Consumer buying behaviour in online legal services

Abstract. Online legal services refer to electronic or digital legal services (in the form of software, apps, web pages, etc.) that can increase common people understanding of legal issues, access to legal information and social participation in legal related matters. By automating tasks traditionally performed only by lawyers and by making legal services available on the Internet, online legal services make the access to justice more affordable and accessible to all. In this modern context, where common consumers have the opportunity buy and use legal services completely on the internet and without the help of a traditional lawyer, it is necessary to investigate how consumers behave when they shop for legal services online. In accordance, the purpose of the research is to understand the consumer buying behaviour in online legal services, based on empirical research, contributing to the literature about online legal services; and to provide managerial implications for legal services companies about how to improve their marketing strategies and build their consumer relationships, based on the empirical findings. Therefore, the study delves into the minds of consumers to uncover their needs, motivations and intentions about online legal services, and it is the first study to investigate the consumer buying behaviour in online legal services. The research is planned focusing on the theories of consumer buying behaviour, technology acceptance and on prior research of online legal services. The empirical research is conducted using a survey questionnaire, employing a mixed-method approach. Brazil was chosen as the field for the research, because it is the world’s fifth-largest country by area and the fifth most populous, where legal services are highly demanded and where online legal services have potential to be widely utilized, although not much is known about the consumer behaviour towards them. The sample studied is 419 potential consumers of online legal services. To process the data, the author makes statistical analysis of each quantitative reply, qualitative thematic content analysis for each qualitative answer, and deeply analyse the final results of the research, developing a framework for the consumer buying behaviour in online legal services. The empirical findings show that the consumers of online legal services behave motivated by Price, Legal problem-solving capability, Convenience (Perceived ease of use), Speed, Safety, Quality and Trustability and that consumers have an overall positive attitude about online legal services, even though negative attitudes were also identified. Utilitarian needs and motivations, behavioural intention, attitude, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, information search, evaluation of alternatives, social influence, facilitating conditions, trust, perceived risk, and price value; influence and characterize the buying behaviour in online legal services and lead to the consequent consumer purchase decision. Furthermore, the buying process in online legal services follows the Five-stage buying process, but the consumer might deviate during it, because of, among other reasons, social influence and the lack of trust

Adoption and Impact of QR-codes in an Omnichannel Customer Experience; The Perspective of Consumer Electronics

Physical retailers are struggling to compete against digital players. Providing a positive omnichannel customer experience instore has become a vigorous strategy to stay competitive in today’s retail environment. QR-codes can offer a wide variety of digital information almost instantaneously. Retailers of consumer electronics are suggested to benefit from this easy access to information by responding to consumers need for interactive and personalized experiences. QR-codes are especially suitable in the prepurchase stage of the customer journey, in which consumers consider and evaluate products. Moreover, QR-codes has had a revival due to its potential during the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite this, there is still an ongoing discussion about the adoption of QR-codes and a lack of empirical insight on the impact of QR-codes on the omnichannel customer experience as well as a lack of studies that take a holistic approach to investigate QR-codes in a consumer electronics setting. The objective of this study was therefore to fill this knowledge gap by answering the following research questions: (1) why consumers adopt or resist QR-codes, and (2) which QR-code information and features provides experiential value and influences purchase intention in consumer electronics. In answering the first question, a theoretical framework was developed, which extends the Technology Acceptance Model with functional and physiological barriers from the Innovation Resistance Theory, as well as potential moderating factors like age, gender, and personal innovativeness. One or more hypotheses for each construct were based on extensive literature review, and the framework was tested in a cross-sectional survey study. In answering the second question, an experiential value and purchase intention framework was built upon theories on customer experience. Based on literature regarding omnichannel behavior, QRcodes, and shopper-facing technology, it was assumed that more digitalized and personalized information and features were preferred by consumers. This assumption was tested using conjoint analysis. The findings from the cross-sectional survey shows that QR-code adoption is primarily driven by perceived enjoyment, perceived usefulness, compatibility, and age. The findings from the conjoint analysis generally indicate that less digitalized and personalized information and features can add experiential value and that more digitalized and personalized trigger purchase intention. Features such as personalized reviews should especially be consider by retailers as this was important across both experiential value and purchase intention. In conclusion, retailers should focus on both utilitarian and hedonic benefits of QR-codes and ensure that the touchpoints fit with consumers’ shopping behavior and age. Retailers must also be aware that there are differences in the preferences for what can create experiential value and purchase intention, and they should carefully consider the purpose for which QR-codes are implemented and allow this to guide them in what information and features they apply

Odnos između percipiranog rizika i namjere usvajanja e-trgovanja - pilot studija potencijalnih moderatora

E-commerce continues to develop as an important channel for consumer purchases. This explains the growing interest in determining the most important variables which affect online consumer behavior, especially perceived risk as a well-known behavioral deterrent. Previous studies have proved a negative influence of perceived risk on the intention to adopt e-commerce. However, depending on the type of product and the population investigated, results were often contradictory and this relationship was found to be stronger, weaker or even inconclusive. This led us to conclude that, besides direct influence factors, there could be moderating effects for the analyzed relationship. Moderators are qualitative or quantitative variables which modify a relationship, and affect the direction and/or strength of that relationship between an independent and a dependant variable. The purpose of our research was to investigate potential moderator variables which could change the relationship between perceived risk and the intention to buy online. We used three observable variables – gender, experience in using the Internet and experience with online shopping – and three latent, psychological variables – fear of uncertainty, trust in e-commerce and materialism. The research consisted of a survey conducted on a sample of 481 business students, followed by a Structural Equation Modeling approach. Although no moderation effect was proved, partly due to the homogeneity of the investigated pilot population, fear of uncertainty and trust in e-commerce were found to be antecedents of perceived risk in e-commerce, making perceived risk a mediator between these two variables and the intention to buy online.E-trgovanje nastavlja se razvijati kao važan kanal kupovine za potrošače. Ovo objašnjava sve veći interes za određivanje najvažnijih varijabli koje utječu na ponašanje potrošača na internetu, a posebice na percipirani rizik kao poznato bihevioralno zastrašivanje. Prethodne su studije dokazale negativan utjecaj percipiranog rizika na namjeru usvajanja e-trgovanja. No ovisno o vrsti proizvoda i istraživane populacije, rezultati su često bili kontradiktorni, a utvrđeno je da je ta povezanost jača, slabija ili nejasna. Tako dolazimo do zaključka da osim čimbenika koji imaju direktni utjecaj, vjerojatno postoje i moderatori koji utječu na analizirani odnos. Moderatori su kvalitativne i kvantitativne varijable koje modificiraju odnos i utječu na smjer i/ili jakost odnosa između nezavisne i zavisne varijable. Svrha našeg rada jest istražiti potencijalne moderatorske varijable koje bi mogle promijeniti odnos između percipiranog rizika i namjere kupovine na internetu. Promatrali smo tri varijable, tj. spol, iskustvo korištenja interneta i iskustvo kupovine putem interneta, i tri latentne, psihološke varijable: strah od neizvjesnosti, povjerenje u e-trgovanje i materijalizam. Istraživanje je provedeno anketiranjem na uzorku od 481 studenata poslovne ekonomije, nakon čega je slijedio pristup modeliranja strukturnih jednadžbi. Iako nije dokazan moderacijski efekt, djelomično zbog homogenosti istraživane pilot populacije, strah od neizvjesnosti i povjerenje u e-trgovanje otkriveni su kao prethodnici percipiranog rizika u e-poslovanju čineći percipirani rizik medijatorom između tih dviju varijabli i namjere kupovine putem interneta

CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS’ COMSUMER BEHAVIOUR: ONLINE SHOPPPING AND SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCE FOLLOWING THE COVID-19 ERA

Digital technologies and the Internet constitute an indispensable part of children and adolescents’ daily life. In this context, the influence of digital devices and Internet usage on children and adolescents has emerged as a broad research field. Particularly, the impact of social networks has surfaced as a prominent research question, focusing also on how social media and influencer marketing influence children and adolescents’ consumer behaviour. Contributing to this literature, in this paper we present the qualitative research we conducted in Greece within the scope of the European Research Project DIGYMATEX. More specifically, we discuss the findings we collected through qualitative research concerning the online consumer behaviour of children and adolescences, especially in relation to the use of the Internet for market research and online shopping, and the impact that social media and influencers exert on the consumer behaviour. The data was collected through six focus groups with the participation of 23 children and adolescents, aged 9-18. Apart from contributing to the existing literature with findings from Greece, our study highlights the need for further research on the relationship between advertising literacy and self-regulatory mechanisms, considering also the element of gender, and the potential connection between digital maturity and advertising literacy

Developing design process model and measuring acceptance of polytechnic cooperative e-retail website

Research on the process model of e-retail web design using Content Management System (CMS) remains scarce. CMS is one way of developing website quickly, with less cost and usage of IT expertise. Researchers mostly focus on identifying the significant relationship towards particular website especially on web design and suggest for practical implementation. Previous studies on web development are on the architecture of CMS while the use of CMS attracts little interest among researchers. Only a number of researchers concentrate on the process development of e-retail website especially using CMS. To fill the practical gap, this research proposed a process model of e-retail website through SDLC and extended the model with the introduction of internet marketing. It was tested in the development of a e-retail website. Each stage is discussed in details along the way of the web development. After the website was successfully developed, this research examined the acceptance of e-retail website by measuring consumers’ behavioural intention and actual usage using Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). In addressing the theoretical gap, this research provides an empirical test of three forms of self-efficacy (Computer Self-efficacy, Internet Self-efficacy, and Online Shopping Self-efficacy) and anxiety (Computer Anxiety, Internet Anxiety, and Online Shopping Anxiety) towards behavioural intention to shop online. The research subjects were 91,830 polytechnic students from 33 polytechnics in Malaysia. A total of 357 fulltime polytechnic students from five polytechnics in Malaysia have been involved in this research. From a list of students’ name, self-administered survey questionnaires were distributed at response rate of 77.8%. Correlation and Multiple Regression were used to test the significant relationship while Hierarchical Regression was used to test the moderator of gender. The research reveals that Performance Expectancy, Social Influence, Facilitating Condition and Online shopping Self-Efficacy are found to have significant effect on students Behavioural Intention to use polytechnic co-operative eretail business. E-retailer needs to encourage the potential customer to make on-line purchasing because it is no longer a norm against the use of the Internet and computer. The process model is readily transferable to another website so that it describes as sufficient for use. The future research shall apply the extended UTAUT in different subject (adult) and the process model shall extend until the Return on Investment (ROI)

Second-Order Digital Inequality: the Case of E-Commerce

“Second-order digital inequality describes that certain individuals profit less from digital opportunities not only due to limited access but also due to limited abilities to use information and communication technologies (ICT). This study extends research on second-order digital inequality to the realm of e-commerce. We introduce a novel conceptualization of effective, potentially beneficial, e-commerce use that encompasses two dimensions: (1) the diversity of e-commerce platforms used by an individual; (2) the degree to which an individual uses supporting e-commerce features. Building on technology acceptance theory and social psychology, we argue that socio-economically disadvantaged individuals are less likely to use e-commerce effectively than socio-economically advantaged individuals. We empirically test our hypotheses on clickstream data that tracks the online behavior of 2819 US e-commerce users for six month. Our findings reveal that, despite equal access, the socio-economically advantaged use e-commerce more effectively regarding both dimensions. Implications for research and practice are discussed

Model prihvaćanja tehnologije i putevi do online lojalnosti potrošača na tržištima u razvoju

The technology acceptance model (TAM) has been well-known for decades. However, the global adoption of the Internet creates new interests in utilizing TAM in e-commerce and the post-consumption intention, especially in emerging markets. Data was collected from 758 online customers via a web-based survey in Vietnam. Particular contribution of the results is that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, fairness, trust and the quality of the customer interface have direct or indirect impacts on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Moreover, in emerging markets, trust was outlined as the strongest factor contributing to customer satisfaction and leading to customer loyalty.Model prihvaćanja tehnologije (engl. technology acceptance model – TAM) dobro je poznat već desetljećima. Međutim globalno prihvaćanje interneta potiče novo zanimanje za primjenu TAM-a u e-trgovanju i postkupovnoj namjeri, posebice na tržištima u razvoju. Podaci su prikupljeni online anketiranjem 758 potrošača u Vijetnamu. Poseban doprinos rezultata jest u tome što pokazuju da percipirana korisnosti jednostavnost korištenja, poštenje, povjerenje i kvaliteta korisničkog sučelja imaju izravan ili neizravan utjecaj na zadovoljstvo i lojalnost potrošača. Nadalje, na tržištima u razvoju povjerenje je istaknuto kao najsnažniji čimbenik stvaranja zadovoljstva potrošača koje vodi lojalnosti potrošača

Consumer Intentions to Accept and Use Mobile Advertising

Mobilne naprave se vse bolj vključujejo v življenja ljudi. S tem so oglaševalci pridobili nove priložnosti za komuniciranje s svojimi strankami, podjetja pa možnosti za oglaševanje svojih produktov in storitev na personaliziran način. Mobilno oglaševanje je tako pritegnilo pozornost oglaševalcev in raziskovalcev. Kljub dejstvu, da potrošniki že dolgo za svojimi mobilnimi napravami preživijo veliko časa, pa tržniki še vedno iščejo načine, kako bi v celoti izkoristili vse prednosti tega medija. Raziskovalci so v zadnjem času izvedli več študij na področju presoje in napovedovanja odnosa potrošnikov do mobilnega oglaševanja, toda nekatere nejasnosti še vedno obstajajo. Slednje še posebej velja za Pakistan, kjer je bilo opravljenih zelo malo raziskav na področju mobilnega oglaševanja. Pričujoča disertacija zato teoretsko obravnava presojo namer potrošnikov o sprejetju in uporabi mobilnega oglaševanja in vključuje empirično študijo v Pakistanu. Tema je relativno mlada in še premalo raziskana, zato prinaša številne priložnosti za razvoj novih in razširitev obstoječih teorij. Pričujoča disertacija želi razširiti obstoječo teorijo, to je Združeno teorijo o tehnološkem sprejetju in uporabi. Za to je bil oblikovan mešan raziskovalni pristop (ang. Mixed Methods Approach), v katerem se rezultati ustvarijo s kvantitativno in kvalitativno analizo podatkov, z namenom identifikacije ključnih dejavnikov, ki lahko vplivajo na namero potrošnikov o sprejetju mobilnega oglaševanja. Cilj disertacije je premostiti vrzel v znanju na področju presoje namere potrošnikov in njihovega odnosa do uporabe mobilnega oglaševanja. Teoretski in empirični rezultati so izpostavili nekaj ključnih dejavnikov (kot na primer pričakovan trud, pričakovani učinek, zaznan užitek, zaznana nadležnost in personalizacija), ki vplivajo na namero potrošnikov o sprejetju mobilnega oglaševanja. Poleg tega so rezultati razkrili tudi odnos med potrošnikovo namero sprejetja in sprejetjem mobilnega oglaševanja.The world has witnessed a high level of mobile device penetration in people’s lives. This has not only created an opportunity for marketers to communicate with their customers but has also enabled companies to advertise their products and services in personalized way. Due to this, mobile advertising has got the attention of both marketers and researchers. However, marketers have been struggling to fully exploit the benefits of this medium, even though consumers spend a considerable amount of their time on mobile devices. Recently, researchers have conducted various studies into ways to assess and predict consumer attitudes towards mobile advertising, but there is still ambiguity in this area. This is particularly the case in Pakistan, where very little research has been conducted in the area of mobile advertising. The current thesis is targeted towards assessing consumer intentions to accept and use mobile advertising. This under-researched topic is still in its infancy and there are lots of opportunities to not only come up with new theories but also extend the existing ones. The current thesis attempts to extend the existing unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). To do this, a mixed methodological approach was adopted where both quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques were applied to the data in order to uncover crucial factors that can affect consumer intentions to accept and use mobile advertising. The goal of the current thesis is to bridge the knowledge gap by assessing consumer intentions and actual behaviour towards mobile advertising. The results highlight some of the crucial factors (such as effort expectancy, performance expectancy, perceived enjoyment, perceived irritation, and personalization) that can affect consumer intentions to accept and use mobile advertising. In addition to this, the results also highlight the relationship between consumer intentions to accept and use mobile advertising

Co-Creating Strategy and Culture in New Technology Regimes on the Internet: How New Digital Entrepreneurs affect Mature Incumbents in the Fashion Industry

One of the least understood aspects of knowledge management in organizational research and the sociology of innovation is to explain how new technology paradigms facilitate the creation and adoption of new regimes and business practice of innovation by old firms. When innovation regimes are started up by cohesive communities of collaborators, born-online and born-global, the relationship is even less understood. My research explores how some of the largest fashion-technology start-ups on the Internet create and spread new technology and practice in digital marketing and e-commerce to vertically integrated, transnational fashion industry leaders. I bridge innovation and economic sociology with international business and strategic management to explain how Ron Burt's "good ideas" are actually generated and meaningfully reapplied by emerging new entrants in the organizational practice of established incumbent fashion firms from Europe and the US. The fashion industry is an extreme case-study offering an ideal context to investigate these emergent processes, revealing the dynamic relationship between innovation and change. The research posits that executives in established organizations in this context can manage the tension between challenge and opportunity of adopting disruptive practice by learning to manage collaboratively the parts of their value chains that are most affected by the entrepreneurial creativity of new peers