Identifying the Ideal Types of Online Shoppers: A Qualitative Analysis of Online Shopping

Eeva Kettunen, Tiina Kemppainen, Matias Lievonen, Markus Makkonen, Lauri Frank and Tuomas Kari
Additional contact information
Eeva Kettunen: University of Jyvaskyla, Jyväskylä, Finland
Tiina Kemppainen: University of Jyvaskyla, Jyväskylä, Finland
Matias Lievonen: University of Jyvaskyla, Jyväskylä, Finland
Markus Makkonen: University of Jyvaskyla, Jyväskylä, Finland
Lauri Frank: University of Jyvaskyla, Jyväskylä, Finland
Tuomas Kari: University of Jyvaskyla, Jyväskylä, Finland

International Journal of E-Services and Mobile Applications (IJESMA), 2020, vol. 12, issue 2, 59-78

Abstract: The tremendous increase in online shopping has created a growing demand to understand online shopping behavior. This study contributes to this understanding by identifying ideal types among online shoppers. An ideal type is an analytical construct used to ascertain similarities and deviations to concrete cases in an individual phenomenon. Theoretically, the study draws from different perspectives to create a multifaceted view of online shoppers. The purpose is not to categorize online shoppers under a specific category but rather to help understand different typically occurring online shopping behaviors. Through thematic analysis of the data from 31 participants, this study presents five ideal types of online shoppers: conservative shoppers, rational shoppers, hedonistic shoppers, spontaneous shoppers, and vanguard shoppers. The formed ideal types serve as the main theoretical contribution of this study. From a practical standpoint, implications for online shop providers on how to accommodate the needs of each ideal type are provided.

Date: 2020
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://services.igi-global.com/resolvedoi/resolve. ... 18/IJESMA.2020040104 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:igg:jesma0:v:12:y:2020:i:2:p:59-78

Access Statistics for this article

International Journal of E-Services and Mobile Applications (IJESMA) is currently edited by Rajeev Dwivedi

More articles in International Journal of E-Services and Mobile Applications (IJESMA) from IGI Global
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Journal Editor ().