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What Extent Does The Internet Influence The Consumer Decision-Making
Process?
(2008) The
consumer decision-making process illustrates the certain stages
consumers experience before making a final purchase decision. In
general, this decision-making process is acknowledge to be an
extraordinarily complex model which is affected by numerous factors,
such as personal, situational and socio-cultural influences. However,
the decision-making process also varies according to the type of
product (hedonic or utilitarian) and to the degree of involvement. This
project provides an insight into the different stages of the consumer
decision-making process and identifies possible factors which might
influence this process. Moreover, the increasing significance of the
Internet has considerably affected the consumers‟ decision-making
process, in particular their pre-purchase behaviour. This can be mainly
attributed to the wide variety of product information online available
as well as to interactive decision aids, which allow consumers to
compare different products in-depth. However, despite all the means
provided by the Internet, there are still concerns associated with its
use for information search or online purchase which might affect
consumers‟ attitudes towards the use of the Internet in a negative way.
When deciding which information sources to consult, factors such as
trust and believability play an important role in the consumers‟
decision-making process.However, the study also demonstrates that event
tough consumers regard certain information as credible, they prefer to
consult a variety of information sources in order to minimise the risk
associated with the purchase. Nevertheless, it has to be taken into
consideration that the stages of the decision-making process vary
according on the consumer‟s level of involvement, as consumers devote
more effort to their information search and the different evaluation
stages if the purchase is considered to be of high risk.
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Introducing the topic Aims and Objectives Summary of chapters CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction: Understanding the consumer decision-making process The consumer decision-making process Problem recognition and information search Evaluation of alternatives and purchase Post-purchase evaluation The degree of involvement The influence of hedonic and utilitarian goods on consumer's decision-making process Other influences on the customer decision-making process The influence of the Internet on the consumer decision-making process Reasons for online shopping The impact of interactive decision making aids on the consumer decision-making process Advantages of online shopping Constraints of online shopping Conclusion CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY Research approach Data sources and collection method Secondary data Primary Research Research type Data collection Questionnaire design Advantages of questionnaires for primary data collection Limitations of primary data collection/ questionnaires Sample Pilot testing Ethical implications CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS Profile of the sample Consumer‟s decision-making process: Use of information sources Believability of information sources The media Recommendations from friends / family members Salespeople/ Experts Review in consumer reports Online recommendations Influences of information sources on the consumer decision-making process Word of mouth (WOM) recommendation Newspaper advertisements and TV commercials Review in consumer reports Online recommendations General online shopping behaviour Consumers online purchase behaviour Product recommendations Reasons and perceived advantages of online shopping Time-saving and availability Convenient and increased choice Price Constraints of online shopping Security issues and financial risk Lack of physical contact Other constraints Conclusion CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS Concluding statement Limitation of the study Further research References Bibliography Appendices How To Order 1. Select reference number busman0050 from the dropdown list 2. Click the PayPal button 3. Click the "Click Here" button on the PayPal page to submit your credit/debit card payment 4. We will email your chosen dissertation in PDF format within 24 hours |
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