An empirical investigation of online consumer purchasing behavior

The factors and relationships that affect the browsing and buying behavior of US people shopping online are examined using empirical data. Two samples were surveyed to collect quantitative data, which reflected two distinct groups of the population: students and non students. Students were Internet savvy and less concerned about privacy, while non-student sample had greater variance in their level of comfort with the Internet. The student sample had a higher percentage of people who visited more than three Web sites, while the non-student sample visited more than three Web sites for gaining information on travel. The main reason why students shopped online was convenience, with other reasons being better prices and time saving, while the non-student sample went for convenience and time saving.