Emergence of the New Digital Consumer: A Study towards the Online Purchase Intention of the Mauritian Consumers

Emergence of the New Digital Consumer: A Study towards the Online Purchase Intention of the Mauritian Consumers.

1. Introduction

The introduction of the 2.0 web by Darcy DiNucci in the early twenty century, with its popularisation by Tim O’Reilly in the late 2004 , has expanded up the way traditional consumers were involved in the decision making on purchase intention (Al Quintana, 2012). Today’s consumers are more connected than ever, with more access to and deeper engagement with web contents due to the proliferation of digital devices and platform (Nielsen, 2013). According to Duncan, Hazan, and Roche (2013), the traditional consumer behaviour is rapidly changing, with the “digital” activities growing rapidly in every sphere, giving rise to the new age of digital consumers or iConsumers. However it refers to consumer controlled interactions or cross platform usage that is how consumers now access information through their tablets, phablets and smartphones rather than on printed paper. Content that was once only stimulated by impactful advertising on television, in magazines or even words of mouth can now be sourced and delivered to consumers through their multiple connected devices (Nielsen, 2014).

Hanuman and Hok Yin (2004) argued that the benefit of the internet as a strategic tool has been a major catalyst to boost internet retailing since the 1990s (Ecommerce Land, 2004). Observation can be drawn that the use of internet for purchasing is becoming a positive trends towards the digital consumers due to the fact that using the internet has become comfortable than conventional shopping, faster decision making process enabling the best deal available without being physically in store. Today, almost all retailers are ...

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..., the Technology Adoption Model (TAM) was developed by Davis (1986 which is specifically meant to explain computer usage behaviour. TAM uses TRA as a theoretical basis and involves two primary predictors - perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) and the dependent variable behavioural intention (BI), which TRA assumed to be closely linked to actual behaviour. The system adoption thus is a response that can be explained or predicted by user motivation, which, in turn, is directly influenced by an external stimulus consisting of the actual system’s features and capabilities (Mohammad Chuttur, 2009).

It is expected that by 2015 over $100 billion worth goods and services will be purchased via a smartphone or tablets.

Internet purchase in Mauritius, look at statistic, vanisha articles
(last paragraph after internet in mauritus)