Factors affecting Arab consumers' attitudes toward online shopping in light of COVID-19: the moderating role of digital marketing

Abstract

PurposeIn both developed and developing countries, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a new generation of first-time online shoppers. More significantly, academics and practitioners believe that the shift to online shopping will continue in the years to come. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the role of digital marketing tools as a moderator variable between the independent variables (i.e. consumption patterns, lifestyle, level of income, and payment methods) and dependent variable (i.e. the consumer's attitude towards online shopping) during the COVID-19 pandemic time in Arab countries.Design/methodology/approachA structured and self-administered online survey has targeted online shopping users in six different Arab countries based on a snowball and convenience sample. In total, 577 useable questionnaires were analyzed.FindingsThe findings show a significant positive relationship between the independent variables (i.e. consumption patterns, lifestyle, level of income, and payment methods) and the dependent variable (i.e. consumer attitude towards online shopping). Furthermore, the results reveal that the positive relationship between the independent and dependent variables is strengthened by the existence of the moderator variable, the digital marketing tools.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was based on cross-sectional data collection, rather than a longitudinal study and collected data from six Arab countries. It is suggested that future research should expand the survey in more similar countries to broaden the database for further generalizations and use a longitudinal approach to better assess changes in attitudes over time. In addition, this study focused on the issue from a consumer's viewpoint, so it is recommended that future research could be conducted, but from the viewpoint of marketing managers.Practical implicationsThis study represents a further deeper insight into consumer behaviour; it advocates giving more emphasis on organizations' awareness of their customers' consumption pattern, lifestyle, level of income, and payment method. The findings of this study can help managers and marketers to design a promotional mix to improve consumer's behaviour towards online shopping. The results suggest paying more attention to the high relevant effect of the consumption pattern, lifestyle, level of income, and payment method on the consumer attitude towards online shopping.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the few attempts that investigated consumer attitudes toward online shopping in the Arab world. Importantly, it identified the drivers of online shoppers' attitudes in the Arab world. This may be used to develop and implement e-marketing strategies. Furthermore, this paper examines the role of digital marketing as a moderator variable to provide empirical evidence to the body of knowledge of these drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic time in the Arab countries.