Longitudinal comparison of Finnish and US online shopping behaviour among university students: The five-stage buying decision process

Abstract

This study investigates the online purchase behaviour of a key segment of the population, the ‘Net Generation’ university-aged student, from two of the world’s most advanced IT nations with the greatest potential in e-commerce: Finland and the USA. Information about online shopping behaviour in 2002 is compared with 2004/2005 for the two countries. The research also answers the question whether online shoppers from the two countries approach the consumer buying decision process differently over time. The results provide useful guidance to consumer e-marketing companies.