Malaysian’s Online Purchase Intention on Health Supplements Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This study explores factors affecting the online purchase intention towards health supplements in Malaysia amidst the COVID-19 pandemic by examining the impact of health consciousness, perceived value, new normal, and social influence on online purchase intention. The survey was created in Google forms and distributed via purposive sampling through social media platforms. Target respondents are generations Y and Z consumers with experience purchasing health supplements online. Data collection was carried out in December 2020, and 200 valid respondents gave feedback to the survey. Based on data analysed using Smart-PLS, health awareness, perceived value, new normal and social influence positively affect online purchase intention and account for 60.5% of its variation. New normal is the most significant predictor, followed by perceived value, health consciousness, and social influence based on the effect size and standard beta value. There are scarce past studies that combine online purchase intentions and health supplements. Furthermore, consumers' behaviour and perception toward certain products will likely change during a crisis. Concerning this ground, this study appears to be the first to explore how the current pandemic has impacted and shaped consumers' willingness to purchase health supplements online in the Malaysian context. It explicitly considers new normal as one of the predictors on top of health consciousness, perceived value, and social influence.