Factors Determining the Behavior of E-commerce Users According to the Demographic Aspects of College Students

Abstract

Purpose: E-commerce is a supply of needs typical of the information age. Based on contemporary technologies, it has represented an up-and-coming channel for multiplying the possibilities of supplying demands practically everywhere on the planet. So that it can be constantly improved, scientists and managers have been concerned with better understanding the behavior of online buyers. In this sense, this study aimed to identify the determining factors of e-commerce according to demographic aspects (purchase frequency, income, paid activity, age, and gender) of university students at an institution in the North of Brazil.   Theoretical framework: The study was theoretically based on the factors and variables determining consumer purchasing behavior. Factors as analytical dimensions formed a theoretical architecture, each composed of their respective variables and analysis categories.   Design/Methodology/Approach: The method used was a survey, whose population consisted of 51 students enrolled in the second semester of 2022, from which a sample of 47 respondents was extracted, given that the others dropped out of class. Data were collected with a questionnaire with closed questions, the validity of which was checked with a Cronbach's alpha test at 0.82, considered very compliant. The results were generated using the Mann-Whitney U test, given that the behavior of the variables was not regarded as normal by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilkens tests. The conclusion points to a kind of virtual democracy in which little differentiation can be seen in the factors determining purchases when taken from the point of view of the demographic variables studied.   Findings: The results showed no differences in the determining factors of e-commerce regarding paid activity, frequency of purchases, and age. A difference in behavior was detected between men and women regarding price and between those with higher incomes and those with lower incomes regarding practicality.   Research, Practical, and Social Implications: The practical implication of the study is that marketing strategies and new product launches offered in the virtual world can be mainly standardized because the demographic differences that impact the behavior of virtual consumers are statistically similar. From a theoretical point of view, the results indicate the need to study other demographic variables to confirm or refute these behavioral uniformities.   Originality/Value: The contribution of this study to the science and practice of electronic commerce is the finding that consumers present similar behaviors when considering the demographic aspects of university students, who represent a large portion of virtual buyers.