Title: The new e-commerce freeloaders: effects on consumer behaviour and decision-making

Authors: Kip Becker, Jung-Wan Lee, Helena Nobre

Addresses: Administrative Sciences Department, Boston University, 808 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA. ' Administrative Sciences Department, Boston University, 808 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA. ' Instituto Superior de Administracao e Gestao (ISAG), Rua do Campo Alegre 1376, 4150-175 Porto, Portugal

Abstract: Differences exist among nations (Portugal, Korea, Turkey and the USA) in the amount of time spent on computers, the manner in which consumers seek information and product purchase locations. While Portuguese and USA consumers rate stores highly for items costing less than $500, search engines were second. In Korea and Turkey search engines were primary, with stores and friends second. For products over $500 stores remained primary, and company websites the second, information source. It was interesting that Turkey rated higher (for both price levels) in use of company websites than other nations, which would not have been intuitive. Since many high end firms used the dissemination of product information as a marketing advantage if consumers no longer rely on them, will these firms be able to attract a sufficient consumer base to maintain their value added pricing model?

Keywords: e-commerce; electronic commerce; freeloaders; consumer behaviour; internet buying; Portugal; South Korea; Turkey; USA; United States; online shopping; decision making; computers; consumer information; product purchasing; purchase locations; stores; shops; retail trade; item cost; search engines; company websites; information sources; price levels; high end firms; information dissemination; product information; marketing advantage; consumer base; added value; pricing models; technology marketing; online consumers; virtual consumers; mobile consumers; social consumers; world wide web.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTMKT.2010.039732

International Journal of Technology Marketing, 2010 Vol.5 No.4, pp.291 - 302

Published online: 18 Apr 2011 *

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