How Customer Privacy Concerns Affect the Environment of Online Shopping - A Study on Finland
Akter, Silve (2020)
Akter, Silve
Åbo Akademi
2020
Julkaisu on tekijänoikeussäännösten alainen. Teosta voi lukea ja tulostaa henkilökohtaista käyttöä varten. Käyttö kaupallisiin tarkoituksiin on kielletty.
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2020090969097
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2020090969097
Tiivistelmä
The purpose of this research is to establish the influence of Finnish customers’ privacy concerns on their online purchase intentions and behaviour. It seeks to establish how Finland-based online retailers’ customer interaction management, exposure management, and information management affect customers’ online purchase intentions and behaviour. This is on the back of an increase in the importance of online retailing as a strategy for businesses. Drawing from Perceived Risk Theory, Theory of Reasoned Action and Theory of Planned Behaviour, the study’s conceptual framework presents the relationship between customer sense of privacy and online shopping intention and behaviour as associated with online shoppers’ privacy concerns relating to Interaction Management, Information Management and Exposure. Customers were expected to participate in online shopping when they feel that their privacy is being respected and the possibility of negative consequences is low. Using a questionnaire with a combination of closed questions requiring Likert scale-based responses and open questions, a cross-sectional survey was administered over the internet. Data was collected from a convenience sample of 60 online shoppers. Correlation analysis was conducted to determine strength of association between demographic factors and online behaviour; and between aspects of online intentions and behaviour, and perceptions of risks associated with interaction management, exposure management, and information management.
The findings showed no statistically significant association between demographic factors and online shopping intentions and behaviour. While security issues featured under interaction management and exposure management, they do not feature among the top three factors identified by respondents as influencing their intention not to buy or their decision to buy online. The findings suggest that although respondents may be aware of risks associated with online shopping, these do not influence their buying intentions and decisions. The study established that security and privacy factors do not have significant influence on the behaviour of Finland online shoppers. The findings are not a major departure from what has been reported by other studies. They however highlight areas whose improvement would reduce concerns of online shoppers. Recommendations are made on how Finland’s online shopping service providers could improve customer experience of interaction, exposure, and information management to decrease their perceptions of risk exposure and positively influence their online shopping behaviour. The study’s findings will therefore contribute towards guiding Finland’s online shopping providers on implementing privacy sensitive online marketing strategies. The study has limitations relating to the period of data collection, its sample size and its predominantly quantitative nature. It is recommended that these limitations be addressed by future studies through conducting longitudinal surveys and collect data from bigger samples to validate what was observed in this exploratory investigation.
The findings showed no statistically significant association between demographic factors and online shopping intentions and behaviour. While security issues featured under interaction management and exposure management, they do not feature among the top three factors identified by respondents as influencing their intention not to buy or their decision to buy online. The findings suggest that although respondents may be aware of risks associated with online shopping, these do not influence their buying intentions and decisions. The study established that security and privacy factors do not have significant influence on the behaviour of Finland online shoppers. The findings are not a major departure from what has been reported by other studies. They however highlight areas whose improvement would reduce concerns of online shoppers. Recommendations are made on how Finland’s online shopping service providers could improve customer experience of interaction, exposure, and information management to decrease their perceptions of risk exposure and positively influence their online shopping behaviour. The study’s findings will therefore contribute towards guiding Finland’s online shopping providers on implementing privacy sensitive online marketing strategies. The study has limitations relating to the period of data collection, its sample size and its predominantly quantitative nature. It is recommended that these limitations be addressed by future studies through conducting longitudinal surveys and collect data from bigger samples to validate what was observed in this exploratory investigation.
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