DRIVERS OF ONLINE SHOPPING IN NORTH CENTRAL AREA OF NIGERIA

Abstract

This research is an attempt to explore the drivers of online Ssopping in North-central area of  Nigeria. Over the past few decades, the Internet has developed into a vast global market place for the exchange of goods and services. This is such that the Internet has been adopted as an important medium, offering a wide assortment of products within 24-hour availability and wide area coverage. E-commerce has become an irreplaceable marketing channel in business transactions. This however depends on availability of Internet infrastructure and Internet penetration. There is very limited knowledge however, about online consumer behaviour because it is a complicated socio-technical phenomenon and involves too many factors. Hence the main objective of this study is to explore those factors that inhibit, and facilitate, online shopping in North Central area of  Nigeria. This objective has been followed by using a model examining the impact of perceived risks, infrastructural variables and return policy on attitude toward online shopping behaviour as inhibitor variables; and subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, domain specific innovativeness and attitude to online shopping behaviour as the hypothetical postulations of  the study. The population of the study is infinite and the study was based on a statistically determined sample size of 900 respondents of which 630 (70 %) responded and returned usable questionnaire. The primary data collected and analysed with structural equations modelling (SEM) with the aid of SmartPLS 3.2.7 software and the findings show that perceived risk factors  such as risk of losing money; product risk; friendly website; non-delivery of product; shipping laws; and convenient product return policy significantly affect customers attitude toward online shopping behaviour; while stage in innovation adoption; online shopping experience and attitude significantly and positively affect customers online shopping behaviour of online shoppers in North Central area of Nigeria. High perception of risk can inhibit, while low perception of risk drives, online shopping among others. Recommendations were also made for further research on longitudinal bases to continue to track changes in attitude toward online shopping Nigeria.