JM Mtimkhulu, JJ Prinsloo, Stephan van Zyl
Abstract
The spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) worldwide in the year 2019 invaded every society. The pandemic interrupted and changed human activities such as world trade, education, commerce and many others. In marketing, as is the case in most societal elements, these changes have triggered a shift towards online shopping. It is thus important for marketers to examine the effects that online shopping has on consumer-buying behaviour constantly. The aim of this paper is to examine the factors that influence the online shopping behaviour of customers in Sedibeng region. The paper explored the factors that bring about changes in consumer-buying behaviour, as well as why consumers prefer shopping online compared to visiting the physical store. An online survey was used to gather quantitative data from 383 respondents using the non-probability convenience sampling method, the majority of whom are females, who are experienced in an online shopping. Mean and standard deviation statistical tools were used on responses to test for significant mean differences between consumer-buying behaviour online and factors. The results confirm that there are significant differences among factors such as COVID-19 lockdown regulations, product delivery time, and social networks that consumers strongly consider as important in an online shopping environment. The implications of the research findings to marketers and businesses indicate the importance of understanding factors that influence consumer behaviour in an online shopping environment so that they can effectively plan in order to remain competitive.