Determinants of Attitude Formation in the Context of Online Retail Shopping in India

Palpable advantages for marketers to sell online include the ability to reach a large number of consumers worldwide; to reach out to the younger lot of population; and to fight the constraints of sale through traditional means of physical presence in stores. These unhindered reach ultimately increases productivity and efficiency of the marketers.


Advantages for customers to buy online include easy and wide access of products, services, information; overall convenience; and direct effects of functional and utilitarian benefits. However, some customers prefer to shop and browse on the internet due to the fun, enjoyment and excitement involved, that is satisfying their emotional and hedonic pleasures, either as individuals or as social groups. So, a consumer’s motivation to shop online may be either due to an utilitarian motive as a ‘problem solver’ or a hedonic motive in terms of ‘fun, fantasy and enjoyment'.

The modern Indian consumer is technologically aware, often educated and comfortable. His attempts to shop online are due to an advancing technology as well as consumer characteristics in terms of demographic, psychograhic, as well as situational influences. The attitudes toward online shopping is thus affected by the web experience of usefulness and enjoyment; consumer demographic and personality traits; situational factors and previous online shopping experiences.