From searching on the internet to buying online: A simple linear regression model

Before making an actual purchase, a significant share of the European population search for information about the goods and services on the Internet. Online searching for information cannot guarantee an online purchase since consumers can switch channels with little cost. However, countries that report a high percentage of the population searching online for information about goods and services also report a high e-commerce adoption rate. This article tests and validates a direct linear relationship between the adoption of the Internet as a search tool for products and goods and the adoption of e-commerce among the population. The Least Square Method was employed to a sample of data from 26 European countries.