Order prescriptions online: Determinants of purchase satisfaction in an emerging Indian e‐pharmacy sector

Abstract

AbstractThe burgeoning Indian e‐pharmacy sector, spurred by digital commerce growth and affordable Internet access, presents a promising solution to distribution challenges, especially during the pandemic. Despite doubling online sales within a few months of lockdown and significant investments, understanding consumer behaviour in this novel domain remains crucial. This research addresses this gap by employing the stimuli–organism–response (SOR) model to conceptualize and empirically validate the determinants of customer purchase satisfaction in e‐pharmacies. In the e‐pharmacy context, stimuli encompass online cues like the perception of honesty (PH), convenience value (CV), perceived risk and quality perception. The organismic state embodies the user's propensity to purchase medications online (PPMS), whereas the response represents their customer purchase satisfaction (CPS). Employing partial least squares structural equation modelling on data from 220 consumers, this study reveals significant relationships between stimuli and PPMS and CPS. Furthermore, subjective norm moderates the influence of PH and CV on PPMS, highlighting the importance of social influence in online pharmacy decisions. These findings enrich the understanding of consumer behaviour in e‐pharmacies and demonstrate the utility of the SOR model in this context. This research contributes to both theory and practice. Theoretically, it pioneers applying the SOR model to e‐pharmacies, uncovering the interplay between environmental cues, internal states, and purchase satisfaction. Practically, the study offers valuable insights for e‐pharmacy platforms to enhance user experience and promote customer satisfaction.