Determinants of purchasing online courses through education platform in China

Online courses have become the main source of income for online education platforms. It is of great value to explore the factors affecting users’ intention to buy online courses. Based on the technology acceptance model, perceived value theory and perceived risk theory, this study constructs the structural equation model of the purchase intention of online courses by taking users on online education platforms as the research object, and resorts PLS-SEM for analysis. This research explores factors that impact the intention to buy online courses and levels of these impact. The research questionnaire of this study was developed through literature review, and 669 valid questionnaires were collected. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS V24.0 and SmartPLS 3.2.8. Before the multi-group analysis, it is found that perceived value, time and space autonomy, course free trail exert positive impact on purchase intention, while perceived risk has negative impact on it. Perceived cost does not significantly affect purchase intention. Time and space autonomy, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use are positively affecting perceived value, while perceived cost and perceived risk negatively affect perceived value. Course free trail does not significantly affect perceived value. Perceived value completely mediates perceived cost, and partially mediates the impact of time and space autonomy and perceived risk on purchase intention. Word-of-mouth positively moderates the impact of perceived value on purchase intention. Age has negative impact on purchase intention, while education positively affects purchase intention. Perceived profit (perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, time and space autonomy) significantly and positively affects perceived value, and perceived loss (perceived cost, perceived risk) significantly and negatively affects perceived value. Perceived value mediates the impact of perceived gain and perceived loss on the users’ purchase intention. PLS multi-group analysis is conducted according to the users’ experience in buying a course. Users with different purchasing experience have different significance in terms of Online courses have become the main source of income for online education platforms. It is of great value to explore the factors affecting users’ intention to buy online courses. Based on the technology acceptance model, perceived value theory and perceived risk theory, this study constructs the structural equation model of the purchase intention of online courses by taking users on online education platforms as the research object, and resorts PLS-SEM for analysis. This research explores factors that impact the intention to buy online courses and levels of these impact. The research questionnaire of this study was developed through literature review, and 669 valid questionnaires were collected. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS V24.0 and SmartPLS 3.2.8. Before the multi-group analysis, it is found that perceived value, time and space autonomy, course free trail exert positive impact on purchase intention, while perceived risk has negative impact on it. Perceived cost does not significantly affect purchase intention. Time and space autonomy, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use are positively affecting perceived value, while perceived cost and perceived risk negatively affect perceived value. Course free trail does not significantly affect perceived value. Perceived value completely mediates perceived cost, and partially mediates the impact of time and space autonomy and perceived risk on purchase intention. Word-of-mouth positively moderates the impact of perceived value on purchase intention. Age has negative impact on purchase intention, while education positively affects purchase intention. Perceived profit (perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, time and space autonomy) significantly and positively affects perceived value, and perceived loss (perceived cost, perceived risk) significantly and negatively affects perceived value. Perceived value mediates the impact of perceived gain and perceived loss on the users’ purchase intention. PLS multi-group analysis is conducted according to the users’ experience in buying a course. Users with different purchasing experience have different significance in terms of course free trail, perceived risk, perceived ease of use, time and space autonomy, and education. Based on the data analysis, this study also discussed the corresponding recommendations, such as guaranteeing course quality, providing word-of-mouth, grouping users according to their purchasing experience, using artificial intelligence to recommend online courses for users; optimizing functions of time and space autonomy, improving user experience with 5G, virtual reality, and augmented reality; reducing course price with cloud services and big data technologies, and providing more course free trial in an attempt to reduce users’ perceived risk.Os cursos à distância tornaram-se a principal fonte de rendimento para as plataformas de educação online. O estudo dos fatores que afetam a intenção dos utilizadores de compra de cursos online tem uma grande valia. Com base no modelo de aceitação de tecnologia, na teoria do valor percebido e na teoria do risco percebido, este estudo constrói o modelo de equações estruturais da intenção de compra de curso online ao considerar os utilizadores de plataformas de educação online como objeto de investigação, com base na metodologia PLS-SEM (mínimos quadrados parciais – modelação com equações estruturais). Esta pesquisa explora fatores que influenciam a intenção de compra de cursos e os seus níveis de impacto. O questionário de investigação deste estudo foi desenvolvido através da revisão da literatura e foram recolhidos 669 questionários válidos. A análise de dados foi realizada utilizando o IBM SPSS V24.0 e o SmartPLS 3.2.8. Antes da análise multi grupos, verificou-se que as variáveis valor percebido, autonomia de espaço e tempo e teste gratuito de curso exercem um impacto positivo na intenção de compra, enquanto o risco percebido tem um impacto negativo sobre o mesmo. O custo percebido não afeta significativamente a intenção de compra. Autonomia de espaço e tempo, utilidade percebida e perceção de facilidade de utilização afetando positivamente o valor percebido, enquanto custo percebido e risco percebido afetam negativamente o valor percebido. O teste gratuito do curso não afeta negativamente o valor percebido. O valor percebido é um mediador integral do custo percebido, e mediador parcial do impacto da autonomia de espaço e tempo, risco percebido na intenção de compra. Palavra-de-boca (word of mouth) modera positivamente o impacto do valor percebido na intenção de compra. A idade tem um impacto negativo na intenção de compra, enquanto a educação afeta-a positivamente. O lucro percebido (facilidade percebida de utilização, utilidade percebida, autonomia de espaço e tempo) afeta significativa e positivamente o valor percebido, e a perda percebida (custo percebido, risco percebido) afeta significativa e negativamente o valor percebido. O valor percebido é mediador do impacto do lucro percebido e da perda percebida na intenção de compra dos utilizadores. A análise de vários grupos da análise PLS foi realizada de acordo com a experiência dos utilizadores na compra de um curso. Os utilizadores com diferentes experiências de compra têm uma significância diferente em termos de experimentação gratuita dos cursos, risco percebido, facilidade percebida de utilização, autonomia de espaço e tempo e educação. Com base na análise de dados, este estudo também analisou as recomendações correspondentes, como garantir a qualidade do curso, fornecer informações de word of mouth, agrupar os utilizadores de acordo com a sua experiência de compra, utilizando a inteligência artificial para recomendar cursos online para os utilizadores; otimizar funções da autonomia de espaço e tempo, melhorar a experiência do utilizador com 5G, realidade virtual e realidade aumentada; reduzir o preço do curso com serviços na nuvem e tecnologias de grandes bases de dados, e fornecer mais cursos experimentais gratuitos para tentar reduzir o risco percebido dos utilizadores

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