Online price-related behavior and attitude toward various pricing models

Abstract

The importance of consumer attitudes and behavior toward price on purchase processes has long been known. Retailers have employed different marketing applications periodically in order to shape and direct these attitudes and behavior. With the spread of emerging technologies and the diffusion of Internet as a part of our daily lives, these applications have adapted into online markets, and become directive in consumers‟ purchase decisions in virtual environment. In addition, concentration of consumers‟ interest for online markets has increased the competition among online sellers, thus several online retailer forms have evolved into e-stores offering differentiated prices and buying processes, in order to gain competitive advantage. On the basis of these facts, the purpose of this thesis is to investigate the factors affecting price-related behaviors of consumers in the online environment, as well as the awareness of and attitudes toward different online pricing models. The data collected as a survey study from 253 participants, and has been tested through descriptive, reliability, correlation, multiple regression, T-test, and ANOVA analyses, aiming to reach findings. Results of this study reveal that consumers have high tendency to search for prices on the Internet, dependent to their price knowledge and value consciousness. Furthermore, the awareness for many online pricing models has been formed, and the models with high awareness rates are found to be preferred highly in consumers‟ purchase processes.