A comparison of consumers’ orientation towards electronic shopping in the US and Italy

In this paper we address the issue of e-commerce, considering both barriers and catalizators in the use of the Internet as a distribution channel. Basing on official figures as well as on a dataset collected specifically for our purposes, we look at today’s orientations towards shopping Online, investigating if they are influenced by habituation, and whether experience impacts the perception of risks and advantages associated with e-commerce. These analyses allow us to formulate some insight in the possible evolution of how consumers approach Online shopping as the Internet becomes more widespread and common.