The Influence of Shopping Applications on Consumer Buying Behaviours: A comparative Study of Selected Cities in Gujarat and Kigali-Rwanda

Abstract

Generally, consumer buying behaviours are influenced and shaped by different factors but to no surprise, shopping applications are also one of the key factors, mainly due to the rapid growth of E-commerce in the recent digital era. In India, shopping through shopping applications has become a popular way of buying different products from different suppliers in the country, but also an incredible opportunity for marketers to sell different products to potential customers scattered across the country. With the effective and efficient use of shopping applications, consumers easily identify the products that are more likely to satisfy their respective needs, wants and desires and proceed through different stages of the consumer buying process that lead to the purchasing of concerned products. In fact, after identifying the needs and wants to satisfy, consumers proceed forward with gathering useful information about the products to buy, and evaluate alternatives based on brand names, qualities, models, prices, sizes, offered discounts and promotions, payment modes, delivery options, etc. This is a crucial step since after evaluating different substitute products and alternatives; the consumer selects which products to buy based on his own perceptions, the available monetary resources, and other factors that shape his decision making. At the appropriate moment, the consumers move to the actual purchasing process, and then get the chance of using the bought products while going through the post purchasing experience. Since consumers go through different stages of the consumer buying process using shopping applications, the findings from this research confirmed that in fact, shopping applications have a significant influence on the consumer buying behaviours in selected cities of Gujarat. Based on the Technological Acceptance Model (TAM), UTAUT model, and other models about technology acceptance and use, different variables concerning shopping applications in particular were developed and used to test the possibility of influence that they might have on consumer buying behaviours. Variables like perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Enjoyment, Personal Innovativeness, Consumer Satisfaction, Social Influence, Facilitative Conditions, Consumer Habits, Behavioural Intention and perceived Risks were used while asserting the possibility of influence of shopping applications on the consumer buying behaviours. On the other hand, shopping applications are not efficiently used in Kigali-Rwanda, to the extent that the majority of consumers have never used any shopping application ever. Rwanda faced a terrible Genocide in 1994, that killed over 1 million people in just 3 months period, and left the country ruined in all possible ways. As a third world country, Rwanda had to face the consequences of the genocide, while rebuilding its economy which seemed to be a baffling task at that time. Nowadays, Rwanda is focusing on building an ICT based economy, and has heavily invested in different tech projects that are expected to make Rwanda one of the best Tech hubs in Africa, and a model of economic and technological transformation in the years to come. Nowadays, consumers in Rwanda are starting to use online shopping which is being progressively introduced to the general consumers who are still resilient toward using any other form of shopping except the traditional retail shopping. This thesis asserted the Perceived Technological and general challenges that have been limiting the introduction and use of online shopping and shopping applications in particular, but also, the perceived technological and general solutions to the highlighted issues. The findings from selected cities of Gujarat were used to highlight the lessons that Rwandans can learn from the success story of efficient and effective use of shopping applications in selected cities of Gujarat. For this research study, 964 were collected in selected cities of Gujarat (Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot), and 200 responses in Kigali-Rwanda. The data was collected using convenience sampling methods, and analysed using SPSS and other statistical techniques for data processing and interpretation. Different tests were conducted such as Descriptive analysis, reliability test, exploratory factor analysis, variables cross tabulations, ANOVA, and multiple regression Analysis, etc. For the case of selected cities in Gujarat, the findings indicated that at 95% confidence level, perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Enjoyment, Personal Innovativeness, Consumer Satisfaction, Social Influence, Facilitative Conditions, Consumer Habits, and Behavioural Intention have a significant influence on consumer buying process, while perceived risks have no significant influence on Consumer buying process. It is also found that 6 out of 10 independent variables have a significant association and relationship with the consumer buying process, which is the dependent variable. The variables with significant associations were Perceived usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, Customer Satisfaction, Facilitative Conditions, consumer Habits, and perceived Risks, and are the only ones that were used in predicting consumer buying process. Variables like Perceived Enjoyment, Personal Innovativeness, Behavioural Intentions, and social Influence had no significant association with the dependent variable, and therefore, could not be used in predicting consumer buying process. On the other hand, it was essential to assert how other variables can be used to predict the behavioural intentions of the consumers in selected cities of Gujarat. The findings indicated that at 95% confidence level, 6 out of 9 independent variables had a significant relationship with Behavioural Intentions which was the dependent variable in this case. Those variables were Perceived Enjoyment, Personal Innovativeness, Consumer Satisfaction, Social Influence, Facilitative Conditions, and Consumer habits. Variables like Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived risks did not have a significant relationship with behavioural Intentions of the consumers in selected cities of Gujarat. Inter variables cross tabulation tests of Consumer buying process variables, shopping application variables, demographic variables and many more, were conducted to assert the possibility of association and relationship, and detailed interpretation and analysis were done for a clear understanding of the findings. For the case of Kigali-Rwanda, different statements of Perceived Awareness, perceived technological and general challenges, perceived technological and general solutions were asserted for a deep understanding of the current situation regarding the use of shopping applications in Rwanda. Inter variables cross tabulations of Perceived Awareness, Perceived Technological Challenges, Perceived General Challenges, Perceived Technological Solutions, perceived General solutions, shopping applications, demographic variables and many more, were also conducted to assert the possible significance of associations and relationships. Based on the research findings, from the case of selected cities of Gujarat, important lessons were highlighted so that they can be taken into consideration while introducing and using shopping applications in Kigali-Rwanda. Based on the findings from both cases, different suggestions were provided to marketers, consumers and to any other concerned individuals on what should be improved, changed, or considered for efficient and effective use of shopping applications in the future.