The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many changes in the way consumers operate. Strict lockdowns all over the world have forced consumers to adopt online shopping and reevaluate their entire perception of e-commerce and the role it plays in their lives. This study aims to see how the consumer decision-making process has changed for mature and growing e-commerce markets due to the forced need to shop online, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequently enforced lockdowns. The focus of the study is on consumers from Germany and Greece, two countries that have had differing ecommerce characteristics and digital adoption backgrounds and that have been affected by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and enforced lockdowns. The study takes a quantitative approach, with an online survey being conducted with 160 German and 143 Greek consumers as respondents. The study compared their shopping habits both before and after the outbreak of COVID-19. The results show that the respondents from both countries have changed their behavior to shop online more. The Greek respondents have been affected more in their decision-making process by the COVID-19 pandemic than the Germans. They have also changed their behavior to a higher degree, making the gap in e-commerce maturity between the countries smaller. The study contributes to the existing knowledge by showing that the same measures in two countries have a different effect depending on the e-commerce maturity.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze the customer's perception of value through each stage of the service consumption process in connection with e-commerce. The aim is to see where in the different stages customers experience value. Method For this research a qualitative method was used in the form of semi structured interviews. Twelve interviews were conducted with women of different ages. The research has an explorative purpose, since there is little knowledge about this subject. Findings The two most clear findings from this research was that a company needs to have an easy and fast way of purchasing on the website. The other finding was that it is important to make the person feel secure and have control over the purchasing phase. If it is not easy to pay and they do not feel secure, they would consider purchasing from another website. Theoretical and practical contributions The aim with this research is to define where in the service consumption process the customer perceives the most value, in connection with e-commerce. Therefore the main theories have been the service consumption process and value creation. The findings and conclusions of this thesis could help companies with what they should develop on their websites, to make their customers perceive the most possible value.

The Internet is becoming the main source for various tasks, from learning, to working, and shopping. There are many websites one can use to shop. Almost all stores have a website from which you can order anything you might want. As online shopping becomes more prominent, it is important to understand the effects of the Internet and its product reviewers and, specific to this study, consumer decision making. This study seeks to understand the effect of star ratings and valence on review perception between the different cognitive levels of individuals. Recognition review perception, and intent to purchase were being measured. Results showed that need for cognition did have an effect on accuracy of recognition and perceived valence. Need for cognition and congruency as well as actual valence had an effect on perceived valence. Need for cognition, actual valence, and congruency all had an effect on purchase intention. This research is important because it is relevant to a growing trend around the world. Technology is already integrated into nearly everyone’s lives and it is only going to more so as we continue to evolve. Just as it is becoming more common for people to receive education from online institutions, and for employers to use more Internet based applications, it is only natural consumers will continue the trend of purchasing items online. Learning the social and cognitive influences of online reviews on perception and purchasing intentions is something everyone needs to be aware of.

Nearly every element of human life has a strong narrative component, from music (Kramer, 1991, McClary, 1997) to psychology (McAdams, 2008; Sarbin, 1986) to museums (Austin, 2010) and beyond. In the marketing of products, particularly products online, narratives may be a severely underutilized resource. As the global pandemic has shifted consumption increasingly online (Ecola et al., 2020, Melton, 2020), marketers are challenged to find new ways to make their product appealing to consumers without the ability of physical experiences that help connect a consumer to a product (Thaler, 1980; Peck and Shu, 2009). One way in which product attachment and differentiation may be generated is through product-level narratives. The influence of narratives at a product level, particularly in online product descriptions, has yet to be explored. In this dissertation, I use the theoretical framework of Narrative Transportation Theory to examine the impact of narrative-based product descriptions on consumers’ responses to products. Specifically, I show that product-level narratives can positively influence consumer’s attitudes toward a product and can even create the impression that a product is customized to an individual. Through these effects, I show that product-level narratives may increase consumers’ attachment to products and their willingness to pay a premium price for these products. I also demonstrate that product-level narratives may be used to create perceptions of product personality types. In particular, I look at whether the personality of the main character in a narrative may be imprinted onto the product in the narrative. Furthermore, I seek to extend the bounds of Narrative Transportation Theory by examining product names and images that are evocative of narrative thought. I show that while product names may not be enough to stimulate consumer transportation among readers, product images may stimulate consumer transportation into a narrative and influence consumers’ willingness to pay a premium price for a product through the same mechanisms as a textual narrative product description. Lastly, implications for theory and practice are discussed.

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Title: Multi-Sensory in Online Shopping: Insights into User Engagement  Keywords: Online Shopping, Multi-sensory, Consumer Awareness, User Experience, User Engagement  Research questions: 1. What factors of digitally enhanced multi-sensory experiences affect consumers' awareness? Purpose:   2. How are multi-sensory experiences affecting consumer engagement in e-commerce? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the level of consumer behaviour in multi-sensory online shopping, consisting of three stages: awareness, experience, and engagement, and to explore the factors that affect purchase intention.  Method: To fulfill the purpose of the study, a quantitative research method is employed, utilizing an online questionnaire.  Conclusion: Based on the research, consumer awareness, user experience, and user engagement with multi-sensory technology have a strong impact on purchase intention. Furthermore, gender, shopping frequency, level of interest in digital innovation, and country are related to consumer awareness and purchase intention.

Retailers' ultimate concern is consumers'' purchase intentions because increasing levels of purchase intention may lead to the actual purchase, which is directly related to retailers' sales and profits. Perceived risk has been proposed as one of the most important concepts for understanding how consumers make a purchase decision (Mitchell, 1999) and research findings supported that perceived risk was a significant factor affecting consumers' willingness to purchase (Heijden, Verhagen, & Creemers, 2001). Therefore, it is critical for online retailers in the apparel industry to understand consumer's perceived risk and purchase intention so that they can develop effective retail strategies and build long-term relationships with customers. Consumers use internal information to help them in the purchase decision process by retrieving risk-related information from memory. Experience and product/brand knowledge are two common types of internal information that consumers use to reduce risks and make purchase decisions (Brucks, 1985; Engel, Blackwell, & Miniard, 1995). Studies showed that experience with previous in-home shopping for apparel products significantly reduced perceived risk and increased purchase intention in buying apparel products via in-home shopping channels (Kwon, Paek, & Arzeni, 1991; Park & Stoel, 2005; Sen, Johnson, Stanforth, Lennon, & Moore, 2000). Several researchers also have investigated the relationship between the familiarity with a website's brand and the perceived of risk and purchase intention (Laroche, Kim, & Zhou, 1996; Park & Stoel, 2005). However, the brand familiarity in these studies was measured as consumer's brand knowledge through frequent exposures, such as advertisement, instead of experiences acquired through actual purchase and use of the brands. No study has examined if the purchase experience and actual usage of a specific brand are related to perceived risk when consumers shop for apparel products online. Brand image is one type of knowledge that consumers stored in their memory and may retrieve it during their decision making process. Studies showed that brand image was the most important and most frequently used tool to reduce consumers' perception of risk (Nandan, 2005). McCracken (1989) indicated that brand image helps an individual express oneself and develop one's self-identities; therefore, consumers prefer products with an image that matches their actual or ideal self-concept (Karande, Zinkhan, & Lum, 1997). Therefore, congruity between brand image and consumers' self image (brand-self image congruity) may help consumers to reduce their perceived risk and increase purchase intention in apparel online purchases. No study has examined the effect of brand-self image congruity in apparel online shopping context. The purposes of the study were to investigate (a) the relationships between consumers' experience with apparel catalog/TV shopping and their experience with apparel online shopping, (b) the effects of consumers' experience with apparel online shopping and brand-self image congruity on their experience with a specific brand, and (c) the effects of consumers' experience with a specific brand and brand-self image congruity on their perceived risk and purchase intention in apparel online shopping context. Two conceptual frameworks were developed. The first framework was for examining all participants, including participants with and without experience with a specific brand. The valence of experience with a specific brand was excluded in this framework. The second framework, including the valence of the experience with a specific brand, was for examining participants who had experience with a specific brand. Fifteen research hypotheses were generated with respect to the specific relationships proposed in the conceptual frameworks. A 2 x 2 quasi-experimental between subjects design was used in this study to examine if experience with a specific brand (Experience vs. No Experience) and brand-self image congruity (Consistent vs. Inconsistent) were the antecedents of perceived risk and purchase intention in apparel online shopping context. In addition to the quasi-experimental design, a survey design was also used to examine the relationships among experiences with catalog, TV, and online shopping for apparel products and the relationships among experience with apparel online shopping, perceived risk and purchase intention. Data was collected by online surveys using a national sample, and 455 apparel online shoppers living in the U.S. participated. Factor analysis results showed that the valence and extent of the experiences were two different constructs, and therefore, the two aspects of experience were included in the study. The extent of the experience is about how often consumers buy products, how much money they spend, and how many items they buy (Klopping & McKinney, 2006; Seock, 2003; Ward, 2001). The feelings experienced are called the valence of the experience, and these feelings are usually described in the literature as good/bad, enjoyed/not enjoyed, or satisfied/ dissatisfied with the experience (Chen & Dubinsky, 2003; Folkes & Patrick, 2003; Mano & Oliver, 1993; Raghubir & Menon, 2005). The first purpose of the study was to investigate the relationships between consumers' experience with apparel catalog/TV shopping and their experience with apparel online shopping. The results showed that participants who had more experiences and who had a positive feeling about their experience with buying apparel products from catalogs had more experiences with apparel online shopping. However, participants' TV shopping experiences did not have significant relationships with apparel online shopping. Participants who had more positive feelings about their experience with buying apparel products online purchased apparel product more frequently, bought more apparel items, and spent greater amount of money on apparel products online. The second purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of consumers' experience with apparel online shopping and brand-self image congruity on their experience with a specific brand. The results showed that participants who had more experiences with buying apparel products online and who perceived the image of a specific brand as more consistent with their self image had more experiences with a specific brand, indicating that they purchased apparel product of the brand more frequently, bought more items of the brand, and spent greater amount of money on the brand. The third purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of consumers' experience with a specific brand and brand-self image congruity on their perceived risk and purchase intention in buying a specific brand online. The results of perceived risk showed that for all participants, including those with and without experience with a specific brand, those had more experiences with a specific brand and those perceived the image of a specific brand as more consistent with their self-image perceived less risk in buying the apparel products of the brand online. However, participants who already had experience with a specific brand perceived less risk in buying the brand online if they had positive feeling about their experience with the brand despite of the frequency of previous experience (i.e., the extent of the experience with a specific brand). In the results of purchase intention, similar results to that of perceived risk were found for all participants. Those had more experiences with a specific brand and those perceived the image of a specific brand as more consistent with their self-image had higher purchase intention in buying the apparel products of the brand online. However, among the participants who had experience with the specific brand, only brand-self image congruity influenced their perceived risk and purchase intention. Either the extent or valence of the experience with the brand did not directly influence their purchase intention in buying the brand online. Instead, these experiences indirectly influenced the purchase intention through perceived risk. In conclusion, participants' experience with apparel online shopping and brand-self image congruity were significant factors on their perceived risk and purchase intention in apparel online shopping context. Participants who had more and positive experience with apparel online shopping and those whose self image was more consistent with the brand image perceived less risk and had higher purchase intention in buying apparel products of the brand online. This study extends the understanding of consumers' apparel online shopping behavior by identifying the roles of experiences and brand-self image congruity in apparel online shopping context. Based on the findings, suggestions for marketing strategies in apparel online shopping were provided. / Ph. D.

Yes / Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand the integrated impact of the application of protection measures against identity theft on consumers’ synergistic perception of trust, the cost of products/services and operational performance (OP) – all of which in turn is postulated to contribute to purchase intention (PI) when shopping online. Design/methodology/approach: In order to accomplish the specified aim, this study first conducted an experiment by involving the students from a university in Bangladesh. Then a survey was conducted to capture their opinion based on the previous experiment. Findings: The study identified that in e-commerce, OP and trust have potential impact on pursuing consumers’ PI. Traditionally, price is always an issue in marketing; however, for e-commerce, this issue does not have direct impact on PI. Research limitations/implications: The main limitation of this study is that a less established e-commerce example was utilized to conduct the experiment and survey for validating the model. Also, the study was conducted only in the context of Bangladesh and a student sample was utilized. Future studies can test the model in different contexts (particularly to verify the impact of privacy) by utilizing data from consumers. Practical implications: This study has resolved a controversial issue by generating clear guidelines that the overall conjoint effect of OP, trust, and price on PI is neither negative nor neutral. Synergistically, the application of these controlling tools of identity theft can substantially enhance consumers’ trust, which is the single most predictor to pursue consumer PI. Originality/value: This study has provided in-depth insight into the impact of different controlling measures in e-commerce PI. Practitioners have potential learning from this study that if consumers find the application of different controlling mechanisms against cybercrimes, particularly identity theft, enhancing the reliability, authenticity and security of transactions in this virtual medium, they do not mind paying a higher price. Such insights have not been provided by existing studies on this topic. Developing trust on e-commerce purchase is the driving force, not the price.

Despite the increased numbers of online consumers, e-commerce growth is slow in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In this correlational study, the technology acceptance model (TAM) was used as a theoretical framework to examine whether perceived ease of use of e-commerce platforms and perceived usefulness of e-commerce platforms could predict consumers' intention to adopt shopping online. A pre-existing TAM survey instrument was used to collect data from consumers (N = 95) who live in a City and have shopped at least once online. The regression analysis confirmed a positive statistically significant relationship between perceived ease of use of e-commerce platforms and consumers' intent to adopt online shopping. The results showed that perceived ease of use of e-commerce platforms and perceived usefulness of e-commerce platforms were statistically significant in predicting consumers' intent to adopt online shopping, with F(2, 92) = 241.630, p < .001, R2 = .840, and adjusted R2 = .837, and accounted for 84% of the variance in consumers' intent to adopt online shopping. The correlation between perceived ease of use and consumers' intent to adopt online shopping was (PEOU) r= .916, p < .001 and the correlation significance between perceived usefulness and consumers' intent to adopt online shopping was (PU) r= .591, p < .001. Using study results, retailers may be able to develop improved strategies to increase profitability via online shopping. The implications for positive social change include the potential for improved quality of life for consumers in Saudi Arabia.