Study On Factors Influencing Consumer Attitudes Towards Online Products In Malawi

In today’s digital age,online shopping has become a popular trend worldwide.With the growth of e-commerce,many businesses have shifted their focus towards online marketing to reach a wider audience.Malawi is no exception to this trend as more and more consumers are turning to online shopping for convenience and accessibility.However,the success of ecommerce in Malawi depends on various factors that influence consumer attitudes towards online products.This study sought to identify factors influencing consumer attitudes towards online products in Malawi comparing American and Chinese products and to determine the most influential factors on Malawian consumers’ buying decisions for online products from China and the USA.The study adopted a quantitative approach,and 320 participants were identified using a snowball sampling method.The study explored both primary and secondary data.From analysis,it was clear that respondents were attracted to cheaper products,quality,wide range of products and the convenience of purchasing online.The respondents also reported that price,convenience,home delivery and wide range of choices are the biggest attraction of online buying behaviour towards products from China while payment method and quality are the biggest attraction of online buying behaviour towards products from the USA.Respondents who purchased online products from China showed favourable attitude towards durability,genuineness,price and easiness of the online purchase procedure while biggest attraction of online buying behaviour towards products from the USA showed favourable attitudes toward durability,price and easiness of the online purchase procedure.The study reveals that respondents who purchased online from the USA considered brand name to as an important feature on American products when making a purchase decision.The study found that personal factors were the most influential factors on respondents’ online buying behaviour towards Chinese products and social factors were the most influential factors on respondents’ online buying behaviour towards American products.