Customer Perception
ONLINE SHOPPING PERCEPTIONS OF OFFLINE SHOPPERS
Manouchehr Tabatabaei, Georgia Southern University, mtabatab@georgiasouthern.edu
ABSTRACT Recent advancements in technology have facilitated commerce around the globe. The online medium of commerce has provided and will continue to provide great opportunities for consumers and businesses. However, there are a number of issues that need to be addressed before the advantages of online shopping can be fully realized. One significant aspect is consumer perception of online shopping. The purpose of this paper is to examine the online shopping perception of consumers who shop from traditional stores. A survey was conducted in shopping malls in the southeastern region of the United States. The results show a positive perception of offline consumers toward online shopping. In addition, the results coincide with national trends for online shopping which show many traditional shoppers gather information on products and services online, but still make the purchase onsite in a traditional setting by visiting a store. Keywords: Perception of shopping, Offline shopping consumers, Online
increasing numbers of customers. Many traditional businesses are reacting by going online to remain competitive (Schoenbachler and Gordon 2002). Advancements in technology enable apparel stores, for instance, to improve their online services by using personalized virtual models allowing consumers to visualize the product on the model to determine correct sizing and fit (Kim and Kim 2004; for a trend forecast of the online apparel industry, see: Newbery 2004). In general, online businesses such as Dell are able to mass customize because of current technology and offer customers basically a build-to-order service. Retail based e-commerce sites also try to serve customers by providing a personal shopper. As the shopper searches for an item of interest online, similar or complementing products are suggested. This personal one-on-one customized
Manouchehr Tabatabaei, Georgia Southern University, mtabatab@georgiasouthern.edu
ABSTRACT Recent advancements in technology have facilitated commerce around the globe. The online medium of commerce has provided and will continue to provide great opportunities for consumers and businesses. However, there are a number of issues that need to be addressed before the advantages of online shopping can be fully realized. One significant aspect is consumer perception of online shopping. The purpose of this paper is to examine the online shopping perception of consumers who shop from traditional stores. A survey was conducted in shopping malls in the southeastern region of the United States. The results show a positive perception of offline consumers toward online shopping. In addition, the results coincide with national trends for online shopping which show many traditional shoppers gather information on products and services online, but still make the purchase onsite in a traditional setting by visiting a store. Keywords: Perception of shopping, Offline shopping consumers, Online
increasing numbers of customers. Many traditional businesses are reacting by going online to remain competitive (Schoenbachler and Gordon 2002). Advancements in technology enable apparel stores, for instance, to improve their online services by using personalized virtual models allowing consumers to visualize the product on the model to determine correct sizing and fit (Kim and Kim 2004; for a trend forecast of the online apparel industry, see: Newbery 2004). In general, online businesses such as Dell are able to mass customize because of current technology and offer customers basically a build-to-order service. Retail based e-commerce sites also try to serve customers by providing a personal shopper. As the shopper searches for an item of interest online, similar or complementing products are suggested. This personal one-on-one customized
References: 1. Anonymous, 2002, Online Shoppers Grow Up Marketing Management, 11(3), 4. Bellman, S, G. L. Lohse, and E. J. Johnson, 1999, Predictors of Online Buying Behavior, Communications of the ACM, 42(12), 32-38. Bin, Q., C. Shu-Jen and S. Sun, 2003, Cultural Differences in E-Commerce: A Comparison Between the U.S. and China, Journal of Global Information Management, 11(2), 48-56. Chiang, K. and Ruby R. Dholakia, 2003, Factors Driving Consumer Intention to Shop Online: An Empirical Investigation, Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13(1, 2), 98-105. 4. Garrett, G. and G. Parrott, 2005, E-Business: Understanding Key Trends and Applying Best Practices, Contract Management, 45(7), 34-42. GfK Group, 2004, Market for Online Shopping Grows, Retrieved from: http://www.gfk.com/english/presse/pressemeldun g/contentdetail.php Girard, T., R. Silverblatt, and P. Korgaonkar, 2002, Influence of Product Class on Preference for Shopping on the Internet, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 8, 1-22. Huang, W., H. Schrank and A.J. Dubinsky, 2004, Effect of Brand Name on Consumers’ Risk Perceptions of Online Shopping, Journal of Consumer Behavior, 4(1), 40-51. Jaillet, H.F., 2003, Web Metrics: Measuring Patterns in Online Shopping, Journal of Consumer Behavior, 2(4), 369-382. Kim E.Y. and Y. Kim., 2004, Predicting Online Purchase Intentions for Clothing Products, European Journal of Marketing, 38(7), 883-898. 12. Newbery, M., 2004, Trends in Apparel Online Retailing, Forecasts to 2010, Just in Style, 1-8. 13. Monsuwe, Perea y, T., B. Dellaert and K. de Ruyter, 2004, What Drives Consumers to Shop Online? A Literature Review, International Journal of Service Industry Management, 15(1), 102-122. 14. Preston-Hubbard, H. April 17, 2004, Growth Drives Revival in Internet Shares, International Herald Tribune. 15. Reinhardt, A., 2004, Europe Hits the E-Mall, Business Newsweek, 51-52. 16. Sager, I. and H. Green, 2002, So Where Are All the Bargains?, Business Week, 162-164. 17. Schaupp, L. and F. Bélanger, 2005, A Conjoint Analysis of Online Consumer Satisfaction, Journal of Electronic Consumer Research, 6(2), 95-111. 18. Schoenbachler, D. and G. Gordon, 2002, Multichannel Shopping: Understanding What Drives Channel Choice, The Journal of Consumer Marketing, 19(1), 42-54. 19. Stafford, T.H., A. Turan and M. Raisinghani, 2004, International and Cross-Cultural Influences on Online Shopping Behavior, Journal of Global Information Technology Management, 7(2), 70-88. 20. Swinyard, W. R. and S. M. Smith, 2003, Why People (Don’t) shop Online: A Lifestyle Study of the Internet Consumer, Psychology and Marketing, 20, 567-597. 21. Tamimi, N., Sebastianelli, R. & Rajan M., 2005, What Do Online Customers Value?, Quality Progress, 38(7), 35-40. 2. 3. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Lepkowska-White, E., 2004, Online Store Perceptions: How to Turn Browsers into Buyers, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 12 (3), 36-48. 11. Levin, A. M., I. P. Levin, and C. E. Heath, 2003, Product Category Dependent Consumer Preferences for Online and Offline Shopping Features and their Influence on Multi-Channel Retail Alliances, Journal Volume X, No. 2, 2009 26 22. Van Slyke, C., C. Comunale and F. Bélanger, 2002, Gender Differences Perceptions of WebBased Shopping, Communications of the ACM, 45(8), 82-86. 23. Zhou, L., W. K. Chiang, and D. Zhang, 2004, Discovering Rules for Predicting Customers’ Attitude Toward internet Retailers, Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, 5(4), 228-238 Issues in Information Systems