The online shopping behaviour of technologically enabled consumers : a South African Generation Y study

• Published in: African journal of business and economic research Vol. 15; no. 3; pp. 227 - 253
• Main Authors: du Preez, Ronel, Pentz, Christian D., Swiegers, Liezel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Adonis & Abbey Publishers 01.09.2020; Sabinet Online; Adonis & Abbey Publishers Ltd
• Subjects: College students; Consumer behavior; Echo boom generation; Electronic commerce; Forecasts and trends; Generation Y; Internet; Internet access; Marketing; Millennials; Online behaviour; Online shopping; Respondents; Shopping; South Africa; South Africa
• ISSN: 1750-4554; 1750-4562
• DOI: 10.31920/1750-4562/2020/v15n3a10

Online shopping in South Africa is expected to grow in the future and the assumption can be made that especially younger (Generation Y), technologically enabled consumers will contribute to this growth. Owing to a paucity in research in this field, the aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of the general online behaviour, and the online shopping behaviour in particular, of a cohort of South African Generation Y consumers. A two-phased approach was followed using students from a large South African university as respondents. The findings showed that access to the Internet was not a concern for the respondents and that they considered themselves as ‘technologically enabled’. A large number of respondents, however, indicated that they used the Internet to browse for products, but that they did not regularly purchase products online. The insights gained by this study’s findings can guide online retailers in South Africa to develop more robust marketing strategies to effectively meet the requirements and expectations of their younger online consumers.