Meenakshi Handa

Young Adults of India-Online Surfers or Online Shoppers

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the online behavior of young adults of India. A total of 115 Internet users from 18 to 25 years of age were surveyed from the National Capital Region of Delhi, India. Results showed that young adults of India are mainly online surfers and not online shoppers. These people have a lack of knowledge and experience with online shopping. Therefore, a very small percentage of these young adults shop online and they purchase only low-cost items. They do not trust online shopping and feel that lack of touch and feel discourage their online shopping. Based on research findings, we have suggested ways to encourage online shopping by young adults. The recommendations in this article may be of value to management students, academics, and online marketers.

Gender Influence on the Innovativeness of Young Urban Indian Online Shoppers

The objective of this paper is to study the influence of gender on consumer innovativeness of college going young online shoppers of urban India. Open processing innovativeness is measured by adapting the scale developed by Joseph and Vyas (1984) while the domain specific innovativeness is measured by using the scale developed by Citrin (2000) for Internet shopping. Survey of 150 young online shoppers reveals that gender has no influence on the innovativeness of online shoppers. Both males and females have a higher score for domain specific innovativeness as compared to the open processing innovativeness. They are not very innovative in general but, nevertheless are experimental with respect to new retail websites. They surf new retail websites but are hesitant to shop from new online retailers. Based on our research findings, we have suggested the measures by which marketers can encourage young shoppers to visit and shop more frequently from new retail websites. The recommendations in this paper will be of value to the online marketers, consumer researchers and academicians.

A Study of the Relationship between Shopping Orientation and Online Shopping Behavior among Indian Youth

The increasing use of the Internet by young adults in emerging markets such as India provides an opportunity for marketers to tap an underdeveloped segment of young net users. A better understanding of the drivers of online shopping behavior among young adults can enable online marketers to design more effective marketing strategies. The present research explores the relationship between shopping orientation of young adults in India and their online shopping behavior in terms of online shopping adoption and frequency. Primary data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire from 831 college students. The study finds a significant difference in the entertainment, experiential and convenience orientation of online and non-online shoppers. Trial and frequent online shoppers also differ in the extent of entertainment orientation but no significant difference is found in their experiential or convenience orientation. Based on the findings, recommendations are made for encouraging young adults to shop online.

Perception of physicians towards pharmaceutical promotion in India

Pharmaceutical firms spend a significant amount of their budget on promotions. Thus, it becomes imperative to study the perception of physicians, at whom a major share of these promotional efforts ...

Customers’ quality perceptions towards online railway reservation services in India: an exploratory study

With increased globalisation, technology is witnessing growing application and acceptance across service delivery platforms. Service organisations are using technology for improving their service quality and customer service culture by developing profitable, long-term relationships with customers (Webster, 1992; Achrol, 1997; Gounaris, 2005). Delivery of superior service quality is an important determinant of success in the service industry. An exploratory research was conducted to study customer experience of the online reservation system of the Indian railways. The purpose was to understand the customers perception regarding technology deployment in improving services. Dimensions of the service quality model (Parasuraman et al., 1988) were used for understanding perceptions regarding the online railway reservation system. The study indicates that though the service is gaining acceptability in the country, there still exists considerable scope for improvement in customer experience with regard to the various service quality dimensions for the online reservation system. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations for improvement in various aspects of the service are stated.

Pharmaceutical retailers and promotion by pharmaceutical companies in India

PurposePharmaceutical firms target their promotion to physicians, chemists and patients. Chemists are an important entity in pharmaceutical marketing. Despite this there exists very little research on the promotional tools aimed at chemists. Thus, it becomes important for the marketers to study the perception of chemists towards the promotion tools being used by the pharmaceutical companies. The current study attempts to study the promotional tools used by pharmaceutical industry aimed at chemists. Authors also try to study the influence of these promotional tools on decisions to place orders.MethodologyA structured questionnaire was developed for collecting primary data to meet the objectives of the study. List of chemists has been compiled after obtaining the Chemist-Must-See-List from a few pharmaceutical companies operating in Delhi. In all, 250 chemists were approached through convenience sampling and 197 usable questionnaires were received.FindingsMedical representatives, gifts and schemes influence...

Need for uniqueness as antecedents to purchase behaviour amongst Indian youth PAPER RETRACTED

In the developing countries there has been a transition in social values and aspirations of the consumers. This may be attributed to changing lifestyles due to globalisation and awareness about self. Our research was targeted for measuring need for uniqueness (NFU) in Indian youth and their attitudes towards purchase of luxury brand as their expression of individuality. Our research findings suggest that Indian youth did not exhibit high NFU however; luxury brands for them do connote status and expression of individuality. The Indian social system has been witnessing an evolution from traditional family centric values towards more of individual-centric values, thus the trait of NFU and expression of self-identity amongst Indian youth may become more prominent in the future. While marketing global luxury brands in India, advertising may play a major role for creating and conveying a new identity to the consumers while maintaining a balance with traditional family value systems.

Need for uniqueness and consumption behaviour for luxury brands amongst Indian youth PAPER RETRACTED

The purpose of the research was to examine the Indian youths need for uniqueness (NFU) and their attitudes towards luxury brand as an expression of individuality. A primary research was conducted amongst Indian University students to ascertain their NFU and perception of luxury brands. It was apparent that while the NFU is not very high amongst the Indian youth, luxury brands do symbolise status and individuality to them and serve a value- expressive function. As the Indian social system is witnessing a transition from traditional family driven values to more of western and individual-centric values, NFU and expression of self-identity amongst Indian youth may also become more marked. While marketing global luxury brands in India, advertising may be focused towards conveying a new identity to the consumers yet maintaining a balance with traditional norms and value systems.