Predicting Consumers' Acceptance of Online Shopping on the Internet: An Empirical Study

Online shopping environment is a relatively novel perception and has changed the way people communicate and do the business. The rising internet penetration facilitated a shift from conventional marketing to interactive marketing. Online shopping is one such marketing service which is available to the consumers uninterrupted at anytime from anywhere through internet. The online consumers have more control and bargaining power than consumers of conventional stores because the internet offers more interaction between customers and retailers as well as greater availability of information about products and services. In a virtual environment where the website is just a mouse click away, it becomes extensively difficult to understand the consumers' behaviour and take effective measures to make them purchase online. The study focuses on identifying the key dimensions of the perceived advantages and risks that influence on consumers' online purchase behaviour. The findings afford the online retailers in designing well-organized and risk reducing strategies for online consumers.