Online consumer behaviour and decision-making in Australian families

Abstract

Australians have embraced online shopping, with three-quarters of the country's 21 million internet users having made a purchase online. Drivers for the growth in online sales include: the spread of the internet to 86% of Australian homes; increased broadband access; the growth in mobile commerce; greater choice of products; and the convenience of online shopping. New retail models have emerged, with traditional retailers, known as 'bricks and mortar', morphing into 'bricks and clicks', utilising the internet as a distribution channel and enabler of electronic commerce. In parallel with the rapid rise in the use of the Internet for retailing, there has been an explosion of literature which has sought to outline models of online consumer behaviour and decision-making. This research will examine the practices and negotiation that Australian families engage in when purchasing online. The research will build on earlier studies on the effects of sex role orientation on the purchase of high-involvement products, and whether variables such as age, income, education, ethnicity and technology knowledge impact on these online purchases. Findings will assist marketers to target individual segments more effectively and to design online IMC programs that communicate meaningful messages to segments interested in online shopping using appropriate media. Assessing how couples participate in e-retailing may help marketers understand the size and importance of the internet as an integral component of their marketing communication strategy, and assist in integrating the online channel so that it is not managed in isolation from other communication channels in the overall marketing mix.