Access eCommerce Research Briefs 

Brief 9

Digital divide and purchase intention: Why demographic psychology matters.

Akhter poses the following question in his study: Why are some people more likely to use the Internet for making a purchase and some less? That question leads him to explore the issue of digital divide among people from similar ethnic backgrounds. Thus, he examines the issue of digital divide among white Americans. In doing so, he makes the following hypothesis:

• "Men will be more likely to purchase over the Internet than women"

• "The likelihood to purchase over the Internet will decrease with age"

• "The likelihood to purchase over the Internet will increase with education"

• "The likelihood to purchase over the Internet will increase with income"

Although the statements above appear to be based on some generalization, they do get the reader to view the digital as a phenomenon that 'inter-ethnic, as well as 'intra-ethnic'. Thus it becomes apparent that the purchase over the internet is influenced by gender, age, education, and income. The study is important because it could be used to develop customer profiles that might deserve more attention to participate in electronic commerce. It also gives policy makers and idea of what segment of the population needs to be educated and encouraged to take part in e-commerce.

Akhter, S. H. (2003). Digital divide and purchase intention: Why demographic psychology matters. Journal of Economic Psychology, 24, 321-327.

Research Briefs are provided by students in DHA 8170 Topics in Design, Housing and Apparel: Global E-commerce. Dr. Seung-Eun Lee, University of Minnesota

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Access eCommerce Research Briefs

• Brief 1: How businesses are using the Internet
  
• Brief 2: Small business Internet commerce issues
  
• Brief 3: Four-stage e-commerce development model
  
• Brief 4: Benefits small businesses can gain from opening shop on the Internet
  
• Brief 5: The Internet as an information solution
  
• Brief 6: Determinants of the locus of global e-commerce
  
• Brief 7: Are there any economic incentives to engage in electronic commerce, or is it just a fad?
  
• Brief 8: Digital development in rural areas: potentials and pitfalls
  
• Brief 9: Digital divide and purchase intention: Why demographic psychology matters.
  
• Brief 10: Ethical issues in electronic commerce
  
• Brief 11: One brand, three ways to shop.
  
• Brief 12: The nature of and conditions for online trust
  
• Brief 13: E-shopping in a multiple channel environment
  
• Brief 14: The E-Marketing Mix: A Contribution of the E-Tailing Wars
  
• Brief 15: Consumers shop to acquire items, and they shop for fun.
  
• Brief 16: How companies use content and design features in their website.
  
• Brief 17: Conceptualizing consumer experiences in cyberspace.
  
• Brief 18: Cross-cultural and cognitive aspects of web site navigation
  
• Brief 19: Managerial issues for international Web-based electronic commerce
  
• Brief 20: Cultural context in multilingual website usability
  
• Brief 21: Using corporate websites for export marketing
  
• Brief 22: The measurement of web-customer satisfaction
  
• Brief 23: Developing and validating trust measures for e-commerce
  
• Brief 24: Designing effective cyber store user interface