Is information quality on a shopping website a deciding factor for South African consumers?

Abstract

Since the development of the Internet and the web, various aspects of society have changed, including the way business is conducted, how information is shared and gathered, and how goods and services are purchased (Shanthi and Kannaiah, 2015:14). Consumers are now able to shop online with an abundance of information readily available at their fingertips. Particularly with the increasing use of social media which has influenced a number of online shopping activities namely finding ideas, researching goods, looking for promotions and sharing purchases online (Morisson, 2014).The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of information quality factors on online shopping. The results of the study could assist online retailers to better target consumers by having a better understanding of the influence of information quality on their online shopping. Primary data was collected by means of self-administered Internet surveys. Respondent demographics and online shopping activity were firstly identified, followed by the influence of information quality factors. The research found that all information quality factors influence online shopping, however secureness was the most influential factor. By having a thorough understanding of the influence of information quality for online shopping, online retailers can ensure that consumers' cost of searching for goods are reduced.