Determinants of Online Buying Behaviour of Social Media Users in Cameroon

Online shopping in Cameroon is growing rapidly and gaining considerable ground.The phenomenon is relatively new as compared to the traditional brick-and-mortar store(serving customers face-to-face in a building rather than online).As the world faces digital transformations,businesses in Cameroon are seeking new ways to reach their customers and create favourable environments to effectively carryout online purchase.This study examines the factors that affect consumer online buying behaviour in Cameroon.Three theories guided this investigation:the Technology Acceptance Model(Davis,1989),Diffusion of Innovations Theory(Rogers,1995),and Uses and Gratifications Theory(Katz&Blumler,1974).The study focuses on students of the University of Buea who carry out online shopping.Purposive sampling is used,and data are collected from 365 respondents through a questionnaire with open and closed ended questions.Analysis of data is done with the use of the Statistical Package for Social Scientists(SPSS)Version 21 to determine the types of products consumers buy online;the degree to which consumer trust and satisfaction affect consumer loyalty;and the specific social,economic,and market factors that affect online buying behaviour.Findings indicate that:Consumers mostly buy fashion items(74.3%),electronics(44.7%),cosmetics(37.3%),and house equipment(34%)online.Consumers will repeat purchase from a marketer if they trust and are satisfied with the product and service quality(81.1%);hence,they will also encourage others to buy.If they are dissatisfied,they will not repeat purchase from the online store.Advertisement(76.1%),attractive pricing/discount(71.7%),product quality(71%),service quality(64.1%),convenience(72.3%),available income/money(49.6%),word of mouth recommendation(41.9%),and personal motivation(62.7%)constitute the major factors that affect consumer online buying behaviour.Results of the hypotheses testing show that:H1=Consumers buy more of fashion items online(X^(2)=9.950;df=16;p=0.869);H2=There is a significant relationship between trust and satisfaction and consumers online buying behaviour(X^(2)=270.765;df=16;p=0.000);and H3=Social,economic,and market factors significantly affect consumer online buying behaviour(X^(2)=106.328;df=16;p=0.000).The study recommends online marketers to develop their marketing strategies towards customer orientation and focus on the ease of use of their online shopping services.

Marketing Factors Affecting Middle Class Consumer’s Buying Decision in Housing Market in Nanning City

It is important to study the relationship between marketing factors and purchase decisions of middle-class consumers in Nanning housing market.This study will investigate the factors influencing people decision to purchase houses in Nanning City.The extrinsic housing attributes at this study consist of environmental attributes and location attributes.I have a limited understanding of the purchase behavior of Nanning home buyers in Nanning City.This study adopts the data collection methods of e-mail and field survey.Based on 509 questionnaires,the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics analysis and logistic regression.The results show that location attributes,such as school districts,positively influence housing purchase decisions in Nanning City.This study contributes to an improved understanding of home buyers’decision making in Nanning City.The beneficiaries of this study include home buyers and marketers and academic institutions.To better meet home buyers’needs and achieve a competitive advantage,marketers can use the research outcomes to focus more on those housing purchase factors that significantly influence house buyers’purchase decision making.

Unlocking the Network Traffic Password of the Sudden Popularity of Oriental Selection:Consumer Behavior Decision-Making Mechanism Based on Mental Accounting Theory

This paper explores the decision-making mechanism of the consuming behavior hidden behind the sudden popularity of the Oriental Selection Company in terms of the mental accounting theory.Firstly,according to the“Non-alternative”characteristics of mental accounting,this paper expounds how the strategy of the bilingual live-streaming of Oriental Selection promoters stimulates consumers’desire to buy the advertised products and services whilst using the utility theory of mental accounting to analyze how Oriental Selection promoters improve consumers’acquisition utility and total utility.Secondly,we sum up the successful experiences of Oriental Selection:The live-streaming industry should apply the theory of mental accounting in effectively overcoming the shortcomings of the live-streamed marketing by stimulating consumers’desire and influencing their decision-making behavior through the streaming of content that triggers them to make purchases.This is achievable by abandoning the traditional ways of loudly urging consumers to buy goods.Finally,this paper puts forward some suggestions on how to use the mental accounting theory in promoting sustainable consumption and points out the prospects for Oriental Selection.

A Study on Income as a Determinant of Buying Decision-making StylesAdyasha

The following paper attempts to understand if income determines the buying decision-making styles of consumers in Bhubaneswar,the capital city of Odisha,a state located on eastern India.A total of 103 respondents of Bhubaneswar were chosen by using the Mall intercept method.The samples were classified into three groups based on their average annual family income such as High Income,Middle Income and Low Income groups.Exploratory Factor Analysis was carried to identify the decision-making styles.ANOVA was employed to compare the shopping styles of these three income sub-groups.Results indicate that differences in consumer shopping styles exist among the income sub-groups.Findings of the study can be used by marketers for segmentation,targeting and positioning of retail shoppers which may facilitate them to compete efficiently.It is recommended that different income sub-groups should be viewed as distinct consumer segments and strategies should be formulated to cater each segment effectively.

The Psychology of Shopping Addiction in Consumer Behaviour

This comprehensive article examines the phenomenon of consumer addiction,primarily focusing on shopping addiction and its dimensions,including brand addiction.It delves into the underlying causes,manifestations,and consequences of consumer addiction from both consumer and marketer perspectives,shedding light on the ethical and cultural considerations within today's society.Consumer addiction is characterized by recurrent,irresistible purchasing behaviors driven by negative emotions such as anxiety and impulsivity.It is recognized as a behavioral addiction closely intertwined with consumerism.The article emphasizes the imperative for ethical marketing practices to mitigate the exacerbation of addictive behaviors while acknowledging the impact of culture on consumer choices.The article also discusses the crucial role of research in understanding the implications of consumer addiction on the economy,and it suggests that marketers should focus on fostering positive brand addiction rather than exploiting consumerism.It underscores the influence of cultural factors on addictive consumption and calls for responsible marketing practices and governmental regulations.In conclusion,this article highlights the critical significance of consumer addiction in the field of marketing and its multifaceted implications for both consumers and businesses.It underscores the need for ethical marketing strategies,cultural awareness,and responsible brand management to address this complex phenomenon in contemporary society.

Panic buying? Food hoarding during the pandemic period with city lockdown

Food hoarding is prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic.To investigate the mechanism of urban consumers’food hoarding behaviors,we categorize hoarding motives into rational and irrational ones.Using random online survey samples from three cities in China,we employ the multivariate probit model to investigate the rational and irrational motives on food hoarding behavior.Our results confirmed the existence of both rational and irrational food hoarding,and also found factors attributing to the different buying behaviors.The amount of food at hand and the expectation on the infection possibility of COVID-19 are two major factors affecting rational hoarding.Bad mood and herd psychology are factors contributing to panic buying.This study provides an empirical evidence to support intervention policies aiming at mitigating panic buying behavior.

Mindfulness: Helps Curb Impulsive Buying Through Improving Self Control

“People spend 46.9%of their waking hours thinking about something else other than what they are doing and this mind-wandering typically makes them unhappy”(Killingsworth&Gilbert,2010).An antidote to this mind-wandering is“Mindfulness”;derived from ancient Buddhist tradition it refers to an open and non-judgmental form of awareness that is centered on present moment experiences considering both internal and external environment(Kabat-Zinn,2003).Existing research suggests mindfulness increases self-regulation of attention and self-control(Razza et al.,2015;Panek,Bayer,Cin,&Campbell,2015).Past research has also suggested mindfulness as a long-term solution to obesity and over-eating(Herpel et al.,2015;Bahl,Milne,Ross,&Chan,2013).This research suggests mindfulness as a way of improving self-control among consumers and contributes to making a more discerning customer.In my research,I suggest mindfulness as a way to improve self-control and reduce the susceptibility of a consumer to advertising effects,promotion price effects,and impulse buying behavior.We also suggest mindfulness as an intervention to reduce the over-spending problem in consumers.Elaboration likelihood model of persuasion(ELM)forms the theoretical basis of our research.ELM suggests two ways of information processing,central route,and peripheral route.In central route processing,customer evaluates communication by the logic of the argument presented.In peripheral processing,customer relies on peripherals like the attractiveness of source of information and other such peripherals to process information(Petty&Cacioppo,1984).The mindful customer is more likely to use central route than the peripheral route of information processing(Schramm&Hu,2014;Dong&Brunel,2006;Panek et al.,2015).Due to the difference in information processing,the mindful customer may not be influenced by peripheral cues of marketing like advertising and price promotions.We examine the differential effects of mindfulness vs.non-mindful consumers’response to marketing messages,through a series of experiments.This research also suggests mindfulness as a way to protect consumers against marketing enticements and improve their self-control against the harmful behavior of impulsive buying and overspending.The research also has implications for improving general happiness in the consumer.Since past research suggests,mind wandering leads to unhappiness in people(Mathew et al.,2010).

Significance of Live Streaming in Shaping Business: A Critical Review and Analytical Study

With the rise of live streaming on social media, platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have become powerful business tools. They enable users to share live videos, fostering direct connections between businesses and their customers. This critical literature review paper explores the impact of live streaming on businesses, focusing on its role in attracting and satisfying consumers by promoting products tailored to their needs and wants. It emphasizes live streaming’s crucial role in engaging customers, a key to business growth. The study also provides viable strategies for businesses to leverage live streaming for growth and customer engagement, underscoring its importance in the business landscape.

Relationship mapping of consumer buying behavior antecedents of secondhand clothing with fuzzy DEMATEL

This paper aims to identify the antecedents of buying behavior for secondhand clothing among millennials,as well as to determine their underlying causal relationships.Upon a comprehensive literature search,a total of 18 antecedents were found,and these are categorized into three motives,namely,economic,hedonic and recreational,and critical.As a case study in the Philippines,a focus group discussion among experts who are active millennial secondhand clothing users and buyers were tasked to identify the antecedents they have experienced and further confirm those extracted from the literature.To establish the causal relationships of these antecedents,categorize them into net causes or net effects,and address the vagueness associated with the decision-making process,a fuzzy DEMATEL method is used.Results reveal that avoidance of conventional channels proves to be the antecedent providing the highest impact among all other antecedents.Uniqueness,high quality,and fashion trend found to be the antecedents with the highest impacts received,making them the major net effects.Findings from this work hope to provide a framework among practitioners that would lead to a better understanding of millennials’buying behavior for secondhand clothing.

Simulation of consumers decision-making process using agent-based model approach

This paper describes a model to simulate the decision-making process of consumers that adopts technology within a dynamic social network.The proposed model use theories and tools from the psychology of consumer behavior,social networks and complex dynamical systems like the Consumat framework and fuzzy logic.The model has been adjusted using real data,tested with the automobile market and it can recreate trends like those described in the world market.

Closed-loop supply chain network equilibrium strategy model with environmental protection objectives

With the increasing popularity of ecological civilization and sustainable development,enterprises should consider environmental protection measures in their operations in addition to pursue their economic interests.This paper establsihes a closed-loop supply chain network model composed of multiple suppliers,manufacturers,retailers,recyclers,and demand markets—regarding their dual goals of the profit maximization and the minimization of carbon emissions.The conditions necessary for establishing overall equilibrium and an equilibrium model of the entire closed-loop supply chain network are determined by applying variational inequality and dual theory.A modified projection contraction algorithm is used to design a model-solving program.Finally,using numerical examples,the paper conducts a comparative static analysis on important parameters such as the weight coefficients of environmental protection objectives and consumers'awareness of low-carbon environmental protection and attains some beneficial enlightenment on management.The results indicate that when the environmental protection objectives of a certain type of enterprise increases,both the economic benefits and environmental protection performance will improve;when the environmental protection objectives of all enterprises increases simultaneously,environmental protection performance improves significantly,but the changes in economic benefits of different enterprises are inconsistent and profit coordination is more complex.Although consumers’awareness of low-carbon preference could improve environmental performance,it reduces the overall profits of network members and the entire closed-loop supply chain network as a whole.The above conclusions can be used as a reference for the government in designing low-carbon environmental protection policy and in closed-loop supply chain research.

Manufacturers’strategy for introducing remanufactured products under a government subsidy:Introduce or not?

With strong government advocacy and encouragement,many manufacturers hope to enter the remanufacturing market.Manufacturers who have entered the remanufacturing market hope to increase their profits through effective decision-making.Using game-theoretic models,this study investigates manufacturers’conditions for introducing remanufactured products and the production decisions after the introduction by constructing a consumer utility model.Our study demonstrates that manufacturers’decision-making method directly affects their decision to introduce remanufactured products.If a manufacturer plans to introduce remanufactured products,they should adopt a centralized decision-making method for the two products.Under this decision-making method,when the ratio of the government subsidy to the cost of new products is not too large or too small,the manufacturer can introduce remanufactured products.Additionally,the range of the ratio of the government subsidy to the cost of new products is related to the difference between the ratio of the cost of remanufactured products to that of new products and the substitutability of the remanufactured products.Therefore,when formulating a subsidy,the government should control it within a reasonable range and formulate differentiated subsidy strategies based on different enterprises’specific conditions to give full play to the benefits of the government subsidy.Moreover,after the manufacturer has introduced remanufactured products,the consumer surplus and manufacturer’s profit increase with the government subsidy.However,social welfare increases only when the government subsidy is within a reasonable range.Furthermore,compared with subsidizing consumers,it is found that subsidizing the manufacturer does not affect their profit,the consumer surplus,and social welfare;however,the range within which the manufacturer can introduce remanufactured products narrows.