer, such as demographic characteristics (e.g. culture, gender, age), these will highly influence their behaviour and attitudes towards exchanging business through the Internet (Wolfinbarger and Gilly 2001). Specifically, Mohd Suki et al. (2006) reported that Internet shoppers in developing countries are often young, have received a high level of education, and are wealthy. In addition, distinct personalities among consumers strongly affect their perceptions of their own online shopping behaviours, particularly the utilitarian and hedonic orientations. Previous studies, such as that of Muylle, Moenaert, and Despontin (2004), have pointed out th e advantages of online stores that are characterized by the thoughts and beliefs of consumers with regards to the possible offers of an online store, such as increased convenience and reliability. These perceived benefits have been shown to persuade individuals in making their purchases online, hence the need to understand as well the ways with which consumers