Introduction

Production and marketing of goods and services are the essence of economic life in
any society. All organizations perform these two basic functions to satisfy their commitments
to their stakeholders – the owners, the customers and the society, at large. They create a
benefit that economists call utility which is the want-satisfying power of a good or service.
There are four basic kinds of utility – form, time, place and ownership utility. Form utility is
created when the firm converts raw materials and component inputs into finished goods and
services. Although marketing provides important inputs that specify consumer preference, the
organization’s production function is responsible for the actual creation of form utility.
Marketing function creates time, place and ownership utilities. Time and place utility occur
when consumers find goods and services available when and where they want to purchase
them. Online retailers with 24*7 format emphasize time utility. Vending machines focus on
providing place utility for people buying snacks and soft drinks. The transfer of title to goods
or services at the time of purchase creates ownership utility.

Define marketing?
The management process through which goods and services move from concept to the
customer. It includes the coordination of four elements
4 P's of marketing:
(1) identification, selection and development of a product,
(2) determination of its price,
(3) selection of a distribution channel to reach the customer's place, and
(4) development and implementation of a promotional strategy.

Definition: - Kotler had defined the marketing as “the social process by which individuals
and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and
value with others”.
The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) has given the definition for marketing as
“marketing is the management process that identifies, anticipates and satisfies customer
requirements profitably.”

1
Important elements that can be understood from the concept of marketing
are:
 Marketing focuses on the satisfaction of customer needs, wants and requirements.
 The philosophy of marketing needs to be owned by everyone from within the
organization.
 Future needs have to be identified and anticipated.
 There is normally a focus upon profitability, especially in the corporate sector.
However, as public sector organizations and not-for-profit organizations adopt the
concept of marketing, this need not always be the case.
 In this context, I selected the title “A DELIBERATION ON HOW DISCOUT
RATES EFFECT EMPTOR’S BUYING COMPORTMENT” as my
DELIBERATION in order to get the practical knowledge regarding marketing
concept. In addition to understand the ground reality of any business irrespective of
the field the practical knowledge of marketing is essential. The study is all about hoe
customer buying behavior affected by the discount rates.

Today customer is the foundation of the business. Without customer, the businesses cannot
survive in the market. If a business man fails to satisfy the customer, simply he is thrown
away by the customer from the market.

During the last 30 years the access of personal computers has increased all over the
world. Along with the development of new technology and computers, the ability to connect
computers all over the world emerged in the 1970s. This worldwide computer network was
called the Internet. Along with the Internet an opportunity has emerged; the possibility to
make purchases online which is called Electronic commerce (E-commerce), and is defined
as;

“Maintaining business relationships and selling information, services and commodities by

means of computer telecommunications networks.”

The recent rapid growth of E-commerce has resulted in that many companies have
decided to start up web sites for E-commerce. For companies targeting a younger audience,
the startup of a web site for E-commerce is probably a good strategic move, since young
adults are frequent Internet users. But for companies targeting an older group, the success of
the web site depend of the ability and willingness of middle aged consumers to shop online.

2
Generally, men make purchases online more frequently than women do and younger
consumers purchase online products more often than older consumers, based on this, older
women should be the least probable consumers in an online environment. What does older
women’s Internet purchasing behavior actually look like, and how can it be increased?

Men purchase products through the Internet more often than women do, 55 percent of
men bought a product online in 2006 versus 46 percent of women. The reason for this
difference might be the focus of most Internet business, which mostly has men as their target
group. The research of Belanger et al (2002), support the notion of men as more frequent
online buyers than women. Their research also concluded computer use, email use, prior web
use and access to a credit card as significant determinants of online purchasing. The gender
issue is also supported by study which revealed women to be less content with online
shopping than men.

Online shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly

purchase products or services from seller over the internet using web browser . Online
shopping provides all type of goods to be available in the virtual world. It is just like a shop
in the neighborhood, selling all type of goods but with some prominent differences. Here one
can access these shops any time without stepping out of their home /office. It can be accessed
any time when you are on the move, relaxing in your home or having a time out at your
office. Here all the products are displayed with the price and detailed mention of the features.
Potential customers can have a look at them, analyze what other similar online shopping
outlets are offering and can get the best deal out of it.

Nowadays, the concept “DIC” i.e. double income couples are becoming all the more
prominent in India. With the long working hours and increased distances to travel, they are
not having enough time to devote it to shopping as people don't feel like going out for buying
day to day things after a very hectic day at office. They want to reserve it for other works like
socializing, entertainment etc. Now the companies are coming up with the ways so that this
section of society can be tapped to the maximum and only way to attract them is just a click
away and that too at any time 24X7. Moreover, this is located in the virtual world and can be
accessed any time when you are watching your favourite TV show or having a coffee break at
office. This is the online shopping concept

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 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main objectives of this study were;

 To explore individual characteristics of women online shoppers;

 To assess whether these women characteristics induce a shopping online; and
 The main objective is just those who shop online more whether men or women.
 Their main aim is diversity products portfolio into home appliances, electronics, etc

We then construct a research framework and data collection. This is followed by data
analysis and the discussion of the findings. Managerial implications and future research
directions are suggested.

4
 NEED FOR THE STUDY

 In today’s world, people don’t have time to do tradition shopping. By using E-commerce
web sites they can avail service 24*7 according to their convenience by saving cost, time,
period etc..,

 This study mainly focuses on the awareness among the society about E-commerce websites

 There is also need to analysis of women’s behaviour in online on the basis of age group of
users, maximum number of products purchased.

 To know the number of users in the online either women or men

 To know the method of payment, which is more i.e., like credit card, debit card, net banking,
online payment, wallet, cash on delivery etc..,

5
 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

Rajamahendravaram city as the main area for the research purpose:

1. The study is limited to Rajamahendravaram city only.

2. The sample size does not give clear representation of the total universe.

3. The study is going to tell about women’s online purchasing behaviour with reference to the
flipkart.com

4. The analysis is deeply going on Flipkart because considered for; it is number one site in the
India. It have royalty and brand.

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 RESEARCH DESIGN & METHODOLOGY

The research is based upon primary and secondary data both.

Primary data:-

The primary data was collected through a questionnaire designed exclusively for the study.
The questionnaire was designed to collect information about demographic profile of the
respondents such as age, gender, education and family monthly income. In addition to this
various questions related to the knowledge and experience about online shopping, reason for
choosing online shopping, type of products purchased online, factors affecting consumer's
behaviour while online shopping etc…,

Secondary data:-

Secondary data was taken from research papers, Journals, magazines and websites.

Sample size: - 42

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 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

It was difficult to find respondents as they busy in their schedule and collection data was very
difficult.
Therefore, the study has to be carried out based on the availability of respondents.
The sample size does not give clear representation of the total universe..
Some of respondents were not ready to fill the questionnaire and
Some of respondents were not ready to come out openly.

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 INDUSTRY PROFILE

Flipkart an e-Commerce company founded in the year 2007, by Mr. SachinBansal and
BinnyBansalboth alumni of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. They had been
working for Amazon.com previously. It operates exclusively in India, where it is
headquartered in Bangalore, Karnataka. It is registered in Singapore, and owned by a
Singapore based holding company. Started with an initial capital of four lakhs it now aims for
annual turnover of around Rs.4500 crores. Flipkart has launched its own product range under
the name “DigiFlip”,Flipkart also recently launched its own range of personal healthcare and
home appliances under the brand “Citron”. During its initial years, Flipkart focused only on
books, and soon as it expanded, it started offering other products like electronic goods, air
conditioners, air coolers, stationery supplies and life style products and e-books.

HISTORY AND GROWTH OF FLIPKART:-

Flipkart is not an Indian company since it is registered in Singapore and majority of

its shareholders are foreigners. Because foreign companies are not allowed to do multi-brand
e-retailing in India, Flipkart sells goods in India through a company called WS Retail. Other
third-party sellers or companies can also sell goods through the Flipkart platform. Flipkart
now employs more than 15000 people. Flipkart allows payment methods such as cash on
delivery, credit or debit card transactions, net banking, e-gift voucher and card swipe on
delivery.

Flipkart is presently one of the largest online retailers in India, present across more
than 14 product categories & with a reach in around 150 cities. Flipkart is currently a 10,000
member strong team, with 3000 sellers on its platform and delivering 5 million shipments per
month. Flipkart’s ‘Big Billion Day’ sale helped the company to achieve record single day
sales of Rs. 600 Crores on Monday It made its presence felt in online retailing by offering
path breaking services like Cash on Delivery (COD), 30 Day replacement Guarantee, EMI
options, Flipkart mobile app , etc.

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 OBJECTIVES:-

 The main objective is not just those who shop online .They want to highlight the convenience
of e- commerce to traditional offline shoppers and thus help grow the market.
 Their main aim is diversity products portfolio into home appliances, electronics, etc.
 The main target is stronger supply chain and aggressive acquisitions.
 The main target in 2020 is entering global market.

MARKETING STRATEGY:-

a) Flipkartas been mostly marketed by word of mouth.

b) Customer satisfaction has been their best market medium.
c) Flipkart very wisely used SEO (Search Engine Optimization)& Google Ad-words as the
marketing tools to have a far reach in the online world.
d) All in all to create a great customer experience. Kids were used to create the adverts to send
out the message -if a kid can do it, we can also do it.

BRAND AWARENESS:-

Brand Awareness is key success factor in the market. Flipkart is the industry leading
with 80% market share having a very high Brand Awareness and lowest price.

BRAND LOYALTY:-

Excellent user experience on the e-commerce website in term of usability speed

clarity will enhance the loyalty of existing customer and move a step ahead of brand
awareness towards customer retention.

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 COMPANY PROFILE

Flipkart is an E-Commerce company founded in 2007 by SachinBansal and BinnyBansal. It

is registered in Singapore and it operates in India, where it is headquartered in Bangalore,
Karnataka. Flipkart has launched its own product range under the name "DigiFlip" with
products including tablets, USBs, and laptop bags.In May 2014, Flipkart received $210
million from DST Global and in July it raised $1 billion led by existing investors Tiger
Global and South Africa's media group Naspers. Flipkart's last fundraising round in
December had pegged its valuation at $12 billion.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE:-

According to Mohanapriya.s “Online shopping has grown in popularity over the years
mainly because people find it convenient from the comfort of their home or office.

One of the most enticing factor about online shopping is popularity during a holiday season,
it alleviates the need to wait in long lines or search from store to store for a particular item.

The main scope of the study is to know about customer satisfaction towards online shopping.
The present study reveals about reasons for preferring an online website and satisfaction
towards online websites”.

FLIPKART’S SUCCESS MANTRA:-

 Flipkart users are most satisfied than that of their competitors great customer service
has been its hallmark.
 The user interface is sleek and easy to use.
 Cash on delivery creates trust in the mind of Indian customers who are always have
feared of making payments online.
 Flip kart focuses on providing the relevant information possible into every single
page.
 Easy understandable gateway of payment
 Clear description is there for each product
 Different angles of each picture

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FUTURE ROAD MAP:-

Everything except for groceries and automobiles will be available on flip kart in future. They
will look at bigger investments in their supply chain. To enter into various new categories and
expand the categories also.

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 THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK

This framework is most suitable to our investigation because the understanding of the
determinants of women’s attitude has both a direct and positive effect on women’s intentions
to actually use the Internet for shopping suggested, we integrated additional factors including
‘control’. These factors are proposed to act as significant determinants for ‘ease of use’
introduced ‘consumer traits’ and ‘situational influences’ to the TAM framework, resulting in
their attitudinal model of technology-based self-service. Although various researchers have
modified the original TAM framework to suit their investigation, apart from ‘ease of use’,
‘usefulness’, and ‘enjoyment’, we integrated six factors for understanding women’s
intentions to shop online including ‘consumer traits’, ‘situational factors’, ‘product
characteristic’, ‘previous online shopping experience’, ’trust in online shopping’, and
‘product attributes’.

Framework for consumers’ intention to shop online:-

Dellaert et al. (2004) have constructed the „framework for consumers‟ intentions to
shop online‟. Dellaert et al (2004) developed this model based on TAM. This model was
chosen to be included in the study because it is an extension of the original TAM and applied
to the E-commerce context. Compared to the previous mentioned modified model, this one is
more extended, as the authors of this model have added more factors to TAM than the
previous mentioned one.

The authors of this thesis have chosen to use this model as it relates to computer
knowledge, and positive and negative issues with online shopping. The factors „usefulness‟
and „ease of use‟ are related to computer knowledge. „Enjoyment‟ is related to the positive
outcome of online shopping. Trust in online shopping is related to potential negative aspects
of E-commerce. This model also includes „situational factors‟ and „consumer
characteristics‟, which also are important factors that affects the consumer’s online
purchasing behavior.

As this model included more factors than the „extended TAM for online shopping‟,
it was used as a foundation for some of the questions in the questionnaire, in which the online
purchasing behavior was mapped out. Common for the both modified models are that they
both have added „enjoyment‟ and „trust‟ to the original TAM. This is why the two models
are interesting to compare in the analysis of the research findings.

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Usefulness:-

Usefulness is defined as the perception of the individual that his or her performance
will be improved or enhanced by using the new technology. It classifies the new technology
as shopping on the Internet and the individual’s performance as the outcome of the online
shopping experience. In their interpretation of the model, „usefulness‟ refers to the
perceptions of the consumers that by using the Internet as a shopping means, the outcome of
their shopping experience will be enhanced.

Ease of Use:-

According to Dellaert et al. (2004), and their extension of the TAM model, „ease of
use‟ implies that the consumer perceive the online shopping to require a minimum of effort.
The difference between „ease of use‟ and „usefulness‟ is that „ease of use‟ is more focused
on the consumers‟ perception of the process that leads to the final shopping outcome,
whereas „usefulness‟ refers to only the outcome of the online shopping experience. It can be
concluded, in a simplified manner, that „ease of use‟ is how easy the Internet is to use as a
tool for shopping, and „usefulness‟ describes how effective online shopping is in helping
consumers in completing their task.

Enjoyment:-

In their modified model, Dellaert et al. (2004), refer to the factor enjoyment as the
outcome of the playfulness and fun of the online shopping experience. This is compared to
only shopping for the completion of the task shopping in itself. According to Dellaert et al.
(2004), the actual purchasing of goods might be subsidiary to the actual experience of
shopping online. Due to this, consumers‟ perceptions concerning the potential entertainment
of online shopping is reflected by the factor „enjoyment.

Consumer traits:-

To understand why consumers choose to shop online one needs to address different
consumer traits, such as „personality characteristics‟ and „demographic factors.Gender is
another factor that is relevant for attitudes among consumers to perform online shopping. In
general, men are more interested in using different types of technologies in their shopping
process. Female consumers prefer to use a catalog when shopping from their homes, whereas
men are more positive towards using the Internet as a shopping means. However, those

14
female consumers that do perform online shopping, tend to do this more frequently than men
that are using the Internet as a shopping means.

Education is a third factor that is relevant in the relationship between the three basic
determinants and the attitudes of the consumers to shop online. Consumers with higher
education are more likely to feel comfortable using non-store channels for shopping. -income
households often correlates positive with possessions of computers and Internet access. They
also correlate positively with consumers with higher level of education. Consumers with
higher levels of income also intend to shop online to a larger extent.

Situational factors:-
The attitude towards online shopping becomes less important because the main drive
for online shopping is that it is always available and time saving. The situational factors lack
of mobility and geographical distance are also important for consumers to shop online. Some
consumers are not able to visit traditional stores due to illness or large travel distances

Previous online shopping experiences:-

There is a positive relationship between consumers‟ previous Internet shopping
experience and their intensions to shop online. Previous research findings demonstrate that
intensions towards online shopping are directly influenced by prior online shopping
experience.

Product characteristics:-
Consumers‟ attitudes towards shopping online are also influenced by the
characteristics of the product or service that is under consideration. For example clothing, the
customer has a need to feel, touch and try them on and these types of products can therefore
be difficult to purchase over the Internet. This entails that more standardized products like
books, CD‟s and videotapes are more likely to be considered for online shopping

Trust in online shopping:-

Online shopping involves more uncertainty and risk than traditional shopping and
the lack of „trust‟ in Internet shopping is still an unresolved issue for consumers who intend
to shop online.

Due to the lowered risk involved in exchanging information, a high level of privacy and
security in the Internet shopping experience will affect consumer trust in a positive way. The

15
level of trust is generally positively related to the attitudes and intentions of the consumers to
shop online. At the same time, abuse of consumers‟ trust in online shopping will have a
negative effect on consumers‟ attitudes towards online shopping.

Assessing Women’s Apparel Shopping Behaviour on the Internet:-

This investigation evaluates women’s attitude as an overall inclination towards

apparel shopping online. Its findings suggest that women generally show positive attitudes
towards shopping online for apparel. Women who shop for apparel online are aware of some
of the discouraging features of online shopping, but these features do not deter them from
buying online. The implication for online retailers is that they should focus on making the
experience of online shopping more accommodating and more user-friendly. This is
important because the positive features of online shopping (‘convenience’, ‘usefulness’, ’ease
of use’, and ‘efficiency’) appear to be more important than the negative features (‘lack of
security’, ‘privacy of information’ and ‘online fraud’).

Offline and Online Consumer Decision-making Process:-

The process of making decision are very similar whether the consumer is offline or
online. But one some major differences are shopping environment and marketing
communication. According to traditional consumer decision model, Consumer purchase
decision typically starts with need awareness, then information search, alternative
evaluations, deciding to purchase and finally, post-purchasing behavior.

In terms of online communication, when customers see banner ads or online promotion, these
advertisements may attract customers’ attention and stimulate their interesting particular
products. Before they decide to purchase, they will need additional information to help them
out. If they do not have enough information, they will search through online channels, e.g.,
online catalogs, websites, or search engines. When customers have enough information, they
will need to compare those choices of products or services. In the search stage, they might
look for the product reviews or customer comments. They will find out which brand or
company offers them the best fit to their expectation.

16
A Framework of Online Consumer Decision:-

When consumers want to buy product, they will look at the brand and the characteristics of
product or service. Some products can be purchased and shipped easily online such as,
software, books. On the other hand, some products are hard to decide through online channel.
Web site features, firm capabilities, marketing communication stimuli, and consumer skills
are also important, in terms of the proposed framework.

When consumers want to buy product, they will look at the brand and the characteristics of
product or service. Some products can be purchased and shipped easily online such as,
software, books. On the other hand, some products are hard to decide through online channel.
Web Site feature is one of the important things that can influence consumers to buy product
online.

17
 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

The following table shows the demographic profile of the respondents..,

Table 1:-

Basic factors Categorization No. of Respondents % of total sample

Male 26 61.90

Gender Female 16 38.10

Total 42 100

Table 1 shows that; Ratio of male consumers is very high in online shopping (61.90%).

Table 2:-

Basic factors categorization No. of Respondents % of total sample

18-30years 22 52.38

31-40years 11 26.19

Age 41-50years 7 16.67

Above 50 years 2 4.76

Total 42 100

This shows that, the number of more persons who age 18 – 30 years

18
Table 3:-

Education of respondents;

Basic factors Categorization No. of Respondents % of total sample

High school/diploma 4 9.52

Under-graduation
9 21.42

Education
Post-graduation 27 64.28

Others 2 4.78

Total 42 100

Table 3 shows that; Correlation is also done on education to see the trend of online shoppers
with different education levels, the result showed that which is very high positive correlation
between education and attitudes towards online shopping and would indicate that higher
education makes online shopping more attractive.

19
Table 4:-

Experience of online shopping:-

particulars No.of Respondents % of respondents

Below 1year 4 9.52

1-2 years 19 45.23

3-4 years 11 26.19

Above 5 years 8 19.06

Total 42 100

experience of online shopping

20 1-2 years, 19

18

16

14
no of respondents

12 3-4 years, 11

10
Above 5 years, 8
8

6
Below 1year, 4
4

Table 4 shows that; Max. People have an experience of 1-2 years of online shopping
(45.23%)

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Table 5:-

Reasons for choosing online shopping

particulars No.of Respondents % of respondents

Wide Varity of products 12 28.57

Different types of payments 1 2.38

Lower prices 3 7.14

Easy buying products 22 52.38

More discounts 4 9.53

Total 42 100

reasons for choosing online shopping

25 Easy buying
products, 22

20
no of respondents

15 Wide Varity of
products, 12

10

5
Lower prices, 3
Different types of
payments, 1
0
1

This one shows that; mostly people felt that online shopping has easy buying procedures
(52.38%)

21
Table 6:-

Products purchased in online shopping,

particulars No.of Respondents % of respondents

Books 12 28.57

CD/video 6 14.28

Soft wares 0 0

Gifts 6 14.28

Tickets 1
2.38

Clothes 1 2.38

Gadgets 16 38.11

Total
42 100

18
16
16
14
12
12
10
8
6 6
6
4
2 1 1
0
0

Books CD/video Soft wares Gifts Tickets Clothes Gadgets

This
one shows that; majority of the respondents preferred in online available gadgets(38.11%)

22
Table 7:-

Online shopping saves time,

particulars No. of Respondents % of respondents

Strongly agree 12 28.57

Agree 21 50.00

Neutral 2 4.76

Disagree 7 16.67

Strongly disagree 0 0

Total 42 100

25

21
20

15
12

10
7

5
2
0
0

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

This one is shows that; majority people agreed that the online shopping saves time(78.57%)

23
Table 8:-

Online shopping saves money

particulars No. of Respondents % of respondents

Strongly agree 9 21.42

Agree 21 50.00

Neutral 3 7.14

Disagree 7 16.67

Strongly disagree 2 4.77

Total 42 100

25

21
20

15

10 9
7

5
3
2

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

This one is shows that; 71.42% majority of people agreed that the online shopping saves
money

24
Table 9:-

Online shopping is risky

particulars No.of.respondents % of respondents

Strongly agree 3 7.14

Agree 5 11.90

Neutral 4 9.52

Disagree 22 52.38

Strongly disagree 8 19.06

Total 42 100

25
22

20

15

10
8

5
5 4
3

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

This one is shows that; 71.44% majority of people not agreed that the online shopping is
risky

25
Table 10:-

It is easy to choose and make comparison with other products while shopping online..,

particulars No. of Respondents % of respondents

Strongly agree 11 26.19

Agree 21 50.00

Neutral 2 4.76

Disagree 7 16.67

Strongly disagree 0 0

Total 42 100

25

21
20

15

11
10
7

5
2
0
0

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

This one is shows that; 76.19% majority of people agreed that It is easy to choose and make
comparison with other products while shopping online.

26
Table 11:-

Get on-time delivery by shopping online..,

particulars No. of Respondents % of respondents

Strongly agree 7 16.67

Agree 23 54.76

Neutral 8 19.04

Disagree 3 7.14

Strongly disagree 1 2.39

Total 42 100

25 23

20

15

10 8
7

5 3
1
0

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

This one is shows that ; majority people agreed that Get on-time delivery by shopping online
(71.43%)

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Table 12:-

The website design helps in searching the product easily..,

particulars No. of Respondents % of respondents

Strongly agree 23 54.76

Agree 11 26.19

Neutral 5 11.90

Disagree 2 4.76

Strongly disagree 1 2.55

Total 42 100

25
23

20

15

11
10

5
5
2
1
0

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

This one is shows that; 80.95% majority of people agreed that the website design helps in
searching the product easily.

28
Table 13:-

Recommendations to non-online buyers for online shopping..,

particulars No. of Respondents % of respondents

Recommended 34 80.95

Not- recommended 8 19.05

Total 42 100

40

35 34

30

25

20

15

10 8

Recommended Not- recommended

This one is shows that; 80.95% majority of people agreed that Recommendations to non-
online buyers for online shopping.

29
Table 14:-

Who are more interested to spend time in online..,

particulars No. of Respondents % of respondents

men 27 64.28

women 15 35.72

Others 0 0

Total 42 100

30
27

25

20
15
15

10

5
0
0

men women Others

This one is shows that; 64.28% majority of people agreed that Who are more interested to
spend time in online.

30
Table 15:-

Who are more attracted to online advertisements and promotions..,

particulars No. of Respondents % of respondents

Men 13 30.95

Women 29 69.05

Others 0 0

Total 42 100

35

30 29

25

20

15 13

10

5
0
0

Men Women Others

This one is shows that; 69.05% majority of women agreed that who are more attracted to
online advertisements and promotions.

31
 Findings

The findings that we gained in this study are as follows:

1. Starting from demography, the results of correlation results of age indicated that there is a
quite strong correlation between age and attitude towards online shopping, i.e. elderly people
are not so keen to shop online. This will help online retailers to make strategies according to
different age brackets.
2. Correlation is also done on education to see the trend of online shoppers with different
education levels, the result showed that which is very high positive correlation between
education and attitudes towards online shopping and would indicate that higher education
makes online shopping more attractive.
3. Table 2 shows that; high percentage of sample of age group is 18-30 years
4. Table 5 shows that; Mostly people felt that online shopping has easy buying procedures
(52.38%)
5. Table 9 shows that; Most of the respondents feel that there is no risk in online shopping
(71.44%)
6. Table 10 shows that; 76.19% respondents agreed that while online shopping, it is easy to
choose and compare with other products.
7. Table 13shows that; Maximum number of respondent suggests non online buyers to become
online buyers (80.95%)

32
 Shop online:-

1. I would probably not purchase a product online because I would not know how to do it.
2. I’m afraid of making purchases online since I have read many stories about fraud and other
problems that have occurred.
3. I do not feel comfortable paying or using my visa card online either, I am afraid that someone
could steel the card number or my personal information.
4. I prefer to shop in a physical store where I can touch and see the product.
5. I think it is also much easier to buy a product in a physical store because I go in the store,
pick a product, then buy it and then I am finished.
6. I do not perceive it as it is more easy to buy something online, on the contrary I find it more
difficult. You have to order the product, then wait for it to arrive and then pick it up from the
post office.
Factors that could make me buy more online :-
 To increase the security online
 Make the shopping process online more user friendly.

Problem:-

A major drawback with E-commerce is the intangibility of the products sold online, which
can increase the difficulty for the customers to decide whether or not the product fits their
needs. This implies it would be difficult to sell clothing and textiles using the Internet as a
sales channel, since for these products a customer decision is based on the fabric, colour, fit
and quality of the textile or garment. The home textile industry is an industry in which
competition has increased during the past years due to both the entry of new actors, as well as
an expansion of the market into the Ecommerce context . During the past years the interest of
design and home décor has increased rapidly in rajahmundry mostly with women as the main
customers. The increased competition, the entry into the E-commerce context combined with
the difficulty of selling those products online makes the industry an interesting area for
research.

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 SUGGESTIONS

1. More awareness towards online shopping:-

We find through this study that the demo-graphical issues like age, education and income
were agreed for online shopping but the rate is higher when the respondents are young, when
the education is higher the respondents agreed for the same and the higher income group
respondents strongly agree for the same. It means an awareness program for online shopping
is very much necessary. The retail online shoppers should be planned for awareness towards
online shopping through different ways.

2. Varied payment options:-

In order to attract more and more customers, online shoppers have to increase the payment
options as there are only small section of people in India who have credit cards so this also
hampers some who are willing to shop online. More options like Cash-on-delivery, money
transfer, cheques or demand drafts, end-to-end payment should be made available to the
customer who can adopt the best suited method.

3. Awareness regarding security measures:-

Security issues still continue to be a major drawback and trends like AVS (Address
Verification System), PIN for credit cards, smart cards, digital signatures, e-cards, and easier
infra-and inter-bank transactions online need to be made more prominent. Teaching
consumers to transact only on secure internet connections is also necessary.

4. Highlight the benefit of shopping at home:-

Potential customers should be convinced of the benefits of shopping from home without
having the pain of going out in the crowded placed.

5. Make the prices more competitive:-

The price offered for online shopping should be made more competitive as compared to the
prices of the goods available in the local shops then only the customers will feel motivated to
buy online.

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6. Stress on the special offers:-
Customers should be made aware about the varied sales promotion schemes, which will make
this online buying more attractive and popular among the buyers.

7. Emphasis on after sale service:-

As the biggest hindrance in the path of online shopping becoming more popular is the
question “who is to blame” If the product is not functioning well? Therefore, there should be
more stress on the quality of products and the durability of the products, which are offered for
sales and along with that assurance for after sales service

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 Conclusion

The thesis determined computer experience and age of women to have an impact on whether
they make online purchases or not. The largest obstacle for online shopping was payment
discomfort and the largest benefit of shopping online was the conveniece factor. Several
factors that could increase the probability for women of making online purchases was
discovered, and specific recommendations for marketers which target women in this group
were developed. Furthermore, one of the models concerning consumers‟ intention to make
purchases‟ in an online environment was modified to focus the intentions of women to shop
online.
This thesis has found evidence suggesting that frequency of computer and Internet use as well
as computer experience relate to the probability of making purchases online for women.
Higher frequency of computer and Internet use as well as computer experience correlate to a
higher probability of making purchases online. The intention of women to shop online was
also discovered to relate to age even in this fairly narrow age range; women in the age
category above 50 years made fewer online purchases than women in the age group 18-30
years.
The three most important obstacles regarding Internet shopping for women was in order of
importance; payment discomfort, worry about Internet fraud and worry about misuse of
personal information. These three obstacles can be perceived as intertwined and the
underlying reasons for their influential roles as difficulties are multiple. The discomfort
concerning the three obstacles is derived from worries about losing money from ones bank
account and not receiving the ordered product. These fears might be overestimated and can
be a result of intense media coverage, as well as failure of banks and online companies to
present safe payment methods to their consumers.
Convenience along with an ability to save time was in this study attributed as the most
important benefits women perceived Internet shopping to entail. Other important benefits
were that online stores offer lower prices, as well as Internet allows women to make
purchases from stores not available in their residential area. The reason for convenience and
time saving to be the largest benefits of online shopping is the pressed time schedules of
women.
Several factors were discovered which could have an ability of increasing the target group‟s
level of Internet shopping. These were categorized into three areas,

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1.The first area was „price related factors‟. These factors related to price level of products
sold in the web shop and marketing activities which aimed at offering lower prices.
2.The second area was „catalog related factors‟ which indicated an increase of online
shopping if a catalog would be distributed from the company managing a web shop.
3.The third area was „advertisement related factors‟, which brought up the importance of
extensive advertising to remind the women in the investigated age range of the existence and
the possibilities connected to making purchases online.
The online purchasing behavior of middle-aged women is an interesting area for research
since it is a large demographic group, with a large purchasing power and is a group which
increases their amount of Internet purchases every year. Further research could consider a
different industry for the research or a wider age group. The research could entail a
nationwide quantitative study with an aim of yielding extensive information about the habits
and attitudes women have concerning shopping on the Internet. The aspiration would be to
find methods to customize marketing strategies to further increase the online shopping
behavior of women in the selected age group.

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 QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear sir/madam,

I D.N.SUKUMAR studying 1st year MBA in GIET, pursuing this mini

project entitled “A STUDY ONIMPACT OF E-COMMERCE WITH SPECIAL
REFERENCES TO“A STUDY OF WOMEN’S ONLINE PURCHASING
BEHAVIOR”.We seek your help and cooperation to fill the following
questionnaire freely and frankly. We ensure confidentiality and your responses
will be used for study purpose only. Please tick the right answer,

1. Name :

2. Classification of sex

Ο Male Ο Female
3. Age :

Ο18-30 years Ο 31-40 years

Ο41-50 years Ο Above 50 years
4. Educational qualification :

Ο High school Ο Intermediate

Ο Under-graduation Ο Post-graduation
Ο Others
5. Occupation :

Ο Student Ο Home maker

Ο Salaried Ο Business

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6. What is your annual income:

Ο Below 240000 Ο 240001-360000

Ο 360001-480000 Ο Above 480000
7. Any experience of online shopping :

Ο Yes Ο No
8. How many years of experience in online shopping :

Ο Below 1year Ο 1-2 years

Ο 3-4 years Ο Above 5years
9. What is reason for choosing online shopping?

Ο Wide variety of products

Ο Different types of payments
Ο Lower prices
Ο Easy buying products
Ο More discounts
10.How frequently use of online purchasing?

Ο Very often Ο Often

Ο Occasionally Ο Frequently

11.What type of products purchased in online shopping?

Ο Books Ο Gifts
Ο Cd/dvd Ο Tickets
Ο Softwares Ο Clothes Ο Gadgets

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12.Any availability of information about product and services?

Ο Excellent Ο Good
Ο Average Ο poor
13.Is it online shopping saves time?

Ο Strongly agree Ο Agree

Ο Neutral Ο Disagree
Ο Strongly disagree
14.Is it online shopping saves time?

Ο Strongly agree Ο Agree

Ο Neutral Ο Disagree
Ο Strongly disagree
15.Is it online shopping risky?

Ο Strongly agree Ο Agree

Ο Neutral Ο Disagree
Ο Strongly disagree
16.Is it easy to choose and make comparison with other products while
shopping online?

Ο Strongly agree Ο Agree

Ο Neutral Ο Disagree
Ο Strongly disagree

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17.Is it get on-time delivery by shopping online?

Ο Strongly agree Ο Agree

Ο Neutral Ο Disagree
Ο Strongly disagree
18.Is it website design helps in searching product easily?

Ο Strongly agree Ο Agree

Ο Neutral Ο Disagree
Ο Strongly disagree
19.Would you recommend to non-online buyers for online shopping?

Ο Recommended Ο Non-Recommended
20.Who are more interested to spend time in online shopping?

Ο Men Ο Women
Ο Others
21.Who are more attracted to online advertisements and promotions?

Ο Men Ο Women
Ο Others
22.Who is more money spending in online shopping?

Ο Men Ο Women
Ο Others
23.Who are more times visit to online shopping?

Ο Men Ο Women
Ο Others

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY
(i) Book title; kotler on marketing (how to create win and dominate markets). Publisher simon &
Schuster. Author “Philip kotler”.
(ii) Book title; marketing management (hard cover) by Author “Philip kotler”. Publisher
“pearson”
(iii) Internet marketing ; integrated online and offline stargies , author adsworth publishing co
inc, author Roberts and zahay.

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 WEB REFERENCES

1. http://www.letsintern.com/employer-page/internships-at-Flipkart/999

2. http://www.Flipkart.com/about-us

3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flipkart

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