This dissertation is a study in the area of e-commerce. The aim of this study was to examine the adoption of online shopping and online shopping for clothing in particular and factors influencing the intention to purchase clothing online. A quantitative research method was used and a questionnaire designed on the website www.surveymonkey.com and then distributed by sending out the link leading to the survey via facebook and emails. 94 useful questionnaires were gathered from female and male UK students. SPSS 17 was used to analyse the collected data by conducting chi-square tests and Spearman’s rho correlation tests to examine the relation between different variables.
The constructs of the technology acceptance model (TAM) were used as a framework and basis for this research and were extended by further constructs. Therefore, the impact of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, prior online shopping experience, perceived risk and product involvement on the intention to purchase clothing online was analysed. Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and prior online shopping experience had positive effects on the intention to purchase clothing online. Perceived risk had a negative effect on the intention to purchase clothing online. These findings supported the hypotheses. Other than hypothesised, clothing product involvement did not have a significant positive effect on the intention to purchase clothing online.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
2.1 Online Shopping
2.2 Motives to online shopping
2.3 Barriers to online shopping
2.3.1 Perceived Risk
2.3.2 Online shopping experience
2.4 Underlying framework
2.4.2 Technology Acceptance Model
2.5 Product Involvement
3. Methodology
3.1 Research Instrument
3.2 Sampling
3.3 Measurement and questionnaire design
3.4 Validity and Reliability
3.5 Data analysis
4. Findings and Discussion
4.1 Questionnaire results and analyses
4.2 Online behaviour
4.2.1 Internet use
4.2.2 Online clothing purchases
4.2.3 Online purchases
4.2.4 Intention to purchase clothing online
4.3 Influence of gender
4.4 Evaluation of online shopping
4.5 Testing hypotheses
4.6 Summary and Discussion of findings
5. Conclusion and recommendations
6. Bibliography
7. Appendices
7.1 Appendix 1
7.1.1 Theory of Reasoned Action
7.2 Appendix 2
7.2.1 Questionnaire (piloted version)
7.2.2 Questionnaire (final version)
7.3 Appendix 3
7.3.1 SPSS Findings: Descriptive Statistics
Objectives and Research Themes
This study aims to examine the adoption of online shopping for clothing and to identify the factors that influence a consumer's intention to purchase apparel online. By utilizing a modified Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the research investigates how specific belief constructs affect consumer decision-making processes in the UK e-commerce market.
- Analysis of consumer adoption of online shopping for clothing.
- Evaluation of the impact of perceived usefulness and ease of use on purchase intention.
- Examination of the role of perceived risk in online retail environments.
- Assessment of how product involvement influences shopping behaviour.
- Investigation of gender-based differences in online clothing purchase intentions.
Excerpt from the Book
2.3.1 Perceived Risk
As already mentioned before, a significant barrier for many e-commerce transactions is that of perceived risk. Andrew and Boyle (2008) supported the view of Mitchell (1999) on the power of perceived risk, saying that consumers often rather try to avoid mistakes by not taking a risk than to maximise utility when making a purchase. That means that even when consumers believe that they could take a benefit from shopping online like for instance cost-savings, they could yet refuse to use it, if they perceive the Internet to be a risky medium for shopping purposes.
Regarding the uncertain context of online retailers, it is obvious that purchasing online can be perceived as risky. The characteristics of the online environment and the entailed uncertainty of an open infrastructure for transactions have made risk an unavoidable part of e-commerce (Pavlou, 2003). Online transactions are much more anonymous and impersonal, therefore building trust to minimise risk is crucial for online vendors to succeed and to be adopted by consumers. Consumers have to rely on what they see as they have to come to a purchase decision based on the information they get on the website of the online retailer. Thus, the higher the trust a consumer has in a website, the lower the barrier of a consumer to make a purchase (Barnes and Chen, 2007).
Privacy issues are high barriers for consumers to make use of online services as they are not willing to give up full control regarding their own behaviour. Internet transactions are operated over a public domain and issues such as network security, transactional privacy and security can lead to high concerns of consumers due to a loss of control. Moreover, privacy policies of online retailers can vary widely, from those who use collected data only for internal purposes to those who sell customer information (Grewal et al., 2004). Consumers want to fully understand for what purposes data is collected, how long it will be recorded and if there are any consequences (Pikkarainen et al., 2004). This is due to non-transparent web site policies often not possible.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the growth of the UK online market and outlines the research objective, which is to analyze consumer attitudes and the intention to purchase clothing online using the Technology Acceptance Model.
2. Literature Review: Provides a comprehensive overview of online shopping motives, barriers like perceived risk and experience, and details the theoretical framework based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and product involvement.
3. Methodology: Describes the quantitative research approach using a questionnaire distributed to UK students and explains the data analysis techniques, including chi-square and Spearman’s rho correlation tests.
4. Findings and Discussion: Presents the analysis of the survey results, testing five hypotheses regarding the factors influencing online clothing purchase intentions and discussing their significance.
5. Conclusion and recommendations: Summarizes the study's conclusions, confirms the validity of the TAM constructs in this context, and offers recommendations for online retailers and suggestions for future academic research.
Keywords
E-commerce, Online Shopping, Clothing, Consumer Behaviour, Technology Acceptance Model, TAM, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Risk, Product Involvement, Purchase Intention, UK Consumers, Quantitative Research, Marketing, Digital Retail.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this dissertation?
The research focuses on understanding the factors that influence the intention of UK university students to purchase clothing through the Internet, viewed through the lens of e-commerce adoption.
Which thematic areas are central to this study?
The core themes include the utilitarian and hedonic motives of online shoppers, the barriers presented by perceived risks, the impact of technology ease-of-use, and the role of consumer product involvement in clothing categories.
What is the primary objective of this research?
The primary goal is to examine how variables like prior experience, perceived usefulness, and perceived risk affect a consumer's decision to adopt the Internet as a channel for purchasing clothing.
Which scientific methodology was employed?
The author utilized a quantitative research methodology, administering a survey questionnaire to a sample of 94 UK students and analyzing the data using SPSS software.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body reviews existing literature on e-commerce, details the research methodology, presents findings regarding online shopping behaviour, and tests specific hypotheses derived from the Technology Acceptance Model.
How would you characterize the keywords of this work?
The key themes revolve around the digital retail experience, specifically focusing on psychological and technical drivers like perceived risk, usefulness, and product involvement within the online fashion market.
Did the study confirm that product involvement significantly affects online clothing purchase intentions?
Contrary to the hypothesis, the study found that product involvement had no significant positive effect on the intention to purchase clothing online, suggesting other factors are more influential for online shoppers.
How does perceived risk influence the intention to buy clothes online?
The study concluded that perceived risk, including both financial concerns and the inability to physically examine the product, has a significant negative impact on a consumer’s intention to purchase.
Which specific demographic group was analyzed?
The research focused on a homogeneous sample of 94 male and female UK university students aged between 18 and 34, identified as frequent technology users.
- Quote paper
- Natalie Bluschke (Author), 2011, Factors Influencing Consumers' Intention to Purchase Clothing Online, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/169957
