The Purchase Decision Process Revisited
The Role of the Internet on Swedish Consumer Behaviour
InternetInformation searchConsumer behaviourGender differencesManagement of enterprisesFöretagsledningManagementBusiness and Economics
The aim of the thesis was to provide further understanding on how Swedish consumers use the Internet as an information source in their purchase decision process. The subject was investigated from different perspectives: gender, product type and information type. The authors used a quantitative approach, and a survey (n=120) was conducted. It was concluded that men and women are equally influenced by traditional word-of-mouth, but more men than women search for product information online and they are more likely to let their purchase decision to be influenced by it. Women tend more to trust commercial sources. The respondents displayed a distinct preference for information of objective nature, such as price and functional information, and a scepticism towards subjective information, as the credibility of such is difficult to determine. Despite a significant difference in average price, an equal number of camera buyers and computer buyers searched for information online. Computer buyers showed a tendency towards trusting word-of-mouth sources, whereas camera buyers tended to rely more on consumer information sources.