Online Shopping, Consumer Behaviour and Ethical/Sustainable Consumption

Dear Colleagues,

Since the internet has become a part and parcel of our existence, many social interactions like shopping and sharing experience of a product or service have also found their place online. The shift in consumer behaviours and shopping practices have a profound impact on individuals, businesses and societies.

Consumers enjoy the flexibility of browsing the stores, searching for bargain and shopping 24/7. Businesses have the opportunity to reach out to wider consumer base at the same time having the ability to offer personalized products and services to meet consumers’ needs. However, increased online shopping and changes in consumer behavior raise a number of concerns. Evidence shows that increased online shopping is correlated with decline of footfall on high street and increased number of shops being shut down. For example, in the UK alone, a net 1,123 stores disappeared in the first half of 2018 compared with a 222 store loss over the equivalent period of 2017 (PwC 2018). Shops which could not compete with the online provision are being hit the hardest. Online shopping also brings negative impact to environment through excessive packaging waste and more delivery vehicles on the road (Laghaei et al. 2016, Belavina et al. 2017). Nevertheless, online shopping only accounts for a small proportion of retail revenue (Statista 2018). Risk perceptions regarding Internet privacy and security have been identified as key factors influence consumers’ online shopping activity (Miyazaki and Fernandez 2001).

The aim of the special issue is to gain a better understanding of online shopping behavior and the implication it might have on local businesses, society and the environment. The topics for the special issue include, but are not limited to:

• Online consumer behavior;
• Online shopping via different online platforms (e.g. e-commerce vs. social media site);
• Decision making process online;
• Interaction between consumers and retailers online;
• Factors influence online shopping practices;
• How risk perceptions in online shopping being negotiated and mitigated;
• How small and independent retailers engage in online marketing activities;
• Implications of online shopping behaviours on local businesses and town centres;
• Implications of online shopping on individual lifestyle, wellbeing and the environment;
• New theoretical implications of online shopping.

References

Belavina, E., Girotra, K. and Kabra, A., 2017. Online Grocery Retail: Revenue Models and Environmental Impact. Management Science, 63(6): 1781–1799.

Laghaei, J., Faghri, A. and Li, M., 2016. Impacts of home shopping on vehicle operations and greenhouse gas emissions: multi-year regional study. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 23(5): 381–391.

Miyazaki, A. D. and Fernandez, A., 2001. Consumer Perceptions of Privacy and Security Risks for Online Shopping. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 35(1): 27–44.

PwC, 2018. Store openings and closures - H1 2018. . Retail and Consumers Insights [Online] PwC.

Statista, 2018. Online-Shopping and E-Commerce worldwide: Statistics & Facts. The Statistic Portal.

Best wishes,

Dr. Dong Hoang
Dr. Jennifer Ferreira
Guest Editors

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• online shopping
• consumer behaviour
• sustainable consumption