Factors influencing the adoption of online shopping among University students

Abstract

The general objective of this study was to determine the factors influencing the adoption of online shopping among university students. The study used a descriptive research design and the study population included 7005 undergraduate students at the United States International University-Africa. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select a total of 400 students who participated in the study. The study used questionnaires to collect data. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. The data analysis included descriptive and inferential statistics, and findings were presented in graphs and tables. Findings revealed that the sex of a student, security, perceived ease of use, and perceived risk were the four significant factors that influence the adoption of online shopping among Makerere University students. By determining what is important to students when adopting online shopping, this current study will help to add to the literature available for marketers in the area of adoption of online shopping, and It is expected that the results of this study will help managers to explore the reasons why customers accept online shopping reluctantly and investigate whether customer awareness can ease online shopping acceptance. The study recommended that online retailer should organize their online transaction in a way that minimizes exposing the clients to a lot of risks. The online store should minimize as much as possible the request for personal information that threatens to expose the client’s private life. Online retailers should build a good trust relationship with their customers by ensuring that transactions remain confidential. Online retailers should not force clients to share their personal information, especially their financial information such as credit card numbers and other personal data. This study also recommends that online retailers should include several benefits in their sales services including home delivery, time-saving more product information that would make consumers abandon the physical shopping they are used to. The online retailers should also present benefits to online shoppers in terms of tangible benefits like discounts and/or gifts. They should also introduce rewards points that would benefit the loyal customer.