E-marketing and the consumer decision making process

Abstract

This research thesis focuses on studying the role of E-Marketing in the Consumer Decision Making Process. This study shows how the consumers decide to purchase products and highlights the activities with respect to the role of the Internet in Decision Making, effect of the Internet on Consumer Behavior, Post Purchase Behavior and The Consumer Decision Making Process. It also helps to study the intentions of the consumers to venture online, Website Brand Contribution, Consumer’s different behaviors when they browse online which will help the marketers and organizations to understand the various dimensions of E-Marketing. This is accomplished through the following research objectives: 1. Linking the diverse Website Attributes with the Consumer Intent towards venturing online. 2. Measuring a Website’s Contribution to the Brand. 3. Segmentation of consumers by encompassing Consumer Need Recognition, Website Characteristic Information Search and the Evaluation of Alternatives process. 4. Segmentation of Consumers on the basis of their Consumer Traits and Online Shopping Issues impacting the purchase decision in the context of Consumer Traits and Online Shopping Issues. This research thesis focuses on studying the Decision Making Process of the consumer while they browse online. This has been accomplished through three Research Instruments which helped to develop Three Models during the study and One Emergent Model of E-Marketing and The Consumer Decision Making Process. These were1. Website Brand Contribution Model (WBCM) using Hierarchical Cluster Analysis. 2. Consumer Pre Purchase Process Model (I-CPPM) using K-Means Cluster Analysis 3. Consumer Traits and Online Shopping Issues Model (CTOIM) using K-Means Cluster Analysis. xv The Website Attribute Index (WAI), Website Brand Contribution Model (WBCM), Consumer PrePurchase Model (I-CPPM) and Consumer Traits and Online Issues Model (CTOIM) together helped to develop an Emergent Model “E-Marketing and The Consumer Decision Making Process”. This will help the organizations to understand the behavior of the consumers and the relation between marketers and consumers. This model attempts to show how Consumer Behavior and E-Marketing are linked with each other. This emergent model will definitely help the organizations to know the important phases of the purchase process. Organizations will benefit by developing suitable strategies and choosing the right model to ensure that consumers spend significant time on the organizational websites to make the purchase because their success is significantly a focus of building healthy relationships - not completing purchases and making profit. It also talks about the Implications to the Managers and Organizations to facilitate well directed endeavors towards building consumer business relationships in the Online Behavior context.