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CONSUMER PERCEPTION AND PURCHASE BEHAVIOR ON ONLINE SHOPPING

AMONG STUDENTS IN MINDANAO UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Thesis · September 2016

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.23011.35362

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 CONSUMER PERCEPTION AND PURCHASE BEHAVIOR ON ONLINE SHOPPING
AMONG STUDENTS IN MINDANAO UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY

Earl Michael A. Tubio, Jeanne B. Altaque, Katrina V. Lucero,

Rudynna Grace C. Tagam, Li Fini Rae E. Toling, Mary Grace C. Veri,
and Dr. Ray Butch Mahinay
Department of Technology Communication Management
Mindanao University of Science and Technology
September 15, 2016

Abstract

Consumer perception influences consumer’s purchase behavior. With this, the study
determined whether there is a significant relationship between consumer perception and purchase
behavior on online shopping among students in Mindanao University of Science and
Technology. Purposive non-random sampling was conducted to 200 respondents in four different
colleges in the University. Through a survey questionnaire adopted from three different previous
studies, three elements of perception were gauged: (1) convenience; (2) benefits; and (3) leisure,
and another three elements of behavior: (1) convenience; (2) security; and (3) leisure. It has been
found out that the respondents’ perceptions and their purchase behavior on online shopping are
both high. Correlational analysis yielded a high significant association between their beliefs and
behavior at .05 level of significance. To sustain their high perception on online shopping, it is
suggested that web developers should incorporate features on their websites regarding
convenience, security, benefits, and leisure. It is important for online marketers, entrepreneurs,
and businessmen to consider the fact that students spend more time on the internet and that this
factor will likely increase the students’ online shopping behavior.

Keywords: consumer perception, consumer behavior, online shopping

I. Background and Rationale

An obvious phenomenon that happens in the world nowadays is that most people depend
on the accessibility of the Internet. It seems that there is this natural force that pulls everyone to a
route where the Internet gives way for people to gather and exchange information, take and
render a service, and even market and purchase a product. Also, it happens that the online
shopping has emerged and progress. Na Li and Ping Zhang (2002) define online shopping as the
process of purchasing products or services via the internet. Instead of consumers physically
visiting a certain store, or looking for a product, or comparing prices, they can do these things
online. Shopping online gives the customer the enjoyment and convenience because aside from
the availability of products, they can order these things with ease at their own time and whenever
they want or need to.
Consumer perception is formed by the online environment wherein information about the
shop and products that are to be purchased, and the situation when shopping like searching for
merchandise is at ease. This exposure greatly affects the consumer’s purchase behavior; who
then decides if there would be a guaranteed satisfaction. In this century, most of the big
companies are using electronic commerce to conduct business. By using electronic commerce as

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a new way of making business, this new innovative type of shopping brings a great number and
also wide range of merchandise to consumers; it also offers a huge market and numerous
business opportunities (June & Noor, 2011).
However, purchase behavior is influenced by the consumer’s perception (Boundless,
2016). The way a consumer responds to certain online products is determined through his
purchase behavior like his product choice and even the brand choice. The worth of a product in
the minds of the consumer is very much capable in predicting the purchase intentions of the
products (Chen & Dubinsky, 2003).
Along these thought, this study aims to investigate on the factors that affect the
consumer’s perception and their purchase behavior in online shopping. Localizing this scenario,
this study will delve on students of Mindanao University of Science and Technology to identify
their perceptions on online shopping and their consequent purchasing behavior.

II. Theoretical Considerations/Brief Literature

This study is anchored on the (1) Diffusion of Innovation Theory; (2) Media System
Dependency Theory; and (3) Consumer Perception Theory.
The Diffusion of Innovation theory is often regarded as a valuable change model for
guiding technological innovation where the innovation itself is modified and presented in ways
that meet the needs across all levels of adopters. It also stresses the importance of
communication and peer networking within the adoption process. Therefore, a study on the
extent of online shopping among youth and the factors that influence the adoption of online
shopping is investigated. Online Shopping is a new mode of shopping which use electronic
means to make purchases/sales at virtual stores (Swardt, 2008; Rowley, 2000). That is,
consumer-purchases are mainly based on the cyberspace appearance such as pictures, images,
quality information, and video clips of the product, not on the actual experience (Lohse and
Spiller, 1998; Kolesar and Galbraith, 2000). The increased adoption of online shopping depends
on many factors. Since it is a new technology, the ideas generated by the Innovation Diffusion
Theory are likely to give a better understanding of adoption of a new technology (Medlin, 2001;
Parisot, 1995; Eastin, 2002). The theory relates to the study since online shopping is considered
by people as a new technology or as an innovation.
A survey conducted in 2010 by the Neilson Company has polled over 27,000 internet
users in 55 markets from Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, North America and South America
to look at how consumers shop online. However, no significant difference was found between
the consumers in Turkey and the U.S., suggesting that there are other factors in addition to
masculinity that may account for the difference in online shopping behavior between consumers
from different countries. For example, the quality of online shopping sites, consumer trust, and
positive affect towards the online shopping site are three factors that can influence purchase
intentions of consumers from different countries (Lynch et al, 2001). Trust can positively
influence the intention of online shopping in both North and South America, but such a
significant effect does not exist in Western Europe. Consumers tend to engage in relational
behaviors to achieve greater efficiency in their decision making, to reduce information
processing, to achieve more cognitive consistency in their decisions, and to reduce the perceived
risks associated with future choices (Sheth & Parvatiyar, 1995). The diminishing concern for site
quality and trust in Western Europe may be attributed to the fact that the quality and trust
provided by Western European online shopping sites are already very high.

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 Media System Dependency Theory is a media dependency relationship in which the
satisfaction of needs or the attainment of goals by individuals is contingent upon the resources of
the other party (Ball-Rokeach & DeFleur 1976, p. 6). According to Loges and Ball-Rokeach
(1993), Media System Dependency Theory suggests that in today's society individuals have to
rely on media information resources in order to attain their various goals. In our world of today,
people are so much attached to the convenient accessibility of technology. Information resources
include all media products.
Within the online shopping context, the consumers’ perceived benefits are the sum of
online shopping advantages or satisfactions that meet their needs or wants (Wu, 2003). After a
few successful transactions, a consumer starts to feel safe with the service provider or supplier
(Ravald & Gronroos, 1996). When consumers trust a company, they know that this company is
able to fulfill their needs and wants and eventually, they become committed to the company.
Individual media dependency (IMD) or the micro level of Media System Dependency Theory
occurs when the accomplishment of personal goals is contingent upon the acquisition of
information resources that are controlled by media (Ball-Rokeach, 1985).
This paper attempts to investigate how dependency on the internet can alter consumers’
perception and online shopping behavior. This theory answers how often the respondents go
online and visit online shops to find their needs for self satisfaction. Studies investigating e-
consumers motivations to purchase products online suggest that convenience is a primary factor
affecting e-consumers purchasing decision (Tracy, 1998). Likely, consumers are getting
choosier online. They have the power of choice and the world of online retailers at their
fingertips; if one online store doesn’t fulfill their needs, they just go to its competitor (Staff
Ecommerce News, 2015).
Consumer Perception Theory is any attempt to understand how a consumer’s perception
of a product or service influences their behavior. This theory applies the concept of sensory
perception to marketing and advertising. Just as sensory perception relates to how humans
perceive and process sensory stimuli through their five senses. In addition, consumer perception
pertains to how individuals form opinions about companies and the merchandise they offer
through the purchases they make.
Childers et al., (2001) state that purchase of goods may be incidental to the experience of
online shopping. Thus, “enjoyment” reflects consumers’ perceptions regarding the potential
entertainment of internet shopping found “enjoyment” to be a consistent and strong predictor of
attitude toward online shopping. Despite the increasing number of online users, products offered,
and e-tailers trading, it has been extensively reported that there is considerable resistance
amongst many Internet users to engage in online business to consumer transactions, primarily
due to concerns about privacy, security and the trustworthiness of the Internet (Aldridge et al.,
1997; Chellappa et al., 2002; Devaraj et al., 2003; Forcht et al., 1995). Forrester (2000) found
that many consumers consider that lack of security is the main inhibiting factor to adopting on-
line purchase behaviour. Nevertheless, consumers rely deeply to the value a certain online shop
offers to its prospective customers.
Consumer perception theory is applied by merchants to determine how their customers
perceive them. They also use consumer perception theory to develop marketing and advertising
strategies intended to retain current customers - and attract new ones (Menon & Kahn, 2002).
Mathwick et al. (2001) says that if consumers enjoy their online shopping experience, they have
a more positive attitude toward online shopping, and are likely to adopt the Internet as a
shopping medium. Likely, value perception is the part of the consumer perception theory that

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attempts to understand how consumers’ perceptions of product influence their behavior.
Generally, consumer perception theory is used for designing product or brand in marketing
(Ravald & Gronroos, 1996). It is the perception of the online shoppers that online shop owners
depend and then do some adjustments. Certain products are changed or modify to a form which
becomes attractive to consumers. This theory answers how the consumer perception affects the
behavior towards a product or service.
No doubt that the Internet has been influencing our lives deeply in which it plays an
important, indispensable and irreplaceable role (Guo & Noor, 2011). Woodruff (1997) expands
the concept of perceived customer value and describes it as a source of competitive advantage. A
customer's perceived preference for and evaluation of those products attributes, attribute
performance, and consequences arising from use that facilitate (or block) achieving the
customer's goal and purposes in use situations. Apparently, the Internet being at hand opens up
the most convenient access to our modern world of commerce. Thus, this leads to some changes
to the consumer’s perception and his behavior.

III. Methodology

This study attempted to describe and analyze the consumer perception and purchase
behavior on online shopping among students in Mindanao University of Science and
Technology. Specifically, this sought to answer the following: (1) the socioeconomic profile of
the respondents; (2) the consumer perception and purchase behavior on online shopping; and (3)
the significant relationship between consumer perception and purchase behavior on online
shopping among the respondents.
This was conducted at Mindanao University of Science and Technology, C.M Recto
Lapasan, Cagayan de Oro City within the first semester of school year 2016-2017. Descriptive
research design was used in the study. The unit of analyses were the students in the University
which involved the students from the four colleges, namely, (1) College of Arts and Sciences
(CAS); (2) College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA); (3) College of Industrial and
Information Technology (CIIT); and (4) College of Policy Studies, Education and Management
(CPSEM) with the use of the to non-random sampling procedures, specifically the purposive
sampling and the snowball method. Teachers were asked for five minutes of their time while the
students being the respondents were personally asked first if they did online shopping before
they were given the questionnaires. Furthermore, there were 200 respondents in total from all the
four colleges.
The questionnaire used for survey were adopted from (1) E-Consumers Attitude and
Behaviour in The Online Commodities Market by Lodorfos, Trosterud, and Whitworth (2006);
(2) Developing an Instrument for Measurement of Attitude toward Online Shopping by
Delafrooz, Paim, and Khatibi (2009); and (3) Consumer Behavior Toward Online Shopping: An
Empirical Study from Delhi by Jain, Goswami, and Bhutani (2014). The questionnaire was
composed of three parts: (1) the respondents’ profiles socioeconomic profiles; (2) their consumer
perception; and (3) purchase behavior on online shopping. To measure the consumer perception
and purchase behavior, a five-point Likert scale was used ranging from strongly disagree (1
point) to strongly agree (5 points).
Prior the field survey, the questionnaire was content and construct checked though
validity and reliability processes. Reliability statistics yielded a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.83 for the
questionnaires. This ensured that the questionnaires are fit for the purpose of this study.

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 The gathered information was coded and analyzed using the following statistical tools:
(1) descriptive statistical measures such as means and standard deviation; (2) frequency and
percentages; and (3) inferential statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC), at 95%
confidence level. Statistical software such as MS Excel and Minitab 17 were utilized for data
processing.

IV. Highlights of Findings and Discussion/Data Presentation

After field survey and statistical analysis of data, the findings are presented in the
following order: (1) socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents; (2) the consumer
perception and purchase behavior on online shopping; and (3) the significant relationship
between consumer perception and purchase behavior on online shopping among the respondents.
Table 1 presents the demographic characteristics of the 200 respondents involved in this
study. It can be shown in this table the actual count and each corresponding percentage
representing the four colleges of the university. There is a total of 74 males and 126 female
respondents from all the four colleges. Most of the males come from the College of Industrial
and Information Technology (CIIT) while most of the females are from the College of Arts and
Sciences (CAS).

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of the respondents (n=200)

CAS CEA CIIT CPSEM TOTAL
n % n % n % n % n %
Gender
Male 10 13.50 24 32.40 27 36.50 13 17.60 74 100.00
Female 41 32.50 27 21.40 23 18.30 35 27.80 126 100.00
Total 51 25.50 51 25.50 50 25.00 48 24.00 200 100.00

Daily Allowance
₱100.00 and below 41 29.90 33 24.10 35 25.50 28 20.40 137 100.00
₱101.00-₱300.00 10 18.90 18 34.00 10 18.90 15 28.30 53 100.00
₱301.00-₱500.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 1 33.30 2 66.70 3 100.00
₱501.00 and above 0 0.00 0 0.00 4 57.10 3 42.90 7 100.00
Total 51 25.50 51 25.50 50 25.00 48 24.00 200 100.00

The respondents’ daily allowance shows that a total of 137 respondents receive ₱100.00
and below, and a total of seven respondents receive ₱501.00 and above, four of which are from
the College of Industrial and Information Technology (CIIT).
Table 2 shows the frequency of the respondents in visiting and doing actual online
shopping. Among the respondents, a total of 119 occasionally visit and 155 occasionally
purchases. A total of 15 respondents visit daily, four respondents from the College of
Engineering and Architecture (CEA), College of Industrial and Information Technology (CIIT),
and the College of Policy Studies, Education and Management (CPSEM), and three from The
College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). Although there are four respondents from CIIT who has a
daily allowance of P501 and above, the respondents can only occasionally visit and purchase
from online shops due to their small amount of allowance as they are students.

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Table 2. Frequency of the respondents in visiting and doing actual online shopping (n=200)
CAS CEA CIIT CPSEM TOTAL
f % f % f % f % f %
Visiting online
shops
Daily 3 20.00 4 26.70 4 26.70 4 26.70 15 100.00
Weekly 13 34.20 10 26.30 8 21.10 7 18.40 38 100.00
Monthly 6 21.40 3 10.70 10 35.70 9 32.10 28 100.00
Occasionally 29 24.40 34 28.60 28 23.50 28 23.50 119 100.00

Doing online
shopping
Daily 0 0.00 0 0.00 4 80.00 1 20.00 5 100.00
Weekly 3 27.30 2 18.20 3 27.30 3 27.30 11 100.00
Monthly 9 31.00 4 13.80 9 31.00 7 24.10 29 100.00
Occasionally 39 25.20 45 29.00 34 21.90 37 23.90 155 100.00

Research indicates that 81% of those who browse web sites for goods and services do not
actually make an online purchase (Gupta, 1996; Klein, 1998; Shim, et al., 2001; Westland &
Clark, 1999). Some students live with their parents and most of them do not have a lot of
expendable income and therefore the price of products is important to them (Xia & Munroe,
2004). This implies that the students are just wise consumers that choose to set a priority which
is mainly their studies.
Table 3 reveals the level of consumer perception of the respondents on online shopping.
There are three consumer perception elements: (1) convenience; (2) benefits; and (3) leisure.
Convenience is the ease access of information about product, provision of in-depth information,
ease of ordering product, potential for money saving, and timely delivery (Hui et al., 2006). The
result indicates that the level of perception under convenience is high across all the colleges in
terms of convenience. However, the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) contributed the highest
general mean of 2.09.
A study of Benedict et al (2001) reveals that perceptions toward online shopping and
intention to shop online are not only affected by ease of use, usefulness, and enjoyment, but also
by exogenous factors like consumer traits, situational factors, product characteristics, previous
online shopping experiences, and trust in online shopping. This means that students tend to visit
online shops because their perception on the convenience of shopping online is high.
As to the second element of consumer perception, the consumers’ perceived benefits are
the sum of online shopping advantages or satisfactions that meet their demands (Shwu-Ing,
2003). The result shows that the level of perception under benefits is high and the College of
Arts and Sciences (CAS) has the highest general mean across four colleges. It signifies that the
students perceived online shops to be helpful as these provide a wide range of options for
consumers to choose from.
Lastly, the third element of consumer perception is leisure. Al-maghrabi and Dennis
(2012) defines entertainment as what a website offers to please its customers (e.g., fun, pleasure,
escapism, leisure, etc.), and how the online store engages the customers in activities that are
absorbing, and makes them feel good during an online shopping session. The College of Arts and
Sciences (CAS) has established a very high level of consumer perception when it comes to

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leisure while the three colleges, the College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA), College of
Industrial and Information Technology (CIIT), College of Policy Studies, Education and
Management (CPSEM) have a high level of consumer perception.

Table 3. Level of consumer perception of the respondents on online shopping

Consumer Perception Elements
Weighted Mean
Convenience Benefits Leisure

SD QD SD QD SD QD SD QD

CAS 2.09 0.44 H 2.17 0.56 H 1.74 0.46 VH 2.00 0.38 H

CEA 2.16 0.47 H 2.23 0.60 H 2.20 0.59 H 2.20 0.39 H

CIIT 2.29 0.63 H 2.48 0.73 H 2.16 0.67 H 2.31 0.58 H

CPSEM 2.20 0.50 H 2.34 0.57 H 2.04 0.52 H 2.19 0.45 H

Weighted
2.18 0.52 H 2.30 0.63 H 2.03 0.59 H 2.17 0.47 H
Mean
Legend:1.00 – 1.80 Very High (VH)
1.81 – 2.60 High (H)
2.61 – 3.40 Moderate (M)
3.41 – 4.20 Low (L)
4.21 – 5.00 Very Low (VL)

Overall, the students from the four colleges have a high level of perception towards
online shopping. Specifically, the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) has the highest level of
perception when it comes to convenience, benefits, and leisure among the four colleges. This
means that students from the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) has perceived a benefit in an
ease access of online shopping while enjoying at the same time.
Moreover, Table 4 indicates the level of purchase behavior of the respondents on online
shopping. The first element is on convenience and accordingly, Wolfinbarger and Gilly (2001)
posited that to most consumers, important attributes of online shopping are convenience and
accessibility. In the online environment, they are less committed because the investments made
to visit the retailer are limited (e.g. no need for driving and parking). Online shoppers obtain
more freedom and control through convenience, accessibility, selection, availability of
information, and lack of sociality.
As can be seen in this table, all the students from College of Engineering and
Architecture (CEA), College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), and the College of Policy Studies,
Education and Management (CPSEM), the College of Industrial and Information Technology
(CIIT) have the same level of purchase behavior on online shopping under convenience which is
high. It implies that consumers have the control over their actions upon buying what they wish to
acquire through the convenience that online shops provide to them.

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 Security is the ability of the website to protect personal information of the customer from
any unauthorized use of information disclosure during the electronic transaction (Guo et al.,
2012). The result shows that all the four colleges have established the same level of purchase
behavior which is high. Susskind (2004) stated that the students’ online shopping behavior is
also influenced by their perceptions of online transaction security. Information search during the
shopping experience is mostly connected with “cognitive or sensory stimulation or satisfying
curiosity” (Fiore & Kim, 2007). This means that the consumer wants the product he purchased
online is exactly the same as what he thinks in order to satisfy him. For instance, before a
consumer purchases a product online, he imagines how the items would look like when they are
presented upon delivery to him.
Consumers generally feel less pressured, due to the absence of sales people
(Wolfinbarger & Gilly, 2001). Then, this is where the enjoyment is experienced which is called
leisure. It is portrayed in the table that all the students have a high level of purchase behavior on
online shopping. The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), College of Engineering and
Architecture (CEA), College of Industrial and Information Technology (CIIT), College of Policy
Studies, Education and Management (CPSEM) all have a high level of consumer purchase
behavior.

Table 4. Level of purchase behavior of the respondents on online shopping

Purchase Behavior Elements
Weighted Mean
Convenience Security Leisure

SD QD SD QD SD QD SD QD

CAS 1.91 0.53 H 1.93 0.40 H 2.10 0.66 H 1.98 0.44 H

CEA 2.02 0.58 H 2.01 0.58 H 2.39 0.72 H 2.15 0.45 H

CIIT 2.06 0.61 H 2.11 0.53 H 2.36 0.77 H 2.18 0.54 H

CPSEM 2.06 0.53 H 2.02 0.51 H 2.28 0.59 H 2.12 0.41 H

Weighted
2.02 0.56 H 2.01 0.56 H 2.28 0.69 H 2.10 0.47 H
Mean
Legend:1.00 – 1.80 Very High (VH)
1.81 – 2.60 High (H)
2.61 – 3.40 Moderate (M)
3.41 – 4.20 Low (L)
4.21 – 5.00 Very Low (VL)

Table 5 depicts the correlation between the respondents’ consumer perception on its
elements. It can be seen in the table that all elements are significantly related to consumer
perception and it has a high correlation value. If a consumer sees the three elements; 1)
convenience, the ease of shopping 2) benefit, the advantages and 3) leisure, the entertainment,
the consumer will be more likely to have a high level of perception towards online shopping.

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Azadavar, Shahbazi, and Teimouri (2011) examined the factors influencing consumers’
perception of online shopping and developed a causal model that explains how this perception
affects their online-shopping behavior. It was found out that factors like trust, customer service,
customers’ income, price of products or services and security are more important to encourage
people to purchase online the computer related products and services. Therefore, the consumer’s
perception is linked with the three elements before a consumer decides to do actual online
shopping.

Table 5. Correlation between the respondents’ consumer perception and on its elements
Consumer Perception
r p
Convenience 0.81 0.00**
Benefit 0.87 0.00**
Leisure 0.76 0.00**
*Significant at .05 alpha level.
**Significant at .01 alpha level.

The correlation between the respondents’ purchase behavior and on its elements can be
observed in Table 6. Keisidou, Sarigiannidis, Maditinos (2011) studied that online shopping is
among the most popular activities of the internet. Bashir (2013) analyze that E-commerce has
made life simple and innovative of individuals and groups; consumer behavior in online
shopping is different from the physical market where he has access to see the product. As you
can see on the table below, all the elements are significantly related to purchase behavior and it
has a high correlation value.
Security is an important factor in e-commerce success, and security concerns influence
consumer behavior (Miyazaki & Fernandez, 2001). Podar (2015) mentioned that secure sites use
encryption technology to transfer information from your computer to the online merchant's
computer. Encryption scrambles the information you send, such as your credit card number, in
order to prevent computer hackers from obtaining it en route. Website design, website
reliability/fulfillment, website customer service and website security/privacy are the most
attractive features which influence the consumer of online buying (Shergill & Chen 2005).

Table 6. Correlation between the respondents’ purchase behavior and on its elements
Purchase Behavior
r p
Convenience 0.80 0.00**
Security 0.73 0.00**
Leisure 0.84 0.00**
*Significant at .05 alpha level.
**Significant at .01 alpha level.

This implies that software developers should see to it that their applications and websites
give emphasis to the convenience, benefits, and leisure the consumers would gain from them.
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For a consumer to be convinced in doing online shopping, they must first consider those three
elements.
As an exemplification of the three elements on purchase behavior, Figure 1 shows the
security features of Lazada which are the (1) Cash on Delivery payment method which suggests
you to pay the item you purchased after receiving it; (2) Trusted Sellers which informs you that
all sellers listed have passed a thorough selection process in order to guarantee high quality
products and makes you confident in ordering products; and (3) Buyer Protection which
guarantees customers that the products are genuine, new and free from detects and has warranty
for refund or exchange within 14 days for items sold by Lazada and seven days for items sold by
sellers.

Figure 1. Screenshots of Lazada App features

Table 7 shows the correlation on the respondents’ consumer perception and purchase
behavior on online shopping. At alpha level of 0.01, there is a significant relationship between
perception and behavior. This implies that if their perception is high, their behavior is also high.
This thought is accorded to Rational Choice Theory which means an economic principle
that states that individuals always make prudent and logical decisions. These decisions provide
people with the greatest benefit or satisfaction — given the choices available — and are also in
their highest self-interest. The theory is based on the idea that all humans base their decisions on
rational calculations, act with rationality when choosing, and aim to increase either pleasure or
profit. Thus, rational behavior decision-making process is based on making choices that result in
the most optimal level of benefit or utility for the individual.
For instance, students from the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) have the highest
level of perception and purchase behavior among all the four colleges because they are the most
likely to visit online shops and to purchase items compared to other colleges. As such, online
shoppers always want to seek information within few clicks and reach to the most relevant

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information according to their requirements such as competitive brands, best price offers,
product specification and consumer word-of-mouth (Gao, 2012).

Table 7. Correlation on the respondents’ consumer perception and

purchase behavior on online shopping
r p

Consumer Perception
0.73 0.00**
and Purchase Behavior
*Significant at .05 alpha level.
**Significant at .01 alpha level.

To the MUST respondents as accorded to unstructured interviews, they professed that

their overall impression on the online shops such as Zalora, Lazada and OLX is important. They
only trust online buying if they can be assured of the security. This sharing can manifest that
indeed their purchase behavior is grounded on their initial perceptions.

V. Conclusion and Recommendations

The findings of the study revealed that the consumer perception and purchase behavior
among MUST students were generally high. It is then established that there was a high
significant relationship between the consumer perception and purchase behavior on online
shopping among the students who engage in online shopping.
Substantially, the increase of consumer perception on online shopping can lead to an
increase of purchase behavior. To sustain their high perception on online shopping, it is
recommended that the web developers will incorporate features on their websites regarding
convenience, security, benefits, and leisure.
The future of online shopping is promising as an entrepreneurial activity. With this,
substantive improvements have to be done on the features of online shops that are in accordance
to the results of this study.
The common target clients for this type of market are the youth such as the students.
Such that to increase sales, it is important for online marketers, entrepreneurs, and businessmen
to consider the fact that students spend more time on the internet and that this factor will likely
increase the students’ online shopping behavior. Furthermore, it is suggested for future studies to
compare the elderly age groups with younger consumers on their perception and purchase
behavior towards online shopping so that wider coverage can be achieved by the online shops
and thereby maximize business opportunities.

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VI. Bibliography/ References:

Books:
Bashir, Adil: Consumer behavior towards online shopping of electronics in Pakistan. 2013,
Seinajoki University of Applied sciences, p. 52-60.

Chellappa, R. K., & Pavlou, P. A. (2002). Perceived information security, financial liability and
consumer trust in electronic commerce transactions, p. 358-368.

DeFleur, Melvin L. and Sandra J. Ball-Rokeach (1982). Theories of Mass

Communication. (4th ed.), NY: Longman.

Gao,Yuan: (2012). Web systems design and Online consumer behavior. London, Idea
Group Inc., p.32.

Guo, X., Ling, K. C., & Liu, M. (2012). Evaluating factors influencing consumer satisfaction
towards online shopping in China. Asian Social Science, 8 (13), p. 40.

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VII. Acknowledgements

We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to our dean, Prof. Vima Socorro J.
Tandog, and our gratitude to the panelists, Ms. Angeli Pizarro-Monsanto, our chairman, and Ms.
Maria Angeles Dano-Hinosolango, our Research Writing instructor. To our adviser Dr. Ray
Butch Mahinay for the valuable time and for the knowledge imparted to us. To our parents for
the love and support and to God for the good health and well-being that was necessary to
complete this paper.

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