Assessing Customer's Attitudes/Expectations Toward Online Grocery Businesses

Abstract

Customer attitudes toward online purchasing behavior have relied on various factors, such as product category, price, and brand name awareness of the store. Customer attitudes toward online shopping are also greatly affected by the inherent limitation of virtual shopping: quality is not easily judged on the Web, particularly for products which the Web cannot deliver sensory experiences. The purpose of this study is to examine customer attitudes toward an online store that sells “look-and-feel” products with various qualities[1] that appear to grow and receive increased attention. In particular, the author investigated i) the factors affecting customer attitudes toward the online grocery store; ii) how those factors affected the perceived ease of use (EOU) and usefulness (U); and iii) the effects of the perceived ease of use (EOU) and usefulness (U) on overall expected customer satisfaction toward the online grocery store. Surveys were conducted and the major findings suggest that customers’ purchase decisions in the electronic marketplace are affected by how online stores apply strategies to maximize customer satisfaction. Furthermore, this study provides managerial implications and offers suggestions for e-businesses.