Cooperation between Final Purchasers and Offerors in the Online and Offline Environments vs. the Benefits Derived by Active Purchasers

Abstract

The purpose of article is to identify opinions on the preferred environment of cooperation between final purchasers and offerors, and to determine the benefits that the purchaser may derive from this cooperation depending on the environment in which the cooperation takes place. To prepare the theoretical part of the article, cognitive-critical analysis of the world literature on marketing, market behavior, and management was used. The results of this analysis indicate a cognitive and research gap in the area of considerations about the environment of cooperation between final purchasers and offerors and the importance of this environment in relation to the expected benefits. In order to reduce the identified gaps, empirical studies were conducted among Polish adult representatives of final purchasers, in which the survey method was used to collect primary data. The primary data collected was subjected to statistical analysis using various methods (average score analysis, exploratory factor analysis, cluster analysis) and statistical tests (e.g., the Kruskal–Wallis test). The results of the statistical analysis made it possible to verify the formulated research hypotheses. It was found, inter alia, that the majority of respondents considered offline and online environments to be equally useful for cooperation between final purchasers and offerors. More than half of the respondents appreciated benefits related to personal development (through gaining new knowledge, skills, and experience), social development (through building relationships with other people), and creating offers better suited to purchaser expectations due to influencing their shape. The preferred environment of cooperation with offerors was a feature differentiating opinions on the benefits of the following: Personal development, social development, and the possibility of obtaining an offer that better meets the expectations of purchasers. This feature did not differentiate benefits related to psychological development and material benefits. Conclusions drawn from the research have a high cognitive value (increasing knowledge about the behavior of active purchasers) and practical value (helping managers to create conditions favorable for cooperation between offerors and final purchasers).