Business-to-consumer e-commerce in Nigeria: Prospects and challenges

The growth of Internet usage in Nigeria continues to increase, recording over 90% growth rate between 2000 and 2008. While businesses in Nigeria are reported to have online access with opportunity for ecommercial activities, customers in the country however access business websites only to source for information but make purchases the traditional way. This paper aims at assessing the prospects and challenges of Business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce implementation in Nigeria from the consumers’ perspective. Survey research was adopted for this study. Research hypotheses were formulated and questionnaire designed and administered randomly to 900 respondents. Collected data was used to evaluate the acceptance of B2C e-commerce using the extended technology acceptance model (TAM). The extended TAM combines task-technology fit, relationship related construct: trust and risk, and the two TAM constructs to determine factors influencing consumer acceptance of B2C e-commerce in Nigeria. Findings revealed that there are significant relationships between the model variables. Tasktechnology fit and perceived usefulness have significant relationships with intentions to use, having a correlation coefficient of 0.2623 and 0.2002 respectively. Similarly, the interrelationship among trust, perceived risk, and behavioral intention are significant. The effect of risk on trust was statistically showing that risk is a predictor of trust. Risk has a high significant on trust and trust in turn has low significant effect on behavioral intention. Adding TTF and its relationships to the TAM also fit the data. The relationship between task-technology fit, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and intention are significant

Investigating e-fulfilment in Gulf Cooperation Council business-to-consumer markets

Paper presented at 20th ISL, 5th – 8th July 2015, Bologna Italy This paper reports on a literature review and research objective development pertaining to a current PhD research project on electronic commerce (EC), specifically e-fulfilment, in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) business-to-consumer markets (B2C). The increase in the number of Internet users and GCC government investment has prompted this research to investigate how EC firms provide e-fulfilment services and what kind of logistical processes they implement. This research has also been motivated to explore e-fulfilment logistics in GCC countries, which have similar language, religion and beliefs. The overarching aim of this study is to suggest new strategies to make EC and e-fulfilment more efficient, effective and relevant in GCC countries. The study has the following three research objectives: 1. To investigate extant electronic commerce (EC) and related e-fulfilment logistics processes in GCC B2C markets; 2. To explore differences between international and GCC e-fulfilment purchase and delivery methods; and 3. To determine the extent of a cultural effect on e-fulfilment process in the GCC. This study investigates three categories of actors: pure player (PP) and multi-channel (MC) e-stores, third-party logistics (3PL) service providers, and consumers from different cities within the six GCC countries (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or KSA, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates or UAE, and Bahrain)

Relationship fading in business-to-consumer context

The objective of this paper is to explain the phenomenon of relationship fading in a business-to-consumer (B2C) context and to identify the key antecedents and drivers in this process. Fading relates to a gradual decline in consumers’ willingness to continue a relationship with a company. Therefore it may help to elucidate the ‘unexplained’ relationship dissolution and customer defection. Led by an assumption that a relationship between a consumer and a brand is like the one between individuals, the paper proposes that the trajectory of relationship fading reflects disaffection processes similar to the ones suggested in marital and romantic relationships between individuals. Stages of the fading process and their characteristics are presented. Academic and practical implications are subsequently presented

Business-to-consumer electronic commerce in Japan

The purpose of the project was to examine the current situation of B2C e-commerce in Japan, consumers\u27 online purchasing behavior, and attributes affecting online purchases. Since many companies are interested in starting or have started B2C e-commerce businesses, this study would aid companies in developing marketing strategies that would grow their businesses and build loyalty among consumers

Business-to-Consumer Practices in Electronic Commerce

The innovative electronic commerce practices of Internet companies are openly discussed and carefully scrutinized. A great deal of information describing their use of the WorldWide Web is available. At the same time, very little information has been assembled to describe the manner in which well-established public corporations are engaging in electronic commerce through their Internet sites. This paper reports a field study in which the WorldWide Web- based electronic commerce practices of 100 public U.S. corporations were examined over a six-month period. The findings reveal that while a large portion of the companies participate in business-to-consumer electronic commerce, only a small segment capitalizes on the potential through the commerce models they have deployed

Relationship fading in business-to-consumer context

The objective of this thesis is to develop a better understanding of the relationship fading phenomenon in business-to-consumer context. Fading relates to a gradual decline in consumer’s willingness to continue a relationship with a company. Therefore, understanding the fading process may help to elucidate the ‘unexplained’ relationship dissolution and customer defection. Led by an assumption that a relationship between a consumer and a brand is like the one between individuals, the thesis proposes that the trajectory of relationship fading reflects the disaffection processes similar to the ones suggested in marital and romantic relationships between individuals. The approach taken to answering this research question is a multi-study approach. This type of approach allows addressing each individual research question independently, using the most appropriate research methods. As a result, the thesis comprises three adjacent studies. All three studies are linked and together contribute to a better understanding of the relationship fading process, which is the main topic of the thesis. Based on the results from the first study, a set of boundary conditions of relationship fading is identified. The results of the second study suggest that predictors of relationship fading stage can be uncovered. Thirdly, different restoration techniques are explored, aiming to describe their effectiveness in various relationship fading stages. Individual objectives of the three studies are accomplished. All three studies contribute to achieving the overall objective of the thesis, namely to developing a better understanding of the phenomenon of relationship fading

Electronic bill presentment and payment--is it just a click away?

This article addresses the following questions about electronic presentment and payment (EBPP) in the business-to-consumer marketplace: Why aren't electronically presented bills always paid electronically? And, if EBPP does aid in the migration to fully electronic end-to-end payment, what are the barriers to its adoption.Payment systems ; Electronic funds transfers

Overcoming Language Barriers in Business-To-Consumer Electronic Service

Communication has been described as one of the determinants of service quality. However, communication is only effective when the parties involved speak the same language. This is almost impossible to achieve in Business-To-Consumer (B2C) Electronic Commerce (e-Commerce) given the diversity of languages used on the Internet. This paper seeks to explore the possibility of using current advances in technology to bridge the communication gap among entities on the Internet