Stockholm är inte hela Sverige - En kvalitativ undersökning av e-handelsbeteendet i svenska småstäder

Sammanfattning: Little is known about online consumer behaviour outside of the largest cities of Sweden. However, due to longer distances and a smaller degree of supply in physical stores, these places have great potential for online retailers. Therefore, the aim of this report was to examine the behaviours and opinions of consumers who live outside of large cities. To explore the subject, eight in-depth interviews were executed which led to several meaningful insights. Firstly, the results showed that the respondents could be further split into two groups, those who live in smaller towns in proximity to a few stores and the second group which lived in rural areas far from all types of shopping. Those in rural areas had an overall more positive view of online shopping, while individuals in smaller towns did not see the same potential in the sales channel. Furthermore, consumers in rural areas found the supply available in smaller towns less favourable due to a higher travel cost, while individuals who lived in the centre of small towns were more likely to settle. The results also showed that most respondents lived nearby a delivery point which made the online shopping process simple. However, the online shopping behaviour was greatly affected for those who had a longer distance to delivery points. No support was found that retailers with physical stores nearby the consumers led to greater trust online, nor were they more likely to be top of mind than other e-tailers. The research also shows that the group of respondents made less online returns than average in Sweden, which seems to be due to a higher degree of planning before making purchases online. Moreover, webrooming was found to be common in spite of the longer distances. Finally, individuals with a greater interest in fashion and shopping chose the online channel more often than others. The finding contradicts previous research which states that the level of interest in shopping does not have an impact on the channel choice, however the limited supply seems to have an effect on the behaviour.