FACTORS AFFECTING ONLINE BUYING BEHAVIOUR: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

Abstract

After the 1990s, the dust of the dot.com crash are settling down. Consumers are shifting from traditional marketplace to marketspace again. Despite the trend, there is little agreement among researchers regarding online consumer buying behaviour. But they are swimming in a pool of data, tracing clicks of all visitors on web sites. One reason for poor understanding is due to inability of identifying underlying motive by analyzing click records of “dropped” customers. Other problem is divergence of exiting research findings on online consumer behaviour. Some research concluded that the traditional 4Ps can be applied into online scenario on the fact that broad definition of traditional 4Ps can be applied to any marketing situation. But they face difficulty in embedding all e-marketing variables into 4Ps concept. On the other hand e-marketing has its own unique way of doing transactions and features. This uniqueness of online marketing pinpoints some unique variables, collectively called “web experience”. Hence there is a real need to review relevant literature on “online consumer behaviour” and summarize them to have a meaningful picture. This paper develops a model on factors affecting “web experience” of the consumer by undertaking literature survey. Usability, aesthetics, customer organizing, product information quality, service information quality and customer service are the controllable variables to the marketer in online marketing process. Further the study identifies “Trust” as an intervening variable which affects the relationship between the above variables and buying decision.

Keywords: E-Marketing, Internet Marketing, Online Behaviour, Online Marketing

For full paper: fmscresearch@sjp.ac.lk