Factors Affecting Purchasing Behaviour through Electronic Business to Consumer (B2C) Sites and Marketplaces: Evidence from Internet Users in Tanzania

Abstract

The study established the online purchasing choices and factors that affect
customer online purchasing behaviour that is determined by customer online
buying experience. A descripto-explanatory design was adopted so as to profile
and explain the causal effect relationship of repetitive online purchasing. The
study sampled 385 internet users, and data were collected using online survey
tools. Multistage sampling was adopted, whereby at first online platforms were
purposively selected and thereafter the shared survey tool was open for anyone
to access and respond. Data collected were both quantitatively and qualitatively
analysed and presented. The findings show that online purchasers prefer to
purchase from social media applications rather than from specialized e
commerce sites. Also, the findings reveal that online buyers can purchase quality
products and at affordable prices online just as they did in physical retail
markets. Pertaining to factors affecting customer online purchasing behaviour,
it was found that online buying experience is affected by presence of phantom
sellers, lengthy browsing time, user friendliness of e-marketplaces and internet
data cost. Further, the study found that in spite of negative experiences
encountered when purchasing online, buyers aren’t willing to entirely quit
making online purchases. The study concludes that e-marketplaces and online
retailers are using digital commercial mechanisms which buyers perceive as
restrictive. The emergence of social media poses a threat to specialized e
commerce sites which causes underutilization of e-commerce sites. The study
recommends that online retailers and local e-commerce sites developers should
consider electronic dynamism that is user-friendly and offers a variety of
products with easily accessible product details.