Online Buying Behaviour - Research Proposal Example

Online Buying Behaviour Rationale of the Research The research entails evaluating the consumer online purchasing behaviour and the role of the consumer characteristics. It establishes the various characteristics of the consumers and the role of the characteristics in the consumer online purchasing behaviour. The study of the consumer online purchasing behaviour enables the researcher to evaluate the online market. It is also essential in determining the characteristics that determines the consumer behaviour. The Implementation of the research will involve a critical study of the existing literature regarding consumer purchasing behaviour. In addition, an online survey is useful in determining the role of social media in influencing consumer online purchasing behaviour. Obtaining information from the consumer’s perspective facilitates accuracy in the research. The research also enables producers to introduce products that meet the needs of consumers in terms of prices and value creation. By studying the factors influencing consumer online purchasing behaviour, the producer establishes ways of satisfying the needs of the consumers. It also enables producers to innovate alternative methods of satisfying consumers’ needs during an economic crisis. The research gives room for future studies on the topic, which creates awareness on the relationship between factors affecting consumer behaviour with respect to the marketing strategies adopted by organizations. Organisations are able to establish long-term marketing strategies based on the online behaviour of the consumer. Background Information Consumer behaviour is the examination of the processes used by individuals, organisations and groups to select, use, secure and dispose of a product. It entails the critical evaluation of the processes that consumers use to create the value of a product. In addition, consumer behaviour involves the study of the processes through which consumers choose and purchase a product to satisfy their needs. Consumer behaviour is the tendency of the consumer to select, utilise and dispose off products, ideas, services and experiences to satisfy their necessities. It also entails the evaluation of the impact of these processes on the society and the consumer. This evaluation implies that consumer behaviours occur at individual, group or organisational level. Moreover, consumer behaviour involves the services, ideas and experiences ascribed to consumers in addition to the disposal and utilisation of the product (Blythe). There is also need to examine the effects of consumer behaviour to the society. For instance, the aggressive marketing of fatty foods has negative health effects on the population. Online purchasing has increased since the development of the internet and as well as various shopping sites. Consumer online purchasing behaviour entails a critical evaluation of the consumer trends and characteristics while purchasing products on the i8nternet. Currently, online purchasing has bypassed the retail purchasing processes. Most of the consumers prefer online purchasing platforms due to convenience cost efficiency. The behaviour of consumers while buying products online is dependent on various online consumer characteristics such as social online characteristics, cultural online characteristics and personal online characteristics. Online consumer characteristics influence the consumer’s decision-making process while purchasing goods or services on the internet. Cultural online Characteristics: Cultural factors influence the consumers’ preferences and needs. The various cultural factors that influence consumer behaviour include beliefs, social status, racial groups and geographic regions. Some religions and beliefs deter their members from purchasing or using a particular product or service. For example, some religions do not allow the consumption of beef meat; hence, prevent their members from buying the product (Noel 61). The culture also prevents certain individuals in the society from accessing the internet. In addition, racial groups contribute greatly to consumer purchasing behaviour (Paley 50). Some racial and ethnical groups encourage environmental conservation hence limiting their members to consumption of organic products only. The consumers therefore purchase the products on the internet since it also prevents pollution by minimising emissions from the vehicles while driving to the mall. Individuals in a particular social class share common interests, behaviours and values. There decisions regarding the purchasing a product are interdependent. For example, teenagers share information regarding an effective and in expensive websites to obtain the product. In addition, people in au particular society refer their colleagues to the internet to purchase the products easily (Blythe 88). Social Online Characteristics: Consumer social characteristics influence their purchasing behaviour on the online platform. The social online characteristics enable consumers to obtain information regarding a particular product. The online retail portals also advertise their products on the internet. The consumers therefore interact on various online social platforms such as social networks, blogs and websites. The social consumer characteristics that influence their online purchasing behaviour include family, social roles, reference groups and social status. Family is the most crucial consumer-purchasing organisation. The two families in a buyer’s life include the family of procreation and family of orientation. Research shows that family is the main influencer of consumer psychology and it affects the marketing strategy of a product adversely. Members of a given family share various attributes such as tastes and preferences and, therefore, influence each other’s purchasing decisions. Family members also share information regarding advancement in technology, which enhances their knowledge of the latest trends in the online shopping. Individuals from the same family also examine the best online purchasing portals during family gatherings. Individuals with high social status tend to purchase expensive and luxurious products such as gold watches, sport cars, comfortable houses and jewelleries. Social status affects consumer online buying behaviour by influencing their tastes, preferences and needs (Noel 93). Individuals in the same social status share information regarding the best products on the online shopping portals. They also provide each other with an overview of the various shopping websites, which is essential in determining their reliability. The social networks on the internet facilitate acquisition of information regarding a particular product (Blythe 101). The other aspect of social status is the role of the individual in society. Some professions such as transportation, painting, electrical designs and fashion designers require specific products to facilitate their jobs. For example, an electrical engineer uses cables while a fashion design utilises clothing in the line of work. Various websites sell goods and services based on area of specialisation. A person evaluates the reliability of the websites in terms of price, quality of the product and availability of the products. The reference groups are the most influential members of the society in terms of consumer behaviour. They advise each on the best products and their availability on various online portals and hence influence their online purchasing behaviour. Influence groups refer their friend to particular online retails sites. Personal Factors: Personal factors are the personality traits and aspects that influence consumer behaviour. They play a major role in establishing consumer needs, tastes and preferences. Personal factors influencing consumer purchasing behaviour include age, development stage, economic circumstances and occupation, Personality and self-concept, lifestyle and values. Consumption in a given group depends on the age of the individuals. In addition, the consumption and needs of a particular family depends on their age, development stage and the tastes of individual members. Individuals in a certain age group require certain products while others do not. Specific age groups also influence the purchasing trends of their peers. For example, teenagers have a common taste for clothe designs and cars (Blythe 106). They identify themselves with the most recent fashion trends or by driving fast cars. The age of an individual therefore determines their tastes. In addition, their purchasing behaviour results from peer influence. The consumer online purchasing behaviour based on the age is dependant on the availability of the product in various online shopping portals. Various retail websites specialise in selling age-oriented products. For example, some websites specialise on teenage fashion clothing. Individuals in a particular age group purchase the products that suit their preferences and needs on the specialised retail websites. Occupation refers to the activities and careers of individuals in society. On the other hand, economic circumstances refer to the economic situation of consumers with respect to their financial status. During recessions, many people experience financial crises, which lead to a reduction in their online purchasing power. The online retail portals establish appropriate prices fort goods services availed to the consumers. The occupation of individuals in society affects their online purchasing behaviours (Paley). Framers purchase more fertilisers and farm machinery while pharmacists tend to purchase medicine. An individual therefore purchases products from the websites that provide such goods and services. The easiness of accessing the products on internet enables consumers to purchase huge amounts of the product. Personality and concept is a personal characteristic that influences the consumer purchasing behaviour on the internet. These unique human characteristics lead to lasting responses to the online environment stimuli. Consumers select brands that match with their personality. For instance, women select clothing and cosmetics that suit their personality. Personality traits and self-concept enables consumers to identify with a given product that meets their personality needs. For instance, when purchasing a car, a buyer who likes speed tends to purchase fast sports cars on automobile websites (Bthe ly115). Values and lifestyles influence consumer online buying behaviours Consumers prefer to purchase products that suit their lifestyles. For instance, a farmer purchases tracks and tractors while mangers prefer sports cars for speed purposes. Markers use this trait to identify the appropriate marketing strategies for the product. Values determine the consumer’s view of a certain product (Noel 98). Literature Review Consumer behaviour entails the process through which consumers purchase, consume and dispose goods and services. It also involves evaluation of the decision making process through which a consumer buys, uses and disposes products and services. The study of consumer behaviour develops many interests from researchers and scholars as they try to establish the behaviour of consumers under different market perspectives. According to Noel, the behaviour of consumers is established effectively by studying their characteristics. The social, cultural and personal characteristics of the consumers facilitate an accurate understanding of the consumer behaviour. In this case, consumer behaviour entails the decision-making process of a consumer that depends on the social and market environment. He environment under which the consumer operates determines their purchasing behaviour on the internet (Noel 61). Online shopping is common among the young persons in the society. The study of the behaviour of a certain group of consumers in the market is essential when examining consumer online purchasing behaviour. The various factors that influence the behaviour of consumer when purchasing a product on the internet include peer influence, acquisition of information and availability of the product. The presence of many online market players enables the consumer to choose the product that satisfies their needs effectively. The products obtained on the internet are reliable in terms of price. The consumer purchases the products at affordable rates, which is essential for creating the value of the product (Bthe ly115). Consumer behaviour is one of the enormously mulled over subjects by the researchers and marketers in the past and even now being contemplated. Researchers show distinctive reasons in the matter of why consumer conduct has been the subject of numerous research and evaluation. One of the regular perspectives is that comprehension buyer conduct has turned into a variable that has an immediate effect on the general execution of the organizations (Overton). Consumer behaviour is one of the enormously mulled over subjects by the researchers and marketers in the past and even now being contemplated. Researchers show distinctive reasons in the matter of why consumer conduct has been the subject of numerous research and evaluation. One of the regular perspectives is that comprehension buyer conduct has turned into a variable that has an immediate effect on the general execution of the organizations (Paley). (Paley) has directed one of such investigations of buyer purchasing conduct. The point of the study was to dissect the effect of experience on purchasing conduct of crisp sustenance, especially mussels. In their studies, the researchers utilized structural equation models to recognize the relationship between the propensities and experience on the consumer purchasing choice. Their author demonstrates that individual propensities and experience for customers have an immediate effect on the buyers. They additionally found that the packaging of the item has a significant effect on the acquiring choice of the consumer. In addition, the study established the producer should enhance the packaging of the product normally keeping in mind the end goal to empower the buyers towards obtaining the product. The promotional strategies of the online market also drive consumers into purchasing a particular product on the internet. The buyer obtains information on the product through social forums. In addition, the family influences consumer online purchasing behaviour through referrals, traditions and advice. Family members advise each other on the websites that offer discounts on the product. Moreover, the continuous use of the product by the family influences the consumer decisions when purchasing a product. Research shows that, family as a social aspects influences consumer behaviour when purchasing a product on the internet (Bthe ly115). Friends and peers are also another part of the consumer characteristics that determines their behaviour when purchasing goods on the internet. The friends provide the consumer with adequate information regarding the availability of the product on the internet. They also direct the buyer on the best online purchasing portals to obtain the products at discounted prices. The social status of the buyer influences their approach towards certain products on the interne. Individuals with high social status prefer expensive and luxurious products (Bthe ly115). Hypothesis The consumer online purchasing behaviour influences the type of goods purchased and is dependant on consumer characteristics such as cultural, social and personal characteristics. Methodology Qualitative research techniques are useful in enhancing the achievement of the objectives of the research. The research will entail the collection of data from various online retail portals and consumers of a specific product. The individuals will answer various questions such as how characteristics of the consumer influence their purchasing behaviour. The consumers will undergo an interview to determine the effects of marketing strategies on the decision-making process. The questions include: I. What is you preference regarding the product? II. How did you identify the product in the market? III. What factors do you consider when purchasing a product? IV. What is your occupation and does the product facilitate your job? V. How many products of this brand do you buy annually and how effective is the brand in satisfying your needs? VI. Do your friends or family own the product? How did they know about it? VII. How do you compare online retail portals with the normal retail shops? VIII. What is the role of social networks in influencing your decision to purchase the product? An evaluation and analysis of the answers enables the researcher to determine the consumer online purchasing behaviours. The research involves ten online shopping websites that deals with different products and an equal number of consumers that use the internet to purchase goods and services regularly. In addition, the consumers should be of different social backgrounds, occupations and ages. The research group will also be subjected to a series of questions to establish their influence in the society and if they referred their friends to the products. A review of the sample’s background enables the researcher to determine the number of family members and how many use the product. This will enable the research to identify the influence of family on consumer online buying behaviour. The tabulation of the data will enable the research to establish the actual relationship between factors affecting consumer behaviour and the marketing strategy of the product. The research will take approximately six weeks and the participants are free to choose an appropriate location. This enhances adherence to the ethics of the research and builds a good rapport between the participants and the researchers. The qualitative research entails the primary and secondary data evaluation methods of testing the hypothesis. An online survey is also crucial in establishing the consumer online purchasing behaviour. Online surveys enable the researcher to evaluate the behaviour of consumers when purchasing the product and the influence of social network in determining the consumer purchasing behaviour. The online surveys entail providing the consumers and online retail outlets with questionnaires to establish the consumer purchasing behaviour on the internet. In addition, the consumers will establish the influence of various social networks on their purchasing behaviour. The survey will also involve individuals from different age groups and social status.. Data Collection Qualitative data collection approaches enable the researcher to obtain accurate information regarding the research objectives. The data collection method entails both primary and secondary approaches. The primary approach entails the collection of data through surveys, interviews and questionnaires. The effective data collection mechanism in this case includes recording information from the participants. The other data collection method is filling out questionnaires by the participants regarding the contributing factors influencing consumer online purchasing behaviour. The primary data collection method enables the researcher to understand the consumers and marketers’ viewpoints. Secondary qualitative data collection methods revolve around the collection of information regarding the research topic from existing literature such as journals, newspaper, scholarly articles, books and authentic websites. The secondary approach provides the researcher with other scholars’ points of view and is mainly useful in estimating the accuracy of the primary data. Challenges There are various challenges associated with the data collection process such unwillingness by participants to participate in the projects, time and financial limitations, the provision of inaccurate information by the participants, fear of intruding personal life f and inadequate data collection equipment. Discussions Consumer behaviour is the evaluation of the tendency of the consumer to purchase, utilise and dispose off a product. It entails a critical analysis of the various consumers’ activities and the factors that influence their purchases. The research entails the examination of consumer purchasing behaviours and the various consumer characteristics that determine their online purchasing behaviour. Online purchasing results from the development of the internet. The internet facilitates online buying by providing consumers with the relevant information regarding the availability of the product on the internet. In addition, the consumer determines the price of the product easily and makes instant purchases. The process of online shopping involves communication between the consumer and the retailer through an online portal. The online retailer posts the various products on the websites alongside their prices. The consumers then logs into the website and selects the products that meets their needs. The consumer the retailer at the appropriate place delivers the pays for the product through electronic means and it. Online shopping is develops interest from the consumer perspective and provides researchers with appropriate research topic. Online shopping also enhances efficiency in the industry. Consumer online purchasing behaviour entails the trends of the consumers while buying goods and services from the internet. It also involves the consumer characteristics that influences their decision making process in online shopping. The various characteristics that influences the consumer’s online purchasing behaviour include cultural characteristics, social characteristics and personality characteristics. Implications The research will guide the online retail websites in establishing the needs of the consumers. It also enables producers to provide the consumers with products that satisfy their needs fully. The information is important to marketers since they can use it to establish effective marketing strategies for online consumer market. The research enables producers to establish their target group in terms of the price and quality of the product and the effectiveness of the internet in selling the products. The research will also enhance research in the area of concern by providing scholars with reference points. In addition, the information obtained from the research enables both manufacturers and distributers to identify the characteristics of consumers that influence their online purchasing behaviour. This ensures that the appropriate amount of products is available in the market and at a suitable price. The marketers use the output of the research to establish long term marketing strategies based on the factors that influence consumer behaviour. Future study The topic on the consumer online purchasing behaviour is wide and lays a foundation for future studies. Researchers may decide to focus on the implications of consumer behaviour on the products’ sales. In addition, the scholars and researchers may establish the effects of various marketing strategies on consumer online purchasing behaviour. The consumer characteristics affecting consumer purchasing behaviour espouse a wide research scope. This is because, in future, focusing on individuals factors such as personal characteristics, social characteristics and cultural may interest researchers. Moreover, the research provides a new perspective on evaluating consumer behaviour and their trends on online purchasing in the digital era, which researchers may user to emphasize the results of the research. Some cultures prevent their members from purchasing certain products on the internet. This is because, the culture views those products as confidential and only the affected individuals can purchase them. The consumers in other cultures are not allowed to purchase product on the internet since only specific members of the society have the authority to access the internet. In addition, other cultures encourage privacy through purchasing of products from the internet. This enhances online purchasing behaviour among the consumers. The social characteristics influence consumer online purchasing behaviour by facilitating interaction on the social media. The consumer obtains information regarding the price and quality of the products from various social forums such as Facebook, MySpace and twitter. In addition, the consumer makes inquiries about the product on the social networks. The social networks also enable consumers to share information regarding the online purchasing websites. Works cited Blythe, Jim. Consumer Behaviour. 1st ed. London: Thomson Learning, 2008. Print. Noel, Hayden. Consumer Behaviour. 1st ed. Lausanne, Switzerland: AVA Academia, 2009. Print. Overton, Rodney. Consumer Behaviour. 1st ed. Sydney, N.S.W.: Martin Management in conjunction with Sydney Business Centre, 2001. Print. Paley, Norton. The Managers Guide To Competitive Marketing Strategies. 1st ed. London: Thorogood, 2005. Print. Read More