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  2. Vol 3 Issue 1, 2021
  3. THE EFFECT OF E-COMMERCE ON CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR: EVIDENCE FROM TERTIARY STUDENTS IN THE SUNYANI MUNICIPALITY
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ESSOH PAMELA NGAHN

THE EFFECT OF E-COMMERCE ON CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR: EVIDENCE FROM TERTIARY STUDENTS IN THE SUNYANI MUNICIPALITY

The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of e-commerce on the consumer buying behavior of residents in Sunyani in the Bono region of Ghana. The objectives of the study include, to identify the key factors or tools of e-commerce that influence the buying behavior of customers in Sunyani, to explain how e-commerce can influence the consumer’s purchase behavior, to identify the advantages of e-commerce, and to identify the challenges of e-commerce in Sunyani-Ghana. A survey research design was adopted for the study and a random sampling technique was used to select one hundred and seventy-one (171) students from the Catholic University College of Ghana, Fiapre (CUCG) and the University of Energy and Natural Resource (UENR) to provide answers to the questions the research aimed to answer. Questionnaire was therefore administered to the students from CUCG and UENR. Data collected from the field were processed and collated for easy comprehension. Results from the study were analyzed using SPSS version 24. The study revealed a positive and weak relationship between e-commerce and consumer buying behavior. It also identified some factors of e-commerce that influence consumer buying such as price of the product, shipping, product details, easy to use navigation, position in search engine, and so on. The study also pinpoints the challenges customer face such as fear of revealing their payment details due to security issues and overcharging, and the dislike for shipping fee. Due to these challenges, e-retailers were recommended to create robust systems that will provide security to customer’s details and curb the issue of being overcharged.