A conceptual framework for factors affecting online shopping behaviour of generation Z and millennials

The previous articles on Hawkins Stern’s theory, Maslow’s theory and Kim, Ferrin and Rao’s (2008) model of online decision-making shed light on critical factors that affect the buying behaviour of consumers towards online shopping. Moreover, the marketing strategies of e-commerce companies also play a role in influencing online shopping behaviour.

Finally, another important factor affecting the online shopping behaviour of consumers is their demographic characteristics, social media usage, and shopping experience. The age of the consumer specifically determines their buying decisions since millennials and Gen Z perceive the experience differently. These factors should be considered factors while making online marketing decisions.

Designing a conceptual framework

To summarise the findings in the study of factors affecting the online shopping behaviour of millennials and gen z, the conceptual framework is presented below.

There are four broad categories that affect the online shopping behaviour of a consumer

1. Personal characteristics include factors pertaining to the personality, behaviour and attitudes of an individual. These are lifestyle patterns, needs, social media usage, societal norms, and cultural and sub-cultural influences.
2. Product characteristics include factors pertaining to the design and its business offerings such as after-sales service, customer support, risk, delivery, and payment options.
3. Product characteristics include factors distinguishing the product from competitors, such as quality, personality, availability, information availability, and cost.
4. Demographic characteristics include the demographic details of the customers such as age, gender, income and marital status.

Research questions for determining the factors affecting the online shopping behaviour of consumers

The important research questions are as follows.

1. Does age affect the online shopping behaviour of consumers?
2. Do the personal characteristics of millennials and gen Z consumers affect online shopping behaviour?
3. Do website characteristics of millennials and gen Z consumers affect their online shopping behaviour?
4. Do product characteristics of millennials and gen Z consumers affect their online shopping behaviour?
5. Do demographic characteristics of millennials and gen Z consumers affect their online shopping behaviour?

Hypotheses for studying the factors affecting the online shopping behaviour of consumers

Based on the above research questions, the following hypotheses are proposed:

• Ho1: Personal characteristics do not have an impact on the online shopping behaviour of millennial consumers.
• Ho2: Product characteristics do not have an impact on the online shopping behaviour of millennial consumers.
• Ho3: Website characteristics do not have an impact on the online shopping behaviour of millennial consumers.
• Ho4: Personal characteristics do not have an impact on the online shopping behaviour of gen Z consumers.
• Ho5: Product characteristics do not have an impact on the online shopping behaviour of gen Z consumers.
• Ho6: Website characteristics do not have an impact on the online shopping behaviour of gen Z consumers.

Thus, based on the hypothesis, the research methodology of the study will be framed.