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Consumption and Consumer Behavior in Online Context
Submitted by escs on 8 August 2022
Scientific area

CH

Human Sciences

Hours
3
ECTS
5
Responsible teacher
Teachers who teach
Objectives

The way we consume is being radically transformed by digital technologies, that are now deeply present in the consumer journey, and the rapid expansion of e-commerce is evidence of this. In the online context, consumer responses are no longer only dependent on the physical environment, while, at the same time, entirely new factors are coming into play. Several factors explain the ever-growing appeal of online shopping, like time-saving, easy access (24/7 via internet), the convenience of delivery, or simply avoiding crowds and queues. Even more importantly, online shopping may rapidly become the only possibility for many to buy during a crisis like COVID-19 pandemic, thus playing a fundamental role in the survival of both customers and businesses. In this course, you will learn how and why consumers behave as they do. You will also acquire fundamental knowledge about different groups of consumers, their e-shopper journeys as well as contextual factors that influence their online consumer decisions.

Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

Understand the relevance of e-commerce for businesses and brands.
Characterize today's consumer journey and the role and relevance of offline and online contexts in this journey.
Critically analyze theories and models that predict and explain online buying behavior.
Characterize the e-shopper's decision-making process and understand the individual and socio-cultural determinants of online consumer behavior.
Critically analyze the role and relevance of website, corporate and brand related factors in online consumption behavior.

Skills

Participants of this course will emerge with a better understanding of the shifts that are occurring in the practices, forms, and processes within online consumption and their implications for consumer behavior in the digital contemporary world.