How to shop online: The construct and measurement of consumer competency in online shopping

Lower levels of consumer competency are a major obstacle preventing consumers from benefitting from online shopping. However, the literature provides little information on consumers’ competency in online shopping. Based on the consumption decision-making process model, in Study 1, 12 college students with rich experience in online shopping were interviewed. A three-step coding process was conducted, and the results illustrated the key competencies of online shopping, i.e., product identification, self-control, support for decision-making, and consumer protection. Based on the results of Study 1 and the knowledge-attitude-skill model, Study 2 developed three subscales to evaluate college students’ knowledge, attitude, and skill regarding online shopping in standardized and systematic ways. The validity of the instrument was examined in a sample of 648 college students. Study 3 further examined and demonstrated the quality of the three subscales in a new sample of 494 residents. Moreover, a latent profile analysis (LPA) divided the participants into three groups based on their consumer competency: low-, median-, and high-competence consumers. The findings contribute to the literature on consumer competency and online shopping and have different implications for consumers, the government, and corporations.