Assessment of the knowledge, attitude and response to online shopping among university students. A case study of Makerere University College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS)

Abstract

Background: Online sales and purchases/ E-commerce is growing at unprecedented. However, general knowledge, attitudes and response to online shopping are poorly understood. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and response to online shopping among university students. Method: The research methodology of the study was a descriptive cross-sectional research design that was carried out between June to August 2023. The online questionnaire link was sent to student’s WhatsApp groups. The sample size was 100 students and it was got through using the Cochran’s formula since the population of the students in Makerere University is unknown. The researcher used questionnaires that were designed using kobo collect to collect data, and the data was analyzed using STATA data package. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the response to online shopping in Makerere University. Result: This study found out that 57% of the respondents were females and many respondents were of age between 22 - 25 (53%). Slightly, a higher number of the respondents were from the Northern region of Uganda (33%) with majority studying at the school of Business (39%). The study also found out that majority of the respondents reside from the Hostel (43%). Generally, 69% of the respondents had high knowledge about online shopping, this included those with very high and high knowledge, 50% rated excellent shopping experience on the different online retail platforms and majority of the respondents (76%) knew about the problems associated with online shopping. Almost all of the respondents (80%) knew about the different online retail platforms in Uganda about 75% of the respondents strongly agree and agree that online shopping on known website is as secure as traditional shopping. Eighty-three (83%) of the respondents had positive attitude towards online shopping, with about 73% of the respondents strongly agreed and agreed that online shopping allowed them do shopping more faster than physical shopping. About 72% strongly agreed and agreed based on the ranging (level) that they get satisfied with the services offered by online retailers. Most of the respondents participate in online shopping monthly. The study found out that more male students had high knowledge about online shopping than female students. Similarly, more male students had positive response attitude to online shopping than female students. Conclusion: The study population was knowledgeable about online shopping (69%), had a positive attitude towards online shopping (83%) and about 56% responded to online shopping. Recommendation: Conduct Further Research: Continual research is needed to explore evolving trends and challenges in online shopping. Future studies should focus on investigating the impact of specific interventions, exploring the experiences of online shoppers and identifying effective strategies for promoting engagement and success in online shopping.