Students’ perceptions of an e-commerce app

Abstract

Varsity Vibe is South Africa’s first student discount application. It is available to students from the age of 18 to 25. To use Varsity Vibe, a student needs to be registered subscriber by paying the subscription fee unless you have a student achiever account with Standard Bank then subscription is free. Varsity Vibe consists of coupons from various stores across South Africa, these coupons can be redeemed by students when making an online purchase from the stores that are located on the Varsity Vibe authorised master file. The study aims to determine the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) Westville Campus students perceived use of using this e-commerce based application, Varsity Vibe. The research analysed the factors related to why students use Varsity Vibe, what they use Varsity Vibe to purchase, and the impact it has on their spending. A sample of 120 respondents from the UKZN Westville campus was used to obtain data. Data was obtained by distributing questionnaires on campus. The results obtained from the questionnaires were analysed and the following was concluded. Respondents were aware of the Varsity Vibe app, through on campus marketing. Only 45% of the users who had downloaded the app, were actually registered users. Of the 45% of registered users, only 60% were active monthly users of the app. Redemption of vouchers was low, as the deals within the province in which they were based was limited. Usage of the app, compared to the website, was more frequent. The app was perceived to be ‘easy to use’ and ‘useful’ by even the Non-IT users. Majority of the participants felt that the app would become more popular in time especially if the voucher base could be expanded to include more local based offers and the store base could be more comprehensive. Respondents expressed concern over security issues, in particular, storage of personal information and bank details, especially in the case of where your phone is stolen or misplaced.