Electronic Commerce and the Purchase Behavior of a French Consumer

Abstract

The purchase behavior of an individual can be broken down into several stages, which are determined by the purchasing individual, the product and the purchase situation. When the consumption pattern is weak, the perceived risk will be high. e-commerce also falls under the same framework. The e-commerce sector in France has suffered a lot of uncertainty and fear due to Minitel hampering the beginning of Internet.

The ongoing internet problems have not made the situation any better. Online purchasing is still considered too risky in France. However, this suspicion about online shopping is not justified, because of the contradiction between perceived risks and real risks. Online shopping may be considered risky as the websites that sell products are too commercial in their approach. They do not provide enough explanation to reassure consumers.

So, what are the changes that can be noticed in the purchasing behavior of consumers, with respect to online shopping? Are there business practices that have been put in place for customers who shop online? Have these business processes reduced the risk involved in online shopping to an acceptable level? Do these processes allow the customer to make their decision, and complete an online purchase without fear? First, a conceptual clarification of risk, particularly perceived risk is necessary. This is because of the confusion that surrounds the definition of this concept of marketing.

The notion of risk is a central theme of research in fields as diverse as finance, marketing, sociology and psychology. It was in the twenties that the concept of risk has begun to be studied. Finance has been one of the first areas that exploited this notion. In this regard, the risk is focused on the personality of individuals with showers and risk takers. The decision maker knows the consequences of alternatives and their probabilities of occurrence. The attitude towards risk is defined relative to the actual risk posed by a situation.

In marketing, the risk is less clear that finance and source of much debate about the detailed steps of consumer behavior. Indeed, various determinants, dimensions and attitudes make up the perceived risk. The risk perceived by individuals is a major cause of poor development of electronic commerce or e-commerce. It is therefore interesting to see the developments in France from 1998 to 2004 and describe aspects of risk to the medium.

The risk of a marketing perspective is based on the perception of the individual deal with the situation, nature and the consequences can be negative. It is therefore of cognitive assessment (reflection on the product) and emotional risk (felt). Unlike other materials, the concept of risk is only associated with negative consequences for choice.

The risk is considered a deciding factor, which will be extensively studied in consumer behavior with the process of deliberation and decision making. It is a step in the buying process, but also a variable that affects the result of the decision process. Bauer 1960 was the first to talk about perceived risk as part of consumer behavior. The concept is to bring the concept of ignorance or the consequences or probabilities that are precisely known.

Tags: online shopping; consumer purchase behavior; e- commerce;