Demographic Variables and Its Impact on the Factors Affecting Women Consumers Online Purchase Intention in India: An Empirical Study

According to an Assocham-Pricewaterhouse Coopers study, India's e-commerce industry in 2015 was $17 billion and is expected to clock a compounded annual growth rate of 35% and pass the $100 billion score over the next 5 years. With the rising significance of the e-commerce industry in India, it is essential for the online retailers and Internet marketers to understand the factors affecting the online customers ’purchase intention and explore the effects of user demographic characteristics to decode what is vital for the Indian female online consumers. This paper is an effort to ascertain the determinants of online purchase intention in the Indian context.

Factors were identified that affected the women consumers ’online purchase intention like product, risk, convenience, trust, social influence, satisfaction, price, customer services, promotions and enjoyment based on a detailed literature review along with the identification of demographic variables like age, education and income. The results are based on 909 valid responses received from female respondents through online survey.

The study established that ‘one size fits all ’business proposition has lost its importance in online shopping industry in India. Female consumers ’purchase intention is not only depended on factors like product, risk, convenience, trust, social influence, satisfaction, price, customer services, promotions and enjoyment but they are equally affected by the demographic factors. Promotions have no effect on older age group female customers but have a positive effect on younger adults. Women consumers at the higher income level are influenced by online trust, whereas the lower income group consumers are not affected by it. Women consumers in lower education levels are influenced significantly by price factor but consumers belonging to higher education levels are influenced by customer services and convenience. Social influence has a negative impact on the women consumers ’purchase intention.

The study has implications for online retailers, Internet marketers and online consumers in India. Online retailers and marketers need to focus on the different categories of Indian female online shoppers especially based on age, education and income. Promotional campaigns and strategies should now be directed at a micro level rather than only focusing on the factors affecting online shopping.

In the Indian context, this is the first time that online purchase intention for women consumers is evaluated with 10 factors and 3 demographic components.