What Drives Customers to Carryout Online Shopping? A Case Study
Key Learning Outcomes
By the end of the case, students should be able to:
- Understand what online shopping is
- Understand the various factors that drive customers to buy online
- Apply the factors that motivate online shopping to real-life scenarios
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Online shopping is a convenient and efficient way of purchasing goods or services over the Internet. It has recently turned out to be a popular and convenient way of purchasing goods and services in this technological era. One of the most important questions paused is what are the factors that motivate customers to shop online instead of visiting physical stores? This paper is going to focus primarily on what inspires people to do online shopping. Recognizing these factors is beneficial because it will help online sellers greatly increase their channels to reach their customers. Key questions answered to be addressed are; what factors motivate consumers to shop online? What are the factors influencing online shopping? What do consumers look for when buying online?
The most important driver of online shopping is convenience. When carrying out online shopping, customers can browse and buy products anytime and anywhere, without having to deal with traffic, parking, crowds, queues, and many others. It also offers customers a number of choices and a variety of products, as they can access them from different retailers. Customers also have the opportunity of comparing prices and features of different products so as to find the best deals and available discounts.
The aspect of personalization also is an important factor that influences people to shop online. Customers can modify their online shopping experience to fit their preferences and needs, by using filters, recommendations, reviews, ratings, wish lists, and other features. Online shopping also allows customers to express their identity and style through their purchases, as they can choose products that match their tastes, interests, values, and personality. Online shopping also enables customers to interact with other customers and sellers through social media, forums, blogs, and other platforms, and share their opinions, feedback, experiences, and stories.
Trust. Customers need to feel confident and secure when they shop online, especially when they provide their personal and financial information. Online shopping platforms need to ensure that they have reliable and transparent policies and practices regarding data protection, privacy, security, delivery, returns, refunds, warranties, and customer service. Online shopping platforms also need to build trust with customers by providing accurate and honest information about their products and services, such as descriptions, specifications, images, videos, reviews, ratings, certifications, etc.
The above-mentioned are some of the key drivers of online shopping that businesses need to understand and address in order to attract and retain customers in the competitive online market. By offering convenience, personalization, and trust to customers, online shopping platforms can create value for both themselves and their customers.