STUDY OF CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR TOWARDS ONLINE SHOPPING

Abstract

The boon of Internet has managed to completely revolutionize the very existence of an Indian consumer. With increase in Internet penetration of more than 18%, a decline in the broadband subscription tariffs, and advanced technology like the 3G and 4G services, India is at a cusp of digital revolution.

Thus Internet has paved way for the changing lifestyles of the country’s urban population where people have not only started with the new trend of online shopping but have started becoming dependent on E-commerce for their shopping needs. The reasons for adopting online shopping over traditional shopping methods can range from shorter time and less energy spent, reduced shipping cost, less crowd and queues than real markets, unlimited time and space, which all increase convenience of shopping. Internet shopping for businesses and consumers are being accepted as an alternative shopping mode rather than visiting the stores. However, convincing the consumers to shop online is still a challenging task for web retailers in India. The growth of Internet technology in India has enormous potential as it reduces the costs of product and service delivery and extends geographical boundaries in bringing buyers and sellers together.

This study is conducted to identify factors that influence Indian consumers to shop online and find out the reasons which deter consumers from shopping online. The growing use of Internet in India provides a developing prospect for online shopping. If E-marketers know the factors affecting online Indian shopping behavior, and the relationships between these factors and the type of online buyers, necessary advancements can be made in the prevalent strategies by the marketers to attract new customers, and retain existing online consumers.