The effect of perceived benefits and perceived risks on intention to shop apparel online by white - collar women in Vietnam

Abstract

     Online apparel shopping has become more and more popular and has attracted many consumers. This research aims to study how these perceived benefits and perceived risks influenced Internet users on buying apparel online. A survey of 298 white-collar women was carried out to identify the benefits and risks when buying apparel online. Five dimensions of perceived benefits (i.e. convenience shopping, abundance and liking product, competitive price, enjoyment, and comfortable shopping) and three dimensions of perceived risks (i.e. financial risk, product risk, and time risk) were ascertained by exploratory factor analysis. The correlation between these benefits and risks with online purchasing intention was explored by multiple regression tests. The result demonstrates that consumers perceive benefits more than risks in online apparel shopping. While ‘comfortable shopping' has the strongest effect on respondents' intention, ‘competitive price' has the lowest effect. Among the risks, product risk is of highest concern, followed by financial risk and time risk. The result also shows that middle-age white-collar women of 31 to 40 years old have the intention to shop apparel online higher than other groups.