The Internet has made profound changes in how people conduct their daily lives as well as how they buy goods and services. This study's objective is to shed light on the use and diffusion of online or electronic buying (e-buying). Canadian households have not adopted e-buying equally, as revealed by Statistics Canada's Household Internet Use Survey (HIUS) data of 1997 ? 2003. We explore how e-buying varies across age groups, genders, education levels, income levels, and the nature of goods. We first develop a simple model for e-buying demand in the context of a utility-maximizing individual choosing between e-buying and conventional buying. We employ a parameter reflecting individual taste, so we can study the influence of individual-specific factors in e-buying adoption decisions. The taste parameter is distributed in a population in some unknown way, and we try different distributions in empirical tests. We use the literature in conjunction with the model to derive the model's implications in terms of variables available in the HIUS datasets. We employ Tobit and Poisson regression models for the empirical tests. The tests suggest that household e-buying is more when household income is more, when heads of households are more educated, and for homogeneous goods; but that household e-buying is less when heads of households are female. This understanding may help policy makers, businesses, and other interested parties find ways to promote Internet use and e-buying across all segments of society.

The Internet has made profound changes in how people conduct their daily lives as well as how they buy goods and services. This study's objective is to shed light on the use and diffusion of online or electronic buying (e-buying). Canadian households have not adopted e-buying equally, as revealed by Statistics Canada's Household Internet Use Survey (HIUS) data of 1997 ? 2003. We explore how e-buying varies across age groups, genders, education levels, income levels, and the nature of goods. We first develop a simple model for e-buying demand in the context of a utility-maximizing individual choosing between e-buying and conventional buying. We employ a parameter reflecting individual taste, so we can study the influence of individual-specific factors in e-buying adoption decisions. The taste parameter is distributed in a population in some unknown way, and we try different distributions in empirical tests. We use the literature in conjunction with the model to derive the model's implications in terms of variables available in the HIUS datasets. We employ Tobit and Poisson regression models for the empirical tests. The tests suggest that household e-buying is more when household income is more, when heads of households are more educated, and for homogeneous goods; but that household e-buying is less when heads of households are female. This understanding may help policy makers, businesses, and other interested parties find ways to promote Internet use and e-buying across all segments of society.

The concept of communities and the interaction between people are not new concepts. People have always gathered around common conditions shared by those in the group such as shared emotions, interests, beliefs and needs. It is however the way we interact, with whom we interact, and when and where these meetings take place which has changed. This has been a direct result of the development of the internet and exacerbated with the move to the second phase of internet development. This second phase of internet development provides users with real-time functionality enabling interaction with global users in a virtual environment. This interaction is termed online social networking and takes place in online communities.Online communities present opportunities for marketers as they give rise to a virtually unlimited number of different consumers, structured around finer consumption and marketing interests. Research indicates that online community users are market-oriented and therefore online communities provide a meaningful medium of exchange for these users. The challenge for companies today has been trying to develop ways to capitalise on this trend and raise their competitive advantage. However, in order to effectively understand these users, an understanding of their characteristics is fundamental to the development of any tailored marketing campaign. This thesis therefore aims to shed an insight into a segmentation model designed for online communities - firstly by empirically testing it and secondly, by enriching the data with a typology of online buying behaviour characterised by psychographic and behaviour variables. Therefore the research question posed is “Can online community users be classified by their online buying behaviours so that they are useful to marketers?”.The empirical data was gathered quantitatively through an online questionnaire designed to classify the respondents into meaningful segments and clusters. The report reflects a social constructionist methodology where the results have been interpreted and given meaning. The report is based on the segmentation models presented by Kozinets’ ‘virtual communities of consumption’ and Barnes et al. typology on online buying behaviour. This report combines the two models in order to enrich the segmentation model presented by Kozinets’ with attributes of online buying behaviour in order to provide a more comprehensive understanding of online community users. The results indicated that the four online user profiles defined in Kozinets’ model did not show differences in their online purchasing behaviour. Rather all online community users could be categorised by Barnes et al’s three clusters of online buying behaviour.

The Internet has made profound changes in how people conduct their daily lives as well as how they buy goods and services. This study's objective is to shed light on the use and diffusion of online or electronic buying (e-buying). Canadian households have not adopted e-buying equally, as revealed by Statistics Canada's Household Internet Use Survey (HIUS) data of 1997 – 2003. We explore how e-buying varies across age groups, genders, education levels, income levels, and the nature of goods. We first develop a simple model for e-buying demand in the context of a utility-maximizing individual choosing between e-buying and conventional buying. We employ a parameter reflecting individual taste, so we can study the influence of individual-specific factors in e-buying adoption decisions. The taste parameter is distributed in a population in some unknown way, and we try different distributions in empirical tests. We use the literature in conjunction with the model to derive the model's implications in terms of variables available in the HIUS datasets. We employ Tobit and Poisson regression models for the empirical tests. The tests suggest that household e-buying is more when household income is more, when heads of households are more educated, and for homogeneous goods; but that household e-buying is less when heads of households are female. This understanding may help policy makers, businesses, and other interested parties find ways to promote Internet use and e-buying across all segments of society.

The Internet has made profound changes in how people conduct their daily lives as well as how they buy goods and services. This study's objective is to shed light on the use and diffusion of online or electronic buying (e-buying). Canadian households have not adopted e-buying equally, as revealed by Statistics Canada's Household Internet Use Survey (HIUS) data of 1997 – 2003. We explore how e-buying varies across age groups, genders, education levels, income levels, and the nature of goods. We first develop a simple model for e-buying demand in the context of a utility-maximizing individual choosing between e-buying and conventional buying. We employ a parameter reflecting individual taste, so we can study the influence of individual-specific factors in e-buying adoption decisions. The taste parameter is distributed in a population in some unknown way, and we try different distributions in empirical tests. We use the literature in conjunction with the model to derive the model's implications in terms of variables available in the HIUS datasets. We employ Tobit and Poisson regression models for the empirical tests. The tests suggest that household e-buying is more when household income is more, when heads of households are more educated, and for homogeneous goods; but that household e-buying is less when heads of households are female. This understanding may help policy makers, businesses, and other interested parties find ways to promote Internet use and e-buying across all segments of society.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to find what factors, and to what extent these factors, affects students buying behavior regarding textbooks online.   Method: A quantitative and deductive approach by collecting data using a questionnaire through Facebook.  The population for this study is University students in Sweden, and convenience sampling was used. A descriptive research design was chosen for this thesis.   Conclusions: In this research it was clear that students did not experience perceived risk when purchasing online. Regarding the price as an affecting factor, there was an impact on the students buying behavior. Also the convenience was seen as a factor that was influencing a purchase. The two last factors, social influence and brand awareness, was affecting the students buying behavior but should be treated carefully.   Paper type: Research paper.

What influences online service quality and how is service quality linked to customer satisfaction? This dissertation addresses these important questions using four alternative operationalizations of the service dimensions: expectations minus perceptions (E-P), a direct measure of the expectations - perceptions gap (direct), the perceptions measure only (P), and expectations minus perceptions adjusted for the absolute level of perceptions P-(E-P). Separate structural equation models are estimated for each measurement operationalization. The study found that E-P variables were not highly reliable and the discriminant validity for all models between service quality predictors was not high. A simple overall measure of service quality outperformed independent service dimensions for all models. The only significant individual predictors were sense of internet community and site customization. This study found that Internet buyers are not greatly sensitive to individual service dimensions which seem to act as indicators of a holistic latent service evaluation variable. Buyers are more sensitive to the transaction outcome than its process. A halo effect across service dimensions was also found. Satisfaction was linked to only cognitive, affective, and conative loyalty but not behavioral loyalty. When word of mouth was used as a proxy loyalty measure satisfaction explained more of the variance than the loyalty variables in all models. In assessing overall service, performance managers can use the overall variable. But given that a halo effect was found in this study, identifying and managing specific service dimensions is difficult.

Background:  The comfort of buying online satisfies consumers more than the traditional way of shopping in stores. Buying fashion online is highly influenced by consumers' fashion consciousness and their personal values which enhances the willingness and dependence to buy new products. Emotional needs come from moral emotions and can be felt frequently by consumers in the thought of purchasing, and can interfere with the sustainability aspects.    Purpose: The purpose of this study to understand how moral emotions can shape the consumers decision making in regards to consumption of fashion. Since sustainability awareness is increasing, the study further aims to investigate whether or not this aspect will further have an effect. Methods:  The research is a qualitative study, which is made by semi-structured interviews of different consumers with different buying behaviour. It is analysed with a deductive and inductive approach to thematically analyse and enable an interpretative method to find differences, themes and new experiences.  Conclusion: There is evidence on moral emotions affecting the decision-making of fashion purchases. It does not necessarily shape a sustainable consumer behaviour but rather find obstacles for the consumers to act according to their own ethical obligations.

<p>E-commerce presents a new format for doing business. It creates an efficient, yet complex, system providing potential time and cost savings. The main question is then how a comprehensive strategy is developed to outline the new process. Whether an MNC can successfully develop an e-commerce strategy or not, depends on their understanding of customers within their global environment and the secure transfer of customer information. They must adjust their company operations to concentrate on identifying sources of customer relationship management, such as segmentation, needs and abilities, benefits, values, buying behaviour and trust aspects. Companies need to differentiate their ecommerce approaches from their competition, in order to enable and motivate their transition to an online system.</p><p>In the case of our methodology, a qualitative, single case study approach of Electrolux Professional Laundry Group was used. Interviews of their customers and sales offices from around Europe determined their understanding and opinions of the closure of warehouses to concentrate on e-commerce within the company. Findings indicate that there is a need to clarify the role of the system, the safety of the customer's information and how it relates to the responsibilities of the sales offices in question. In addition, customers must be carefully researched in order to make the new system congruent with their purchasing preferences and abilities. Once created, a clear model is established to determine their affects on the process of creating a successful e-commerce strategy.</p><p>Due to the increasing presence of e-commerce amongst competition in Electrolux's industry, the need to develop a detailed e-commerce strategy is crucial. Their products and services are some of the highest-rated in the industry, but their e-commerce system needs to be improved to match the standards of their well-known brand name. Therefore, careful development of their e-commerce operations will require detailed attention to every stage of the strategy process.</p>

E-commerce presents a new format for doing business. It creates an efficient, yet complex, system providing potential time and cost savings. The main question is then how a comprehensive strategy is developed to outline the new process. Whether an MNC can successfully develop an e-commerce strategy or not, depends on their understanding of customers within their global environment and the secure transfer of customer information. They must adjust their company operations to concentrate on identifying sources of customer relationship management, such as segmentation, needs and abilities, benefits, values, buying behaviour and trust aspects. Companies need to differentiate their ecommerce approaches from their competition, in order to enable and motivate their transition to an online system. In the case of our methodology, a qualitative, single case study approach of Electrolux Professional Laundry Group was used. Interviews of their customers and sales offices from around Europe determined their understanding and opinions of the closure of warehouses to concentrate on e-commerce within the company. Findings indicate that there is a need to clarify the role of the system, the safety of the customer's information and how it relates to the responsibilities of the sales offices in question. In addition, customers must be carefully researched in order to make the new system congruent with their purchasing preferences and abilities. Once created, a clear model is established to determine their affects on the process of creating a successful e-commerce strategy. Due to the increasing presence of e-commerce amongst competition in Electrolux's industry, the need to develop a detailed e-commerce strategy is crucial. Their products and services are some of the highest-rated in the industry, but their e-commerce system needs to be improved to match the standards of their well-known brand name. Therefore, careful development of their e-commerce operations will require detailed attention to every stage of the strategy process.