In order to develop research plans for investigating the use of Internet by consumers for meeting their purchasing requirements, it is necessary to review not only the consumer behavioral and IT marketing sciences but also the statutory and commercial resources affecting consumer attitude in respect of Internet marketing. For pursuing such a research in depth about e- marketing, a detailed analysis in the areas covered by following factors is required to arrive at certain logical conclusions:
- Consumer Behaviors
- Websites’ impacts
- Cross border purchasing
- Brand/ reputation of seller
- Social factors, and
- Consumers’ rights
Consumer Behaviors
Research plans should include such consumer behavioral measuring factors that attract consumers towards Internet shopping. The factors that influence consumers behavior towards Internet shopping are as under:
- It has been observed that people who value their confidence and self- direction and dependence have a more favorable attitude towards e- shopping than those who are not self dependent and like to play the role of secondary and subordinator role in every aspect of life.
- The convenience of shopping, the range and variety of article and services offered through e- shopping attract busy people towards Internet for meting their needs. On the other hand those who are worried about security, loss of privacy, and reliability of ordering on line are found to be non-users of Internet for purchasing.
- One of the main attractions of Internet shopping is that Internet stores are always open, and that one can shop from one’s own premises. Thus there are a lot of timesavings by avoiding shopping trips.
- Prices of the products and services on e- shopping are not the real reasons to attract shoppers, it is the ability to research products, and to find desired products at likeable prices has become the driving force for attracting people towards e- shopping.
- Internet shopping offers the sense of learning experiences, and pleasurable involvement with the process of using Internet. This has considerable professional impact on web designing that promote Internet surfers to repeat their visits.
Websites’ impacts
The Internet makes available numerous information about the products and services that consumers are looking for. This information includes online product reviews provided by experts and the uncensored in- depth product information on a variety of web sites among many other sources. The web site mechanisms influence product choice and create conditions under which on line commerce gets a divine boost.
Web sites backgrounds (or scenery) and interactive features like banners ads, popup windows can increase the communication between e- tailers and consumers and make it easier for e- tailers to push information to consumers over and beyond the information for which they actively search. Trifts & Haubi (2004) investigated under what conditions a seller, such as online shopping site, can benefit from providing access to uncensored information about its competitors’ offers. They observed that providing access to the competitor information enhanced both perceived trustworthiness and consumer preference for online shopping.
When consumers search for their own needs, time constraints and lack of skill often make formal search impractical. Also consumers always choose the sources that most cost-effectively convey the information they need. All these problems are sorted out when websites are prepared with rich consumer oriented information. Shoppers get not only the desired information but also the information about which they would have never searched for. These Internet attributes are definite catchers that bring customers to the Internet for shopping.
Cross border purchasing
Research plans for investigating Internet purchasing provide a lot of weight to the opportunity of cross- border purchasing. Cross border shopping is often engaged by the customers in order to reduce the cost of goods and services, both through the avoidance of taxes and through the gaining of access to cheaper foreign markets.
Ballard and Lee stated in their study that ‘the sales- tax rates in consumer’s own country has a positive effect on online purchases, all else equal. Our interpretation is that those who live in areas with high sales tax rates are more likely to use the Internet for shopping, because sales tax evasion on Internet sales is not difficult, and the benefit of the evasion is greater when sales- tax rate is higher.’ Ballard and Lee’s finding indicated that cross- border shopping was motivated by the desire to avoid high sales tax rates.
MORI’s study indicated that ‘lower prices’ was the main reason for doing any cross- border shopping, together with convenience, the variety of goods available including the items not available in the country of purchaser.
Brand/ reputation of seller
The reputation of the product and/ or its manufacturer carries considerable weight in consumers’ decisions about online shopping. Shoppers are sure that branded products provide what they specify in their advertisements or publicity campaigns. Branded goods and services are sure to perform as per their descriptive qualities Shopping through Internet not only save time and energy but provide shoppers guaranteed branded goods, about shoppers do not have to question the sellers. Brands add to the habit of online shopping. Alba et all. (1997)noted that ‘a brand is a search attribute that assures consumers of a consistent level of product quality. It may be the only attribute available to assess some ‘credence goods’. That is the reason researchers suggest that consumers are more likely to shop online for tangible goods, with well-known brands. Some researchers even argue that brand equity can have higher impact on line than offline..
Social factors
- It has been noted that online shoppers maintain social distances. That means online shoppers do not see others using the online services and therefore are not able to interact socially while shopping. The researchers can view this social distancing positively as well as negatively. Positively, on line shopping allow the shoppers to concentrate on shopping, and this result into proper and optimum use of spending. Negatively, shoppers do not come to the market and miss the opportunities of mixing with others.
- Shopping online does certainly remove some of social elements attached with offline shopping, like, face-to-face interaction with staff of stores and other shoppers; but it adds certain extra features not associated with offline shopping. The Internet is a technology that fosters communication and many forms of communication and community have come to coalesce around the practice of shopping online.
- Internet shopping provide improvements to quality of life to those who suffer from disabilities, and any other group of people whose physical impairments, or other limitations on mobility, mean that Internet shopping would be particularly valuable as a source of living.
- Internet shopping has particularly proved to be socially valuable for people living in remote rural areas, and for those who do not use conveyance like car or other vehicles.
Consumers’ Rights
The attraction towards online shopping is further enhanced when consumers feel that their rights are more protected online than shopping offline. Online shopping has proved to be more protective so far as consumers’ rights are concerned as is clear from the following:
- Every time one shops on line, one is asked to read an agreement specifying the rights and liabilities of the sellers and buyers; which is not so in case of offline shopping. The online shopping transaction does not proceed unless one agrees to such terms and conditions.
- Goods are delivered normally within stipulated delivery time.
- Sites clearly declare themselves as ‘secured sites’ and the buyers feel safe while disclosing their credit card information.
Though flaws have been observed during the past in adhering to declare ‘return policy’, but these days online merchants are following the terms and conditions of purchase agreements in right earnest in view of strict legislation passed by different countries. Merchants are now aware that any flaw in not adhering to purchase agreements will invite legal trouble for them.
Conclusions
The clear objectivity of any research plan is an important ingredient for its successful investigation. A plan to investigate consumer attitude must include the objectivity that force or induce them for shopping online. Objectively, for people living in remote areas online shopping may be a necessity, but for those who prefer brand purchasing Internet shopping is a hassle free approach. Human being is a social creature and like to mingle with others; still he/ she prefers online shopping as it protect his/ her decision making style or approach. To arrive at logical conclusions of research on as to why people get attracted to online shopping, the research plans must include the criteria of human behavior, cross- border opportunities, attractive and informatory web sites, brand purchasing, consumer rights protections, and other social impetus as discussed in this study.
References
- Charles L. Ballard and Jaimin Lee (2004), Internet Purchases, Cross Border Shopping, and Sales Taxes, 23,
- MORI (Market and Opinion Research International) (2002), Cross border shopping, Survey for Department of Trade and Industry. www.mori.com
- Trifts, V. & Haubi, G ( 2004), The effects of facilitating access to competitor information on consumer preference, Advances in Consumer Research, 31, 532
- Alba, J., Lynch, J., Weitz, B. et all, Interactive home shopping: Consumer, retailer, manufacturer, incentives to participate in electronic marketplaces., Journal of Marketing, 61, 38-53