Sanjeev Prashar

Effects of Online Shopping Values and Website Cues on Purchase Behaviour: A Study Using S–O–R Framework:

Executive Summary The e-commerce industry in India has seen unprecedented growth in last few years. Eyeing India’s substantial e-retail opportunity across multiple segments, investors have been aggressively funding the e-commerce sector. This growth has been fuelled by rapid adoption of technology, improving standards of living, an increasing young population, and economically advancing middle class, besides increasing access to the Internet through broadband and use of smartphones and tablets. The entry of global e-commerce giants has intensified the competition for home-grown players. E-retailers use web atmospherics to differentiate themselves from their competitors and evoke positive cognitive and emotional states of online consumers. However, though this Indian online market is growing at an exponential rate, it is still unexplored in terms of its shopping behaviour. Using structural equation modelling, this study applies the concept of the stimulus–organism–response to explain Indian buyers’ online shopping behaviour, besides examining the importance of design elements in enabling website satisfaction (WS). Using a survey method to test the research model, primary data were collected from five Indian metropolitan cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad during the months of May and June 2015. Confirmatory factory analysis (CFA) was used to estimate the measurement model with respect to convergent and discriminant validities. This was followed by testing the structural model framework and research hypotheses. Findings suggest that both internal and external elements have direct influence on WS. As the mediating variable, WS affects purchase intention. This research highlights on why and how ‘satisfaction with website’ matters in the contribution of shopping values and website atmospherics to behavioural outcomes by presenting its mediating role.

Segmenting Young Indian Impulsive Shoppers

ABSTRACT With the backdrop of fastest emerging economy India and one of the top five retail markets in the world, this article has attempted to segment and profile young impulsive shoppers on the basis of behavioral, attitudinal, and situational factors that influence such buying behavior. A cross-sectional study was conducted using structured questionnaire among 448 young shoppers of age amid 18–35 years in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata, India. This study has ascertained that Indian youth market is not homogenous with respect to their impulse buying behavior. There exist five different shopper segments on the basis of the antecedent factors. This research also established a relationship between income levels and the motives behind impulsive shopping. Arguably, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first empirical study to examine and segment young Indian shoppers on the basis of their impulsiveness in buying. Mall managers and retail storeowners may use the outcome of this article as important cues for developing operational and tactical marketing plans.

Branding of geographical indications in India

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify inherent deficiencies of the geographical indications (GIs) as protective brands adding to the premium value of the products as compared to the protection guaranteed to brands under the trademark route. Whereas the former protects the attributes of the goods, the latter adds to the brand equity of the goods. The paper attempts to find means to assign a strong visible identity that creates a premium visibility for GIs to help them emerge as strong brands just like the brands envisaged for the trademarks. Design/methodology/approach – This is a qualitative research based on primary and secondary source of information. Secondary sources comprise statutory provisions of two main acts on GIs and trademarks, articles/news items available in academic/trade journals and information generated from Government of India websites. Primary research involved face-to-face interactions with practicing advocates and select holders of GIs. Information was collected on param...

A feasibility study for the development of value added services for rural healthcare

In an attempt to provide for the sustainability of a healthcare tracking and records management system implemented for rural communities, this paper conducts a field study on slum communities in India and proposes value-added-services system appropriate for such communities. The paper includes initial analysis and proposes ideas for value-added services.

Predicting Indian Shoppers’ Malls Loyalty Behaviour:

Executive Summary Mall managers tend to believe that purchasing decisions are made inside the shopping malls. These decisions, however, are influenced by various antecedent factors. This implies that shoppers look beyond the basic chore of shopping and experience while shopping plays a vital role. To attract the attention of shoppers, mall developers make huge investments in mall promotion and ambient factors in order to enhance the shopping experience. As the Indian shoppers’ euphoria about shopping malls gets toned down with time, mall managers need to focus on something more substantive. Such fundamental benefits can be offered to shoppers only if mall managers know what is more relevant for the shoppers visiting the malls. Past studies have identified a number of factors such as ambience, physical infrastructure, convenience, safety, and marketing activities. This research posits that a more optimal and focused approach in mall management requires identification of relative significance of various influencing factors. This way, mall managers would be able to offer the most meaningful benefits to shoppers at a very optimal level of investment. Once shoppers get what they value the most, they are expected to be more loyal to the shopping mall. Despite the development of various forecasting techniques, predicting mall loyalty has remained under-explored in marketing literature. This article addresses the gap by using neural network model to predict shoppers’ loyalty towards a particular mall. To gain more insights from the model, the authors have also identified relative significance of the factors impacting shoppers’ mall selection. This study establishes that mall shoppers value ‘convenience’ as the most influencing factor in their selection of malls. This factor alone garners one-third of the total weightage among the five factors, which reflects that significance of convenience is 66 per cent more than what is expected in a scenario when all determinants contribute equally. This strongly indicates that Indian mall shoppers are more utilitarian than hedonic.

Role of Shopping Values and Web Atmospherics in E-Satisfaction and Repurchase Intention

ABSTRACT Expected to touch US

Tax me not: Vodafone's plea to India

55 billion in 2016, the e-commerce market in India presents an unprecedented growth opportunity for retailers. Existing studies have identified factors influencing shoppers’ online behaviour pertaining to the developed economies. Hence, it becomes pertinent to validate these antecedents for the economies like India. The article addresses this gap by examining the role of shopping values and web atmospherics, on e-satisfaction of Indian shoppers. Using multiple regression analysis, it also examines the influence of e-satisfaction on repurchase intention. The findings suggest that effectiveness of information content has the most significant impact on e-satisfaction. Web entertainment, utilitarian values and web informativeness are the other influencing factors. Contrary to the earlier studies, this study didn’t find any influence of hedonic shopping values on shoppers’ satisfaction. Also, e-satisfaction was found to have a positive influence on repurchase intention of e-shoppers. The article suggests select strategies that can be adopted by e-retailers.

Does international tourism spur international trade and output? Evidence from wavelet analysis:

Title – Tax me not: Vodafones plea to India.Subject area – Business environment, international business management.Study level/applicability – The case is suitable for students of the business environment, and of international business management.Case overview – The case revolves around the reaction of the Finance Ministry of India on Vodafones tax case and its implications on FDI and the foreign investors who are investing in India. The core issue is the political risk(s) faced by Vodafone even after having won the tax case in the Supreme Court, the highest judiciary body in India. The Government of India has amended the law to bring the tax into retrospective mode and it signifies the impact of political decisions on business organizations.Expected learning outcomes – The case can aid in understanding the effects of changes in a political system and legal framework on the efficacy of business entities; and the importance of, and intricacies involved in, the formulation of political risk mitigating str...

Factors affecting selection of online buying website: an analytical study among the Indian youth

In this article, we attempt to examine the nexus of trade, economic growth, and international tourism. We resort to wavelet-based analysis to capture the time–frequency-based lead–lag dynamics of this nexus. Considering the monthly data spanning from January 1999 to February 2018 for the United States, we find the evidence that (a) increasing trade leads to higher tourist inflows (in terms of receipts), (b) tourist receipts are lagged by economic growth, and (c) these relationships are significant in the long term. We believe that these results are crucial for policymakers to frame policies regarding tourism in the United States.

Dove hair oil: marketing in India

As internet permeates through varied geographies and demographic clusters, the online market simultaneously has been witnessing galloping growth. In India, online buying is rapidly becoming popular and the digital impact on consumer spending is expected to be USD150 billion by 2016. Numerous online buying websites are competing to grab the share of this huge market. Further with huge amount of investment flowing into these companies, it becomes crucial for them to spend on the important aspects. This paper investigates and explains the factors that influence the choice of online buying website among youth in India. Findings of this research may be used as guidelines for the development of strategic framework by companies in the business of online shopping. As the world looks towards India and its online revolution, each website looks to capture the heart and hard disk of the digital Indian consumer.