Exploring Online Consumer Behaviors.docx

Exploring Online Consumer Behaviors
John A. Smith and Jane L. Doe
Liberty University

References
Janda, S. (2008). Does gender moderate the effect of online
concerns on purchase likelihood? Journal of Internet Commerce,
7(3), 339-358. doi:10.1080/15332860802250401
Jeon, S., Crutsinger, C., & Kim, H. (2008). Exploring online
auction behaviors and motivations. Journal of Family and
Consumer Sciences, 100(2), 31-40. Retrieved by
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/docview/21
8160218
Koyuncu, C., & Lien, D. (2003). E-commerce and consumer's
purchasing behaviour. Applied Economics, 35(6), 721.
Retrieved from
http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?id=G
ALE%7CA102272684&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=AONE&s
w=w
Kukar-Kinney,M.,Monroe, K.B.,Ridgway,N.M. (2008). The
relationship between consumers’ tendencies to buy
compulsively and their motivations to shop and buy on the
internet. Journal of Retailing: Consumer Behavior and
Retailing, 85(3), 298-307. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org.
ezproxy.liberty.edu: 2048/10.1016/j.jretai.2009.05.002
Stibel, J. (2005). Mental models and online consumer
behaviour. Behaviour & Information Technology, 24(2), 147-
150. doi:10.1080/01449290512331321901
Vazquez,D., & Xu,X.(2009). Investigation linkages between

online purchase behavior variables. International Journal of
Retail & Distribution Management, 37(5), 408-419.
doi:10.1108/09590550910954900
Abstract Comment by user: Double space between all lines of
the manuscript. This includes the elimination of any extra
spacing before or after the paragraph (APA Manual 5.03). The
default setting in Microsoft Word is to add extra spacing after
paragraphs. You can change this setting under the page layout
tab in Microsoft Word.
Internet usage has skyrocketed in the past few decades, along
with this increase comes the increase in internet shopping by
consumers. This research examines the behaviors, motivations,
and attitudes of this new form of consumer entity. Online
consumer behavior has been studied for over 20 years and will
undoubtedly be the source of many future researches as internet
consumerism expands. This paper will examine the following
research questions: (1) How do factors previously researched
affect the online purchasing behavior of consumers and (2) what
are the significant consumer behaviors both positive and
negative that affect internet consumerism? By identifying these
factors and variables, new strategies can be formulated and both
consumer and supplier can gain knowledge and understanding of
behaviors which exist. The purpose of this research paper is to
integrate the varied research information together and draw
coherent linkages to how consumer thoughts, attitudes and
motivational behavior affect online buying, thus building a
broader framework of analysis in which to build upon.
Comment by user:
APA style uses one inch margins. Paragraphs should be
indented five to seven spaces (about 1/2 inch) except for
Abstracts, block quotations, titles and headings, table titles and
notes, and figure captions (Section 8.03). Comment by user:
An abstract for empirical study includes a statement of the
particular research issue and a description of the

participants/subjects. Also included in the abstract: special
information regarding methodology, the basic findings from the
results section, and concluding statements or inferences
regarding the results.(Chapter 2, Section 2.04, p. 26) (Layout as
seen in Figure 2.1 p. 41)
Introduction Comment by user:
The first heading should be the title of the paper. It should
never be labeled 'Introduction.' It is the introduction by location
(APA Manual - 5.17 & 3.30).
The Internet has been accessible to the public for over
twenty years. It came upon the scene and has exploded in
popularity like few things have ever done in the history of the
world. Since the introduction of the World Wide Web, the
interest in the value of commerce and individuals has been
growing. Skeptical at first, online consumerism has steadily
increased and along with it has come some positive and negative
behaviors. The purpose of this research is to understand how
individual behaviors affect online consumerism. According to
Lars Perner, consumer behavior is defined as “the study of
individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use
to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services,
experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these
processes have on the consumer and society” (2008). By

identifying the behaviors that support buying online and those
which do not, businesses can help to increase profits and will
help to assure their share of the market, as electronic trade may
well out-step traditional buying in the not to distant future.
Comment by user:
A common citation includes the author surname then the year of
publication (e. g. (Walker, 2000)). With a work has two authors
always cite both names every time, use "And" to separate author
names when mentioned in the text (...but Jones and Smith
(1991) showed that...), but use an ampersand (&) when multiple
authors are in parentheses in a citation, such as (Jones & Smith,
1991). Be sure include the citation before the end of sentence
punctuation (., ?, or !). When cited in text the publication year
should immediately follow the author(s) name(s)(e. g. Jones and
Smith (1991) . . . (6.11). In text citations of a group of authors
should be treated the same in citation as a single author
(6.13).(Chapter 6, p. 174-176) Comment by user:
When quoting another work within the manuscript include
author, year, and page citation or paragraph number. All direct
quotations must be quoted exactly as written in original source
with the exception of changing the first letter of the first word
quoted to a capital letter (6.06 & 6.07). All other changes or
omissions from the exact original source when quoting must be
indicated (6.08). If there is a citation within the original
material that you are quoting do not omit the citation from the
quote (6.09). (Chapter 6, p. 172-174). For a quote that is more
than 40 words display it as a block quotation by starting the
quote on its own line and indent the entire quote a half-inch
from the left margin. A quote fewer than 40 words should be
implemented into the text with double quotation marks (6.03).
Online sources that do not provide page numbers or paragraph
numbers, that part of the citation can be omitted (6.05).
(Chapter 6, p. 170-172)
There are many variables to consider when outlining
behaviors of Internet consumerism. According to Delia Vazquez
and Xingang XU, online consumer behavior is affected by three

main things: “attitudes towards online shopping, motivations,
such as price, convenience and hedonic motivations, and online
information search” (2009, p.409). If a person is positive about
the experience of shopping on the Internet then that attitude will
affect the outcome of purchasing online. Also online consumers
feel more in control when they can search with relative ease,
prices and special offers. This price comparison is in itself, a
great motivational tool. The fact that more information is
available online concerning products also allows the consumer
to feel that better information, will lead to better decision
making on their part. Comment by user:
Awkward. Reword. Comment by user:
The selected text is filler that adds to the length of your paper
without adding any value. Remove it and/or rewrite this portion
of your paper. Comment by user:
Single spacing is required after the use of commas, colons, and
semicolons (Section 4.01). Comment by user:
Your transitional statement is missing or too weak.
Research was conducted through a self-given online
questionnaire. Important data was collected concerning the
scale items of attitude, motivations and searches of information.
The group consisted of students in three different age
categories. The first were between 15 and 24. The second group
was between 25-34 years old. The last group fell between the
ages of 35 and 44. The 35-44 year old group was rated as first
in Internet buying. The 25-30 year olds were next, followed by
the younger group. A further study was done through the use of
email and administered questionnaires. Two hundred students
were surveyed in person and 300 students were asked to fill in
an email survey. Between the two groups, 406 responded and
participated in the research. Data analysis using a quantitative
approach was used. Reliability analysis was formulated and
used to test the data obtained. Canonical analysis was also used
to help understand the data and build a framework around online
consumer behavior. Comment by user:

Use parallel construction between elements (Section 3.23).
Comment by user:
Awkward. Reword.
The analysis showed that 49.8% of those surveyed were
women and 50% were male. The group under age 24 made up a
little less than two thirds of the total. Those over 24 accounted
for the rest. Respondents who had used the Internet for five
years or more represented 79% of the study. The results clearly
showed that online shopping motivations, information searches,
and attitude all had a significant affect on online purchases.
Comment by user:
Citation needed. Comment by user:
Most of the time, affect is a verb and effect is a noun.
Exceptions are rare.
Other variables to consider in online consumer behavior
are online experience, sexual preference, and the primary place
in which the Internet is accessed. In a study performed by
Cuneyt Koyuncu and Donald Lien, research showed that all
three of these had “large statistically significant effects on
online shopping” (2003, p.721). They concluded that
consumers, who had more experience with the internet, felt
more comfortable navigating it. Consumers also felt safer in
using the internet at their residence or on the job, rather than
community computers. Sexual preference, according to their
research, showed that bisexuals bought online in greater
numbers than heterosexuals. This behavior may have resulted
because of the bias against this portion of the population that is
present in society. The survey which supports this data was
conducted by Georgia Institute of Technology. There were over
10,000 participants. The total amount of samples used was
8717. Data such as an individual’s demographic; economics,
sexual preferences, and primary places of online access were
collected. The findings showed 7026 considered themselves
online shoppers, while 1691 did not. The average for education
was considered, “some college” for both groups. Online

shoppers’ income was between $50 and $74K. The non-online
shoppers’ income was between $30 and $40K. The average ages
of both groups were between 36 and 40 years old. Almost 90%
were white and 60% were male. A little under half of all the
participants were married. The conclusion of this research
clearly identified that both the primary place to access the
Internet and sexual preference had very important positive
effects on online shopping. Comment by user:
Numerals are expressed when a) numbers are ten and above, b)
when the number is in the abstract of a paper, c) when a number
is stated directly before a unit of measurement, d) when a
number is cited in statistical/mathematical format etc., e) and
when it is as expressed as a time, date or age (4.31). Ordinal
numbers are treated the same as cardinal numbers (4.34),
decimals should have a zero before the decimal point if the
number is lower than 1 (4.35). Roman Numerals (4.36),
Commas in number situations (4.37), and plurals of numbers
(4.38) are also covered in the specified sections 4.31-4.38, p.
111-113). Comment by user:
Numerals are expressed when a) numbers are ten and above, b)
when the number is in the abstract of a paper, c) when a number
is stated directly before a unit of measurement, d) when a
number is cited in statistical/mathematical format etc., e) and
when it is as expressed as a time, date or age (4.31). Ordinal
numbers are treated the same as cardinal numbers (4.34),

decimals should have a zero before the decimal point if the
number is lower than 1 (4.35). Roman Numerals (4.36),
Commas in number situations (4.37), and plurals of numbers
(4.38) are also covered in the specified sections 4.31-4.38, p.
111-113).
Unlike shopping in a store on-site, making purchases
online has other positives associated with it. According to
Anthony Ammeter and Donghyun Kim, they stated “one of the
most important traits of online shopping is bidirectional
communication capability” (2008, p.9). They go on further to
explain how online shoppers have greater assess to
communicate with those they are buying from. This
communication can take place in such ways as bulletin boards
and e-mails. This gives consumers a perception of personalized
assistance. In contrast to this scenario, is the fact that we are
losing our ability to maintain a high level of customer service
on-site. The employees many shoppers encounter seem more to
be filling a spot than actively engaging in helping consumers
with purchases or becoming knowledgeable about what they
sell. Comment by user:
semicolons (Section 4.01).
Online consumerism is not however without its
apprehensions. Set forth in the research by Janda Swinder were
concerns. She stated in her article that there were, “four
consumer online concerns, identified as privacy, security,
credibility, and virtual experience” (2008, p. 339). Each of
these factors is considered when people think of making online
purchases. Privacy issues, security, credibility and virtual
experience have all shown to have negative effects on consumer
purchasing. It is relatively simple for information to be
collected from consumers whenever one logs onto a site or
makes a purchase. Some information, such as name, address,

phone number and credit card, is gathered through direct
questioning and other information is gathered through tracking
software. This transference of information makes some
consumers nervous and they do not want to take the risk.
Another point to consider is the credibility of the person or
business in which one is dealing with. Questions arise about
trust, description of merchandise, warranties, shipment, returns,
and follow-up correspondence. Although this concern, though
valid, has according to research, had very limited negative
effect on consumer buying habits (2008).Comment by user:
of your paper.
Another negative behavioral pattern well documented is
that of compulsive buying tendencies. These tendencies to over
buy can have detrimental affects on the consumer, notably
affecting monies, feelings, and relationships. According to “The
Relationship Between Consumers’ Tendencies to Buy
Compulsively and Their Motivation to Shop and Buy on the
Internet,” somewhere between 5 and 9 percent of America’s
population could be identified as people who have a propensity
to compulsively buy (Kukar-Kinney, Ridgway, and Monroe,
2009). Motivators of this type of behavior include the very key
ingredients of online shopping. These motivations are the
following; items may be purchased at any time, shopping can be
done frequently, a broader variety exists, and also purchases
may be brought in private. Comment by user:
publication(e. g. (Walker, 2000)). With a work has two authors

(6.13).(Chapter 6, p. 174-176)
The actual detailed research conducted involved many
aspects. The first method of research was a survey of over 300
people in 42 states. As quoted from the article, “the sample
consisted of 98.5% women, 63% of the respondents were
married, the average age was 53 years, and the average
household income was $82,000” (2009, p.300). The penchant to
buy compulsively was measured using a buying scale that
included six focuses. These scale items included, unopened
packages at home, labeled by others as a shopaholic, how much
time actually spent shopping, buying unneeded items, buying
unplanned items, and if the surveyed considered themselves an
impulse buyer. Comment by user:
semicolons (Section 4.01).
Research was also conducted using a 22 statement survey
in which the surveyed agreed or disagreed with the following
statement, “In comparison to retail stores, I shop on the Internet
when buying clothing and accessories for myself because”
(2009, p.301). The 22 statements included areas that linked to,
“buying unobserved, product variety, social interaction, and
immediate positive feelings.” An analyses of the information
was obtained through a series of “linear regression analysis,
with individual shopping and buying motivations in the role of
the dependent variable, and compulsive buying index as an
independent variable” (2009, p.302). Comment by user:
For a single work by two authors cite both authors every time,
from three to five authors cite all of the authors the first time
the work is mentioned and the primary author followed by et al.
for all successive times the work is mentioned. For six or more
authors cite the primary name followed by et al. for the first and
all following times the work is mentioned (6.12). Comment by
user:

When quoting another work within the manuscript include
author, year, and page citation or paragraph number. All direct
quotations must be quoted exactly as written in original source
with the exception of changing the first letter of the first word
quoted to a capital letter (6.06 & 6.07). All other changes or
omissions from the exact original source when quoting must be
indicated (6.08). If there is a citation within the original
material that you are quoting do not omit the citation from the
quote (6.09). (Chapter 6, p. 172-174). For a quote that is more
than 40 words display it as a block quotation by starting the
quote on its own line and indent the entire quote a half-inch
from the left margin. A quote fewer than 40 words should be
implemented into the text with double quotation marks (6.03).
Online sources that do not provide page numbers or paragraph
numbers, that part of the citation can be omitted (6.05).
(Chapter 6, p. 170-172)
The final research was defined as cluster analysis. Taken
into account were such categories as demographics, age, gender,
income, education level, marital status, average income spent at
retail and internet stores, frequency of purchase, and the number
of credit cards used. All of this research data was well defined
and explained. The findings of each method was then charted
and analyzed with easy to understand tables and terminology. In
keeping with the theme of the method section, the
interpretations and conclusions made by these researchers were
very detailed and data supported. The results showed that
compulsive online consumer behavior was in part explained by
motivations of the shopper. All motives set forth in this study
exhibited an important positive connection to the compulsive
buying scale except for one and that was the product variety
motive. The overall findings concluded, as the researchers had
hypothesized that Comment by user:
Awkward. Reword.
compulsive buying strongly affected consumers’ decisions to
make purchases using the Internet.
This research group acknowledges that one of its

weaknesses was the sampling of consumers used. Subjects were
relatively wealthy women, who frequented expensive internet
retailers. I believe, as they do, that this assessment represents a
bias in the general population. The research also only tracked
the behavior of women. Compulsive online consumer behaviors
are not gender specific and therefore this research, in my
opinion, is somewhat flawed. Another weakness noted in this
study was the amount of people surveyed in the first example
with a total number of a little over 300. I do however think that
one of this study’s greatest strengths was the broad base of
surveys conducted (2009). Comment by user: Avoid first
person in APA style.
There are differences in online behaviors as identified by
gender in the research of Janda (2008). Main differences
account for shopping behaviors, attitudes to technology, and
processing of information. Women were found to be more
venerable to risks and perceived risks as higher than that of the
male population. It was also found that women used the Internet
less often and were less confident about their online ability.
Females were found to enjoy the experience of shopping more
than men. Women leaned more toward the sites which provided
information and education about items. Comment by user:
Awkward. Reword.
The data for this gender research was gathered through
surveys that were handed out. The opinions were taken from a
quota sampling of different age groups. Responses totaling 404
were collected. The sample included a total of 196 men and 208
women. The median age was 32.8 years old. Another noted
point was that the participants each had a history of Internet
usage for about five years(2008). This is valuable research and
asserts that these differences must be addressed in order for
online distributors to appeal to both sexes in a meaningful way.
Comment by user:

publication(e. g. (Walker, 2000)). With a work has two authors
(6.13).(Chapter 6, p. 174-176)
In research done by Christy Crutsinger, Sua Jeon, and Haejung
Kim, they identified seven motivators of online auction
participants. These motivators were, “search costs, product
assortment and price, brand equity, transaction costs, customer
orientation, perceived quality, and social interaction” (2008,
p.31). Never before has there been such a vehicle for buying
and selling merchandise and services. Online auctions are
tapping into this relatively new trend. More than 1,660 sites
have been procured and are available to cater to this type of
consumer.Comment by user:
Delete. Comment by user:
Awkward. Reword.
The study on online auctions was done through a questionnaire,
based on 36 auction motivators, online behavior, and
demographics of participants. The Likert scale was used to
determine responses. These participants totaled 410 and were
selected from a pool of college students. Data was retrieved
from 341 responses. There were 74.8% female and 42.6%
labeled as Comment by user:
Citation needed.
white. The ages ranged from 18 to 40 years old. The collected
data revealed 90.9% were regular

users of the Internet. A low 20% revealed they had no online
auction experience. The remaining who did have experience
with online auctions were identified as follows; 5.3% used the
Internet daily, 15.2% weekly, 29.9% monthly, and 29.3% said
one to two times per year. An interesting note to this research
was that although most of those surveyed had participated in
online auctions, the majority of them (80.6%) conveyed that
they had never sold anything online.
According to this research the following results showed that,
“search costs were the most important motivation, followed by
product assortment/price, brand equity, transaction costs,
customer orientation, and perceived quality. Social interaction
was the least important motivation associated with online
auction behaviors” (2008, p. 36). There is no doubt that college
students Comment by user:
publication (e. g. (Walker, 2000)). With a work has two authors
(6.13).(Chapter 6, p. 174-176) Comment by user:
Awkward. Reword.
are very involved Internet participants. Studies like this one
show the need for businesses to see the value of online auctions
and use this prospect to increase their customer base. This
research, however did not addressed the negative component of
online auction consumer behavior. These types of behavior may
fall into one of two categories, such as impulse buying or
compulsive buying. Further research would need to be done in
order to fully understand online consumer

auction behavior.
A major part of esthetics is how information is arranged on the
web page. Too much information can overwhelm a consumer,
too little can decrease consumer confidence. J.M. Stibel
conducted research which included this topic of interest. Tests
performed by him showed how online information presentation
failed in many ways. His results showed clearly that “category
information presented in an alphabetical list allowed consumers
the ability to navigate to their destination much faster than
when they were asked to traverse a hyperlinked hierarchy”
(2005, p. Comment by user:
When citing a single work by a single author and the author is
named within the text, the year of the work should immediately
follow author name in parentheses unless the name is used
several times consecutively in a paragraph in which case only
the first time the author is mentioned in paragraph is the year
necessary (6.11). In text citations of a group of authors should
be treated the same in citation as a single author (6.13).
(Chapter 6, p. 174-176) Comment by user:
Awkward. Reword.
149). Simplicity is the key. Consumers want to navigate with
the least amount of effort. Clarity in the web design gives
consumers the confidence in their ability to do so. This research
led Stibel to identify a mental model of consumers, which
concluded that people wanted information presented in concise
and understanding ways. The ability of online businesses to do
this is imperative because it leads to a “more intuitive and
compelling online experience (2005, p.149). There is a sub-
group of online consumers that have been recently identified.
This group has been termed, the “net-geners or net generation.”
This term is defined as, “individuals born between 1977 and
1997 and is the first generation to grow up surrounded by
digital media and the Internet” (Donghyun Kim & Anthony
Ammeter 2008, p.7). This group understands technology and is
comfortable with Internet commerce. The net-geners are the
first generation that will actually surpass the baby-boomers in

population size. Because of their knowledge and their numbers,
it is safe to say that business as usual is in for a transformation.
As the elderly portion of our population die and new individuals
are born, this new way of doing business will be the reality that
is known throughout life. The sky is indeed the limit in the
progression of online consumerism. Comment by user:
If you cite the same work twice in the same paragraph, the year
is not needed (Section 6.11). Comment by user: There should
be one or more hypotheses andor research questions
Method

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