The influence of online shopping applications on impulsive buying behaviour

Abstract

The online marvel has essentially evolved over the previous decade and is presently viewed as one of the most significant distribution channels worldwide. The move from traditional shopping to web-based purchasing lured the interests of retailers in reading the conduct of shoppers attempting to procure goods through the Internet. This paper aimed to investigate and broaden the comprehension about customer behaviour and its interrelationship to online based shopping applications and the effect of impulse and irrational purchases on client conduct. The main objective of this research project is to analyse students’ online buying behaviour during their shopping experience on the mobile application and how it may further affect the customer to purchase items on impulse. Firstly, the main themes of this research project are highlighted by a critical review of extensive literature. The research objective of this study was further approached by splitting it into two research questions which were in turn, addressed through qualitative research methods complemented through ten structured interviews. These individual interviews were conducted with students attending the University of Malta, currently enrolled in a course offered by the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy (FEMA). These students, comprising of five males and five females respectively, were all between the age of 18 and 29. From a thematic analysis of the interview transcripts, the researcher emerged six main themes being: Financial Situation, Negative Connotations of Traditional Retail and Online Shopping, Individuality, Convenience, Connectivity and Irrational Purchasing. The main findings suggest that customers have their online shopping experience shaped by various factors, both positive and negative, which may lay grounds for how the customer heuristically behaves during the purchase encounter. The research study closes off with a thorough discussion of the benefits and limitations of this study, as well as the recommendations for future research.