Univ., Diss.--Hannover, 2004.

Zugl.: Göttingen, Univ., Diss., 2009

Zugl.: Erlangen, Nürnberg, Universiẗat, Diss., 2009.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2010. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Jul. 12, 2010). Directed by Nancy Hodges; submitted to the Dept. of Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies. Includes bibliographical references (p. 114-129).

Thesis (MTech (Retail Business Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / The growth and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) such as the Internet across the globe, has been phenomenal. For both businesses and consumers, the Internet birthed new and highly effective and efficient avenues for communicating and transacting. The use of the Internet as a business trading platform known as e-commerce became popular in the 1990s and has inevitably led to the mushrooming of online retailers. The growth of this non-store retail segment poses a threat to traditional brick and mortar retail stores, although retail experts now view online retailing as an evolution rather than a revolution. Previously, non-grocery merchandise was the predominant commodity that was being sold online, but there is now growing evidence of online grocery shopping (OGS). Most developed nations such as UK, USA, France and Finland are considered to have well-developed online grocery markets, yet developing countries such as South Africa are still at an infancy stage. Most research about OGS had a Eurocentric view, and there are limited studies that focus on other parts of the world such as Africa. This research study took a consumer-centric perspective to understand consumer adoption of OGS, with the specific aim of determining factors that influence consumers’ behavioural intention to adopt OGS in the Cape Metropolitan area of South Africa. This study followed a quantitative research approach and a statistically derived sample size of 455 respondents was used. These respondents were conveniently selected at shopping malls in the Cape Metropolitan area. Of the questionnaires that were distributed, 391 questionnaires were usable and were captured on Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 for the purpose of data analysis. The findings of the study showed that most respondents were black single females aged between 26 and 45 years with a diploma education level. The study also showed that 84.9% (n=391) of respondents had not adopted OGS, which indicated that most respondents were still accustomed to in-store grocery shopping. Using the Generalised Linear Model to determine which factors influenced consumers’ behavioural intention to adopt OGS, only Perceived Cost (PCo) had a significant influence on consumers’ behavioural intention to adopt OGS. Other factors such as Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU), Visibility (VIS), Perceived Risk (PR), Perceived Image Barrier (PIB) and Social Attractiveness (SAT) had an indirect influence on consumers’ behavioural intention to adopt OGS. Based on the findings of the study in order to improve consumer adoption of OGS, the following recommendations have been made. Firstly, that online grocery managers and e-marketers should market OGS emphasising the usefulness and cost effectiveness of using it while at the same time factors such as PU, PEOU, VIS, PR, VIS, PIB and SAT should also be integrated into the communication campaigns. Secondly, that further research can be done to find ways that grocery retailers can use retain online grocery shoppers.

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (MSc(Consumer Science))--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Consumer Science / unrestricted

by Lou Suk-Yee. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references. / EXECUTIVE SUMMARY --- p.i / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iv / Chapter / Chapter 1. --- BACKGROUND --- p.1 / Study Objectives --- p.1 / Scope --- p.2 / Methodology --- p.2 / Chapter 2. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.4 / Chapter 3. --- BASICS OF DIRECT MARKETING --- p.6 / Direct Response --- p.6 / Direct Mail --- p.6 / Telemarketing --- p.7 / Chapter 4. --- RETAILING ON THE INTERNET --- p.8 / Consumer Involvement --- p.8 / Interactive Marketing Model --- p.9 / Two-step Marketing Model --- p.9 / Categories of Vendors on the Internet --- p.10 / Benefits of Internet Shopping --- p.13 / Arguments Against Internet Shopping --- p.16 / Chapter 5. --- INTERNET SHOPPING IN THE US --- p.20 / Web Citizen Demographics and Preferences --- p.20 / Online Shopping in the US --- p.21 / US Internet Shoppers Profile --- p.22 / Chapter 6. --- INTERNET SHOPPING IN HONG KONG --- p.26 / Hong Kong: A Unique Market --- p.26 / Web Citizen Demographics --- p.28 / Consumer Attitudes --- p.28 / Hong Kong Merchants on the Internet --- p.33 / Chapter 7. --- THE FUTURE OF INTERNET SHOPPING --- p.42 / Infrastructure --- p.42 / Software --- p.42 / Payment System --- p.43 / Fulfillment System --- p.44 / Local/ Regional Search Engines --- p.44 / Chapter 8. --- CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS --- p.46 / Conclusions --- p.46 / Recommendations --- p.47 / Chapter APPENDIX 1 : --- QUESTIONNAIRE --- p.48 / Chapter APPENDIX 2 : --- PROFILE OF RESPONDENTS --- p.55 / Chapter APPENDIX 3 : --- HONG KONG MERCHANTS ON THE INTERNET --- p.59 / Chapter APPENDIX 4 : --- """ONLINE SHOPPING HONG KONG"" SEARCH RESULTS" --- p.65 / Chapter APPENDIX 5 : --- SAMPLES OF WEB SITES FROM HONG KONG MERCHANTS

Creating effective functions in website designs that reduce consumers' anxiety in shopping online is a challenge common to most e-retailers. The present study investigated the roles of online reputation systems and instant chat services in decreasing customer perceived risk and increasing initial trust in unfamiliar e-retailers. Therefore, the reputation system when coupled with live chat service may be an effective external mechanism for providing potential consumers with critical decision making information. The present research focused on examining the respective value of live chat services and reputation systems in reducing potential consumers' perceived risk and simultaneously increasing their initial trust towards an unfamiliar e-retailer. The present research tested an e-retailing trust model based on the consumer decision making process. The model incorporated the following variables: (1) live chat service, and (2) reputation system, and explanatory variables: (1) perceived risk and (2) an initial trust. Customer prediction of purchasing is the response variable. The moderating role of interdependent and independent self-construal on online consumers’ behavior was also examined. Based on the review of literature, the following hypotheses were developed: (H1) Perceived risk associated with an unfamiliar web retailer will vary as a feature of the reputation system feature of a web retailer; where the reputation is positive, perceived risk will decrease. (H2) Perceived risk associated with an unfamiliar web retailer will vary as a feature of the instant chat feature of a web retailer; the mere presence of a live chat feature will decrease perceived risk. (H3) Initial trust associated with an unfamiliar web retailer will vary as a feature of the reputation system feature of a web retailer; where the reputation is viewed as negative, perceived risk will increase. (H4) Initial trust associated with an unfamiliar web retailer will very as a feature of the instant chat feature of a web retailer; the mere absence of a live chat feature will result in an increase in perceived risk. (H5) Purchase Intention will be influenced by the live chat function in the e-retailing website. (H6) Purchase Intention will be influenced by the evaluation system presented in the website. (H7) Purchase Intention will be influenced by the customers' perceived risk. (H8) Purchase intention will be influenced by the customers' initial trust. (H9) There is no interaction effect between the perceived risk and initial trust. (H10) Self-construal will moderate the effects on initial trust and perceived risk. A two by two factorial between-subjects experiment was conducted using a mock retail website design to examine the effect of reputation system and live chat service on customers. The findings demonstrated that the evaluation system significantly influences customers' perceived risk and initial trust, and directly influences customers' purchase intention. Perceived risk and initial trust influence customers' purchase intention independently. For future marketing implications, this research suggests that positive customer reviews, transaction history or other evaluation details in the web presentation is crucial for a starting e-retailer. Although there is no significant direct effect of self-construal on the perceived risk and initial trust, this research demonstrated that female and male have different self-construal and self-construal can be a good mediator to observe its effects on the customers' attitude and behavior. Furthermore, customers' initial trust and perceived risk determine their behavior separately which indicates that customers' initial trust increase doesn’t mean their perceived risk will decrease. / Graduation date: 2012

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences. / Department of Government and Public Administration

Empowered by information technology, modern consumers increasingly rely upon online word-of-mouth (WOM--e.g., product reviews) to guide their purchase decisions. This dissertation investigates how WOM information is processed by consumers and its downstream consequences. First, the value of specific types of word-of-mouth information (e.g., numeric ratings, text commentary, or both) was explored for making forecast. After proposing an anchoring-and-adjustment framework for the utilization of WOM to inform consumer forecasts, I support this framework with a series of experiments. Results demonstrate that the relative forecasting advantage of different information types is a function of the extent to which consumer and reviewer have similar product-level preferences ('source-receiver similarity'). Second, I investigate the process by which dispersion--the degree to which opinions are divided for a product or service--in WOM is interpreted. Using an attribution-based approach, I argue that the effect of WOM dispersion is dependent on the perceived cause of that dispersion, which is systematically related to perceptions of preference heterogeneity in a product category. For products for which preferences are expected to vary, dispersion is likely to be attributed to the reviewers rather than the product itself, and therefore tolerated. I provide evidence for my hypotheses in a series of experiments where WOM dispersion is manipulated and respondents make choices and indicate purchase intentions.