A SURVEY OF ONLINE PURCHASING DECISION FACTORS AND SHOPPING AND PURCHASING BEHAVIORS OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Shopping and purchasing on retailers’ websites continues to expand. According to ACNielsen’s 2005 report, more than one tenth of the world population (627 million) have shopped online, and more than half of them have shopped (over 325 million) online within a month of the report’s release (ACNielsen, 2005). Compared to the third quarter 2004, the third quarter of 2005 showed a 26.7% increase in online retail sales in the U.S., generating $22.3 billion for online merchants (U.S. Census Bureau, 2005). Marketers and researchers have verified that university students are one of the most “wired” demographic groups of online users and continue to investigate the characteristics of shopping/purchasing behaviors among these students. The aim of this investigation is to further examine factors that drive university students’ online shopping and purchasing decisions, and the types of items they shop for and purchase online.