Buying Perfume in the Digital Age: A Study on E-Shoppers’ Perceptions and Typologies

IF 0.8 Q4 BUSINESS, FINANCE

Asian Journal of Business and Accounting Pub Date : 2021-06-29 DOI:10.22452/ajba.vol14no1.1

Belém Barbosa, M. Mahdavi, Z. Oliveira, Valentina Chkoniya

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引用次数: 1

Abstract

Manuscript type: Research paper Research aims: This study aims to shed light on the factors that facilitate online purchase of perfume. It specifically: 1) explores the antecedents of online purchase behaviour in the case of experience goods; 2) analyses the motivations, perceived benefits and perceived risks associated with online purchase of perfume; and 3) identifies perfume e-shoppers’ profiles. Design/Methodology/Approach: A qualitative research approach involving interviewing 27 perfume e-shoppers from Brazil, Iran and Portugal was adopted. Research findings: The findings of this study reveal that there are three types of perfume e-shoppers: 1) experienced e-shoppers, 2) bargain e-seekers, and 3) expert e-shoppers. Competitive prices, enjoyable online experiences and greater varieties of perfumes are among the perceived benefits that motivate the online shoppers. The inability to test the perfumes, particularly those that are never tried before, appears to be the major drawback. Theoretical contribution/Originality: This study provides interesting cues on a topic that has so far been disregarded by the literature despite its growing importance as a business sector—online purchase of perfumes. It offers the categorisation of three e-shopper profiles, based on consumers’ narratives, and highlighted the importance of further addressing the dynamic nature of consumer behaviours, particularly in the online context. Practitioner/Policy implications: The findings show that the main trigger of buying perfume online is the price discounts, which is particularly important to less experienced Web shoppers. This indicates that experience goods such as perfume should, at the initial stage, be sold in stores that offer an assortment of products. Online perfume stores should consider alternatives to provide perfume testing. Research limitation/Implications: Purposive sampling does not allow results’ generalisation; hence future research is needed to further validate the findings.

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数字时代的香水购买：电子购物者的认知和类型研究

手稿类型：研究论文研究目的：本研究旨在阐明促进在线购买香水的因素。具体而言：1）在体验商品的情况下，探讨了网上购买行为的前因；2）分析了网上购买香水的动机、感知利益和感知风险；以及3）识别香水电子购物者的档案。设计/方法/方法：采用了定性研究方法，采访了来自巴西、伊朗和葡萄牙的27名香水电子购物者。研究结果：这项研究的结果表明，香水电子购物者有三种类型：1）经验丰富的电子购物者，2）讨价还价的电子购物者和3）专业的电子购物者。有竞争力的价格、愉快的在线体验和更多种类的香水是激励在线购物者的明显好处。无法测试香水，尤其是那些从未尝试过的香水，似乎是主要的缺点。理论贡献/独创性：这项研究为一个迄今为止被文献忽视的话题提供了有趣的线索，尽管它作为一个商业部门的重要性越来越大——在线购买香水。它根据消费者的叙述，对三个电子购物者档案进行了分类，并强调了进一步解决消费者行为动态性质的重要性，特别是在网络环境中。从业者/政策含义：研究结果表明，在网上购买香水的主要诱因是价格折扣，这对经验不足的网购者来说尤为重要。这表明，香水等体验商品在最初阶段应该在提供各种产品的商店中销售。在线香水商店应该考虑提供香水测试的替代品。研究局限性/影响：有目的的抽样不允许结果的泛化；因此，未来的研究需要进一步验证这些发现。

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来源期刊

Asian Journal of Business and Accounting BUSINESS, FINANCE-

CiteScore

2.00

自引率

11.10%

发文量

期刊介绍： An academic journal that aims to advance knowledge in the business and accounting disciplines, to narrow the gap between theory and practice, and to set direction for policy initiatives in Asia. Welcome to the Asian Journal of Business and Accounting (AJBA). AJBA is an international refereed journal, published biannually (30th June and 30th December) by the Faculty of Business and Accountancy, University of Malaya, Malaysia. AJBA aims to publish scholarly business researches that are relevant to Malaysia and the Asian region. It intends to highlight the practical implications in promoting better business decision making process and the formulation of public policy in Asia. This journal publishes theoretical, conceptual, and empirical papers within the broad areas of business and accounting in Asia. The AJBA covers a broad spectrum of the business and accounting disciplines. A suggestive (though not necessarily comprehensive) list of areas that would be included in this journal are: general management, strategic management, human resource management, organizational behaviour, labour and industrial relations, international business management, business communication, entrepreneurship, leadership, management science, operations management, production management, supply chain management, marketing management, brand management, consumer behaviour, information management, e-marketing, e-commerce, quality management, retailing, service marketing, hospitality management, hotel and tourism management, asset pricing, capital and money markets, corporate finance, derivatives markets, finance and banking, financial economics, etc.