Impact of factors affecting online purchasing intention of Generation-Z consumers in Sri Lanka

Abstract

In contemporary commerce, a notable trend observed is the transition of both buyers and sellers toward online purchasing as a strategic marketing approach. Furthermore, Previous researchers have investigated many factors affecting online purchasing intention based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Prior research shows that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are significant relationships with online consumers purchasing intention. Hence, this study aims to examine factors affecting the online purchasing intention of Generation Z consumers in Sri Lanka while exploring the moderating effect of gender. The factors affecting online purchasing intention were assessed through various constructs including perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social commerce contract, brand attitude, perceived risk, electronic word-of-mouth (E-WOM) and influencer credibility. The primary method of data collection in the present study was the utilization of an online survey. A total of 259 respondents were gathered, constituting the primary data set to test the predicted hypotheses. The researcher identified that perceived usefulness, brand attitude, and E-WOM had a positive relationship with Generation Z consumers' purchasing intention even though perceived ease of use, social commerce contract and perceived risk were not significant relationships. Furthermore, the study observed gender to function as a moderator with perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and electronic word-of-mouth (E-WOM). This suggests that gender plays a significant role in moderating the effects of these factors on consumers' purchasing intention even though this study was limited with small sample sizes and a limited number of variables, if future researchers select a larger size sample for the research, accurate results can be shown.