NAVIGATING DIGITAL MARKETING: EXAMINING SELF-ESCAPISM ATTITUDES AND ONLINE BUYING INTENTIONS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

Online shopping is a widely acknowledged phenomenon in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), with platforms like Noon and Amazon.sa serving as prominent destinations for millions of users. Driven by both utilitarian and hedonic motives, users in KSA actively engage in online shopping activities. While existing literature highlights the significance of self-escapism as a fundamental hedonic motivation, users' attitude towards online buying and purchasing behavior remain understudied. This study explores dimensions of users' self-escapism which includes self-suppression and self-expansion motivation in the context of online shopping in KSA and its direct and mediated effects on their attitude and buying behavior. The research is based on the collection of data from 219 users of noon.com and amazon.sa in KSA through an online survey. The findings of this study reveal that users' self-escapism motivation in online shopping engagement is a two-dimensional construct, encompassing self-suppression and self-expansion factors. This motivation directly influences customers' engagement with online shopping. The study identifies mediating roles of attitude toward online shopping intention during users' online buying experiences. This research provides valuable insights into the motivations of users who turn to online shopping as a means of self-regulation in the KSA context. Sellers can leverage these perceptions to create online shopping environments that cater to the self-escapism needs of users, thereby influencing and encouraging them to make online purchases.  Article visualizations: