An investigation into online shopping behaviour in the Canadian apparel sector : recommendations for retailer online capitalisation

Abstract

Online shopping has distinguished its presence in Canada through attractive prices, convenience, and a plethora of product choices. More so, whilst rapid advancements in technology have provided numerous benefits that thrust online shopping technology forward, they have also led to an increase in customer expectations in terms of the type of service expected from online retailers. The rise of social media alone has given new meaning to the concept of information sharing, forcing a degree of transparency now required by online retailers and expected by shoppers. Consequently, businesses operating solely on a brick-and-mortar basis may soon find themselves left behind as the market continues to demand not only an online presence, but one that meets the already high customer expectations. In an effort to assist Canadian retailers with creating or enhancing their online presence, this study looks to investigate online shopping in Canada, and particularly within the apparel sector. This was done through a number of stages. An examination of past online shopping research was first conducted in order to extract the most relevant factors that significantly influence the intention to shop online. These were then integrated with the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in order to develop a research model that can explain online shopping intention. The model was tested through a transformative paradigm through which semi-structured interviews were first conducted through a qualitative study, after which the results were used to inform a quantitative study questionnaire distributed on social media to gather views of online shopping. The data collected from the questionnaire was analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) and sought to evaluate the significance of the various relationships presented in the research model. The results indicated that all but two relationships in the model were significant. The first relationship pertained to that between information gathering and perceived usefulness, and the second relationship concerned the effect of web design as a moderating variable on the former relationship. The research model highlighted the importance of key constructs related to online shopping intention, namely, information gathering, experience, trust, enjoyment, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, web design, and attitude. A particular emphasis was placed on web design as it forms the core of any online store.