Consumer Communications, Media Use and Purchase via the Internet: A Comparative, Exploratory Study

The Internet provides a fast, efficient and cost-effective alternative for communication, transaction, and distribution. In this study, consumers’ Web-based chatting behavior across three countries (i.e., the U.S., Canada, China) is explored, using an Internet survey of Web-based chatters. Results indicate that chatters’ Internet use does not affect their use of traditional mass media in any significant manner. No difference is found in the frequency of information seeking and chatters’ attitude towards online advertising across the three countries. Internet purchase patterns are contrasted in the three countries, and results suggest that consumers in the U.S. have the highest purchase incidence among the three countries under study. Canadian consumers make significantly fewer purchases than their counterparts in each product category