ONLINE SHOPPING PERCEIVED RISKS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: ON THE STUDENT’S CASE FOR THE APPAREL AND FOOTWEAR

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to develop and test a methodological approach to assess the impact of the online shopping perceived risks during the COVID-19 pandemic: on the student’s case for apparel and footwear. The study used a set of general and special methods of cognition: logical generalization, qualimetric comparison, taxonomic and index analysis, graphical visualization, scientific abstraction, and systematization of data. Online shopping is now a widespread and popular sales channel of an extremely large range of consumer goods in almost all regions and countries of the world, especially in developing countries. The online sales segment in the Ukrainian apparel and footwear market has high growth rates and development prospects. The purpose of the article is to determine the perceived risks while shopping Apparel and Footwear (AF) online during a COVID-19 pandemic. To collect primary information, 634 students of Ukrainian and foreign universities were surveyed. Information processing was carried out by applying methods of mathematical statistics. The main conclusions of the study relate to both the theoretical foundations of consumer behavior and their practical aspects. Firstly, the majority of respondents, regardless of the difference in their socio-demographic characteristics, positively perceive online shopping as a protective measure against infection with the COVID-19 virus. Secondly, as for consumer sentiment in the post-quarantine period, we can expect further growth of Internet trade in AF, as almost a third of respondents are going to buy more than before quarantine, and their number is 2-3 times higher than the number of those who have the intention to buy less. Thirdly, the ranking of perceived risks while shopping AF online allowed us to identify the most important ones, namely the risks associated with the product itself (risks of improper quality of goods, and financial ones) and the risk caused by the online shopping process - the risk of unsuccessful return of goods to the seller. This study provides practical confirmation for understanding the risks of online trade-in AF. The results of the study will contribute to the adoption of scientifically based decisions by the management of online stores and future research of online shopping processes by scientists.