Online Shopping Attitude of Indian Tier 2 Consumers

Abstract

This study explores the antecedents to online shopping attitude formation that is typical to Indian tier 2 consumers. Qualitative research has been carried out and semi-structured depth interviews were conducted. The grounded theory approach has been used for analysis and a conceptual framework has been developed. Based on the overall analysis, the model depicted the causal antecedents and outcome of online shopping attitude. The findings from this study reveal that online shopping is not limited to a purely convenience-oriented patronage and is rather influenced by a much more holistic approach leading to the attitude formation in tier 2 consumers. The study identified 5 major antecedents to online shopping attitudes specific to Indian tier 2 cities. This study holds meaningful insights for internet marketers and e-commerce business strategist. In particular, for the marketers the study suggests that non-metro cities can no longer be overlooked as they have emerged as significant markets for the future.