6533b835fe1ef96bd129ea29
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Identifying the Ideal Types of Online Shoppers : A Qualitative Analysis of Online Shopping
Tuomas KariTiina KemppainenEeva KettunenMatias LievonenMakkonen MarkusLauri Franksubject
MarketingIdeal (set theory)ostokäyttäytyminenComputer Networks and CommunicationsverkkokauppaStrategy and Management05 social sciencesAdvertisingIdeal typeComputer Science ApplicationsManagement Information SystemsQualitative analysisasiakkaatCategorization0502 economics and businessVanguard050211 marketingThematic analysisPsychologyConstruct (philosophy)050203 business & managementdescription
The tremendous increase in online shopping has created a growing demand to understand online shopping behavior. This study contributes to this understanding by identifying ideal types among online shoppers. An ideal type is an analytical construct used to ascertain similarities and deviations to concrete cases in an individual phenomenon. Theoretically, the study draws from different perspectives to create a multifaceted view of online shoppers. The purpose is not to categorize online shoppers under a specific category but rather to help understand different typically occurring online shopping behaviors. Through thematic analysis of the data from 31 participants, this study presents five ideal types of online shoppers: conservative shoppers, rational shoppers, hedonistic shoppers, spontaneous shoppers, and vanguard shoppers. The formed ideal types serve as the main theoretical contribution of this study. From a practical standpoint, implications for online shop providers on how to accommodate the needs of each ideal type are provided.
year | journal | country | edition | language |
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2020-04-01 |