FACTORS AFFECTING THE FREQUENCY OF ONLINE SHOPPING OF YOUNG CONSUMERS IN THE POST-COVID-19 ERA

Abstract

Background: Understanding of drivers of online shopping is crucial in today’s digitized world. The COVID-19 pandemic highly influenced young consumers shopping behavior and rapidly raised their preference for online shopping. Aims: The aim of this paper was to investigate which factors affect the frequency of young consumers’ online shopping in the post-pandemic era. Methods: The data were evaluated by application of the Generalized linear model. Sample: The primary data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire with 635 respondents. Results: The results showed that the perceived e-trust and the usage of social media (expressed through factors such as frequency of use and promotion on social media) influence the frequency of online shopping of these consumers. The research also revealed that males tend to shop online more than females. Conclusions: Social media usage, e-trust and promotion on social media proved as significant factors affecting the frequency of online shopping of young consumers. The factor of gender showed up significant too. Implications: It is important to differentiate the contents of the messages on social media based on gender and the customer segments to whom the communication and promotions on social media are addressed.