Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the shopping and buying behavior of consumers and their attitudes toward internet shopping in both Romania and Turkey. Another purpose is also finding out critical factors or drivers of online businesses to be successful and being able to compete in global environment. 185 students from Afyon Kocatepe University in Turkey and 142 students from Dunarea de Jos University of Galati in Romania completed the survey regarding their online shopping and buying experiences and attitudes towards online shopping. We also used unstructured interviews with these student groups to learn more about attitudes of consumers toward online shopping. The data shows that customers are still hesitating to shop online in both countries. The most important reasons for consumers in both countries not to shop online are online security, preference to shop traditional way, prefer to buy by touching and feeling and willing to use products immediately. The results of the study also show that although consumers either buy or plan to buy books, tickets, CDs, software online, they don’t want to buy groceries online in either country. The most important reasons to shop online both in Romania and Turkey are being able to get detailed product information, home delivery, convenience, product quality and lower prices. Overall results regarding the attitudes of consumers toward online shopping are positive. So, they either would like to buy online or continue to buy. They also think that online shopping has advantages for buying books, CDs, tickets. These results also have some practical implications for managers and strategists of online stores.
Highlights
Popularization of internet and e-commerce has been one of the most important social and business developments of the last decade
Another purpose is finding out critical factors or drivers of online businesses to be successful and being able to compete in global environment. 185 students from Afyon Kocatepe University in Turkey and 142 students from Dunarea de Jos University of Galati in Romania completed the survey regarding their online shopping and buying experiences and attitudes towards online shopping
The main focus of this study is to find out why consumers are reluctant to shop online, what kind of products they are willing to buy online and whether their attitudes towards online shopping is positive or negative
Summary
Popularization of internet and e-commerce has been one of the most important social and business developments of the last decade. Online shopping has become the third most popular internet activity following the e-mail usage and web browsing. Everything that consumers want and need to buy presents a potential for online business. Internet is changing the way how consumers shop and buy goods and services. Many companies have started using the internet with the aim of cutting marketing costs, reducing price of their products and services in order to stay ahead in highly competitive markets. Companies use the internet to convey, communicate and disseminate information, to sell product, to take feedback and to compare prices, product features and after sale service facilities they will receive if they purchase the product from a particular store (Shergill and Chen, 2005: 79-80)
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