An Analysis of the Impact of Internet on Consumer Buying Behaviour Dissertation

An Analysis of the Impact of Internet on Consumer Buying Behaviour - Dissertation Example The consumer buying process is a complex process and one of the important areas of investigation for researchers. A number of studies have been conducted to study the consumer buying behaviour. The increasing complexity of consumer buying behaviour is also brought by the online shopping. All theoretical models describing the behaviour of traditional consumers have gone outdated. Marketers have become more interested in studying the behaviour of consumers under the influence of internet. The 4Ps of marketing mix are the major controllable tools to affect the buying behaviour of consumers whereas the elements experienced by the consumer during virtual interaction are the controllable factors in the case of web consumers thereby, indicating that traditional and online marketers use different tools to influence the buying behaviour of consumers. Although a significant work has been done to study the factors which influence the consumer buying behaviour however, most of these studies give more focus on the factors that influence the behaviour rather than studying the impact of the factors on buying behaviour. The product information, the time they spent on internet and the number of daily emails, are the top factors influencing the consumer buying behaviour on the internet.... The product information, the time they spent on internet and the number of daily emails, are the top factors influencing the consumer buying behaviour on the internet (Bellman, Lohse & Johnson, 1999). On the other hand, some studies have ended up with the findings that web consumers and traditional consumers are becoming similar in their buying behaviour. The web consumers are becoming more like the traditional consumers, at least in the United States therefore, companies should create web designs for an audience that is less educated, less web know-how, less technology know-how and earning less (Lohse & Johnson, 1999). A few studies have identified some important factors that can be evaluated to study the impact of internet on consumer buying behaviour. The black box model of Kotler in consumer buying behaviour describes that the external factors including the marketing mix and demographics, economic, situational, social and lifestyle factors and buyer’s mind such as his beli efs, values and decision making process are the determinants of purchase decision (Kotler & Armstrong, 2010, pp. 161). Actually Kotler has provided two set of factors including the external factors and the internal factors which may influence the buyer behaviour. This model gives an idea that knowing the characteristics of vendors and buyers are important to study the consumer purchase decision for example, product information and pricing are the controllable factors of vendors and personal nature of buyer like his/her beliefs, social nature etc are the controllable factors of buyers. The perceived dependability of the online vendors and less uncertainty involved in online buying increase the likelihood of online purchase (Teo & Yu, 2005). The level of trust and