Drivers and Barriers to Online Shopping: The Interaction of Product, Consumer, and Retailer Factors

Through a review of the literature, this chapter focuses on three key influences on purchase behavior on the Internet: product, consumer, and retailer factors. Product characteristics and branding not only influence many consumer-related factors (e.g. the need to handle the product and risk perceptions), but also affect retailers’ strategic and tactical online decisions (e.g. the balance between offline and online retail provision and the breadth and depth of products and brands selection). This chapter also examines how consumer-related factors (e.g. consumers’ expertise, attitudes toward the Internet, and shopping orientation) affect online purchasing and the implications for e-retailers. Finally, the chapter discusses how e-retailers marketing efforts (retailer factors) can be used to overcome the barriers to web purchasing resulting from specific product and consumer related characteristics. Clear and easy to implement recommendations to managers are offered.