According to Nua Internet Surveys 201 million people are using the Internet worldwide. The Internet has evolved from a communications tool for a select group of scientists to a commercial juggernaut that is predicted to change the way people buy and sell things across a number of industries.
This research focuses on consumer behavior in this new medium. The Consumer Decision Process can be categorized into five sub-processes including: (a) Motivation and Need Recognition, (b) Information Search, (c) Alternatives Evaluation, (d) Purchase Decision and Purchase, and (e) Purchase Outcomes. This research considers nine Internet behaviors across these five consumer behavior processes.
The behaviors studied include clicking on banner ads, reading e-mail advertisements, searching for product information in online stores and using search engines, using comparison engines and online reviews to evaluate alternatives, purchase products, and access online customer support via e-mail and web sites. Internet user attitudes and intention to use the Internet for each of the behaviors were studied within the theoretical constructs of the Theory of Reasoned Action. It was found that the attitudinal component of the Theory of Reasoned Action was consistently predictive of users\u27 intention to participate in all nine of the consumer behaviors during the 2000 holiday shopping season
