A STUDY ON ONLINE SHOPPING BUYING BEHAVIOUR OF FEMALE STUDENTS IN TIRUNELVELI DISTRICT

Abstract

The rapid growth of e-commerce necessitates understanding online shopping attitudes and behaviors among young demographics like college students. However, there is limited contemporary research on post-pandemic dynamics among female students from conservative communities, who have traditionally been reluctant online buyers. This study investigates online shopping perspectives of 502 female undergraduate students from Tamil Nadu, India using a structured questionnaire. Guided by technology acceptance model, it tests a conceptual framework analyzing the relationships between awareness, ease of use, enjoyment, trust and other variables on perceived usefulness, attitude, intentions and actual buying. Statistical analysis provides valuable insights. Awareness, information quality, service quality and website quality significantly influence the perceived ease of use of online platforms. In turn, enjoyment and ease of use determine platform usefulness, shaping positive purchase intentions via favorable attitudes. Intentions strongly predict actual buying frequency. Additionally, website quality demonstrates the highest indirect effect on behavior through the mediators. These findings underline that while inherent conservatism causes hesitation, raising awareness through education and enhancing platform quality to improve usefulness can create welcoming online experiences for young women. As digital natives, targeted initiatives addressing their requirements for user-friendly design and reliable functionality can effectively boost engagement. The study recommends that to sustainably convert this high-potential segment, online retailers should run engagement campaigns focused on building trust and enjoyment in tandem with strengthening female-centric platform experiences.

Keywords: Online Shopping, Ease of use, College Students, Buying Behaviour.