The traditional vs. the online market : A study of consumer behaviour and consumer preferences in the purchase of high-involvement products

Sammanfattning: Problem: The complexity of high-involvement products, especially when bought online needs further studying so that a merchant-consumer dialogue and information exchange is initiated. The opportunity for both merchants and consumers lies in the profits from these dia-logues and exchanges. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate what specific features buy-ers in the traditional market believe are unsatisfactory or missing in the online market. Our findings will help us give suggestions on what actions online merchants might take in order to redistribute high-involvement purchases from the traditional market to the online mar-ket. Method: The data collection involves both a survey and interviews in order to assemble appropriate, justifiable and relevant data. In total, 150 peo-ple responded to the survey, and six of them were later objects to the in-depth interviews. To ensure that the collection of data was re-trieved consistently and reliably, and to avoid miss-interpretations, is-sues such as significance and reliability have been considered. Result: Almost twice as many respondents bought their laptop in the tradi-tional market. It is preferred due to; a rooted habit of making pur-chases traditionally, the tangibility of the product, more apparent communication with salespeople, stronger purchase sensations and instant transactions. Conclusion: The major features missing in the online market are; 1) the experien-tial sources and 2) the enjoyable sensations of a purchase found in a traditional purchase. The major unsatisfactory features include cus-tomer service, delivery and the complexity still adhered to online pur-chasing. The features have led consumers to hesitate and mistrust the online market in high-involvement purchases. In order to attain a re-distribution; buyers‟ hesitation has to be overcome and subsequently trust must be built in the capabilities of the online market.