What influences consumers' online medication purchase intentions and behavior? A scoping review

Objective: Consumers increasingly buy pharmaceuticals online. No scoping review has been carried out to summarize and synthesize the studies that have identified drivers of consumers' purchase intention and behavior from online pharmacies. Thus, we conducted a scoping review to explore the extent to which prior research has studied consumer purchase intentions and behavior related to online pharmacies, the drivers previously identified to explain consumers' online pharmacy purchase intentions and behavior, and how these antecedents differ between OTC and prescription medications. Then, we identified gaps in the published literature to form a comprehensive theory-based agenda for future research. Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus to retrieve relevant studies published in English in peer-reviewed journals. The search strategy identified forty-eight eligible studies. Results: We identified twelve types of factors influencing purchase intentions and behaviors from online pharmacies: demographics, convenience, availability, price, evaluations of the purchase environment, information sources, internet usage, prior experience, perceived risk, health insurance, privacy, and product. Our analysis also revealed differences between OTC and prescription medications in drivers of purchase intentions and behaviors. Conclusion: While demographic factors tended to be the most often measured influences on intentions and behavior, their role was generally inconsistent, with many contradictory results. However, other factors (e.g., convenience, availability, lower prices, and favorable evaluations toward the purchase environment) more consistently enhanced online medication purchase intentions and behavior. An extensive agenda for future research is advanced.

Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on consumers' perceptions of genetically modified food

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has generated significant economic loss and an unprecedented challenge to people's livelihoods. Using household data collected in November 2020, this study shows that the COVID-19 outbreak has significantly affected consumers' perceptions and consumption of genetically modified (GM) food in China. Their perceptions and purchase intentions have turned more negative, and their actual purchase of GM food has decreased after the COVID-19 outbreak. The study's results also indicate that consumers with more knowledge of genetic modification technology are less likely to change their perceptions of GM food.

Sustainable luxury purchase behavior in the Post-Pandemic Era: a grounded theory study in China

Despite the increasing sustainable practices from the luxury industry, research show little evidence on consumers' reactions toward sustainable luxury. This paper aims at understanding changes in consumers' consumption behavior toward sustainable luxury fashion products in the Post-Pandemic Era. We use exploratory qualitative research conducted by semi-structured in-depth interviews involving luxury consumers in China based on grounded theory. With the help of Nvivo12, the interview data is coded and analyzed to identify the influencing attitude and intention of sustainable luxury fashion in China in the Post-Pandemic Era. The findings show that hedonic value, uniqueness value, social value, functional value (practicality, quality, and value for money), health value and sustainable value affect purchase intention toward sustainable luxury in the Post-Pandemic Era. A theoretical model is built to systematically analyze the determinants of purchase behavior. This study will contribute to the literature on sustainable luxury fashion behaviors by performing in-depth interviews in the Post-Pandemic Era. Besides, the findings provide guidance for industries to make customer-based sustainable strategies when practicing sustainable development in luxury fashion in China.

Is Purchase Behavior Different for Consumers with Long COVID?

COVID-19 has generated an uncertain environment, which has motivated changes in consumers' behavior globally. However, previous studies have not clarified if these effects are equally strong throughout the population. In this research, we want to analyze if there are behavioral differences between long-COVID consumers and others. For this purpose, we analyzed a sample of 522 consumers divided into three groups depending on their type of exposure to the disease: those with long COVID; ones that had recovered from COVID-19; and those that had never had COVID-19. The results show that the effect that COVID-19 has on purchase behavior differs depending on the type of exposure to the disease. In fact, those with long COVID experienced more pleasure when purchasing than other people, but they needed higher trust levels in the enterprises to purchase from them, since that reduces their perception of uncertainty. Furthermore, for long-COVID individuals, an organization's legitimacy level is even more important than for other consumer groups with less contact with the disease.

Price, convenience, the buying experience, and other motivations for purchasing tobacco and e-cigarettes online

INTRODUCTION

Consumers have shifted to online purchases for many products, including tobacco and e-cigarettes. These shifts have occurred alongside internet tobacco purchasing restrictions being proposed and enacted across the US. The aim of this study was to identify motivations for and against purchasing tobacco and e-cigarettes online, to better understand potential impacts or loopholes.

METHODS

We surveyed 463 US adults who reported ever purchasing tobacco or e-cigarettes in April 2021, using Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Participants who reported purchasing tobacco or e-cigarettes online were asked to describe their reasons for doing so. Those who reported never purchasing online were asked to describe their reasons. Responses were triple-coded and thematically analyzed.

RESULTS

Most respondents (n=330; 71.3%) had purchased tobacco or e-cigarettes online. We identified 14 reasons for purchasing tobacco or e-cigarettes online across four themes: price (cheaper online, discounts, bulk purchases, avoiding taxes), product characteristics (availability, quality), buying experience (convenience, time, COVID-19 concerns, avoiding shame, discretion, avoiding salespersons, reading reviews), and curiosity. We identified 13 reasons for not purchasing tobacco or e-cigarette products online across seven themes: buying experience (convenience, time, discretion, seeing the product), concerns (legality, safety, quality), consumption, price, supporting local, unaware, and uninterested.

CONCLUSIONS

Both online and offline purchasers stated price and convenience motivated their choice to purchase tobacco or e-cigarettes online. Though few participants mentioned purchasing illicit products, concerns about legality and quality of online purchases were raised, and there was some awareness that online purchases attracted lower taxation.

A moderated mediation mechanism underlying the impact of website telepresence on purchase intention - Evidence from Chinese female college student customers

Telepresence in e-commerce, the feeling of resembling shopping in a physical store, plays a critical role in determining online purchase intention. However, the cognitive mechanism and boundary conditions about its effect still need further investigation. The current study construed flow experience and socioeconomic status as important variables and developed a moderated mediation model for their roles in the effect of telepresence. The model was supported by our study where a group of Chinese female college students participated in simulated online apparel shopping and completes relevant questionnaire surveys. The results show that: (1) website telepresence predicts positively the purchase intention of females, (2) flow experience mediates the impact of website telepresence on purchase intention, and (3) the relationship between website telepresence and flow experience could be moderated by socioeconomic status, namely, females with higher socioeconomic status demonstrate stronger mediation of flow experience. These findings can help researchers and online retailers understand the flow concept in e-commerce and formulate marketing strategies to retain consumers with different socioeconomic statuses.

Antecedent Factors of Green Purchasing Behavior: Learning Experiences, Social Cognitive Factors, and Green Marketing

This study extends the theory of planned behavior (TPB) framework by introducing three further variables (i.e., learning experience, contextual factors, and green marketing) to explain how behavioral intention and actual behavior are induced by situational factors as well as green advertising from the company. Then, this study has four objectives. First, this study will assess the direct effect of personal factors (i.e., demographic factors) and contextual factors on learning experience and the direct effect of personal factors (i.e., demographic factors) on subjective norms. Second, this study will assess the direct effect of learning experience on social cognitive factors for a specific green product. Third, this study will assess the direct effect of social cognitive factors on intention purchasing behavior. Finally, this study will assess the role of green marketing as a moderating variable for the relationship between intention and purchasing behavior. Data used in this study were primary data, which were collected through closed questionnaires with a five-point Likert scale. This study succeeded in obtaining 602 valid data from the results of filling out questionnaires by participants. This study uses the partial least square (PLS) method with SmartPLS 3.0 for data processing. The result of data processing indicated that outcome expectation, self-efficacy, and subjective norms had significant positive effects on purchase intention for green personal care products. This study also found that the learning experience influenced both outcome expectation and self-efficacy. Although weak, the learning experience was influenced by demographic factors and contextual factors. The demographic factors that affect learning experience were gender and level of education. The contextual factor has a more substantial influence on learning experience in developing consumption-related attitudes to green personal care products than the demographic factor. Finally, this study also found the direct effect of intention on actual purchase behavior and the positive role of green marketing as the moderating variable.

DTC genetic test for customized cosmetics in COVID-19 pandemic: Focused on women in their 40s and 60s in Seoul, Republic of Korea

Background

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus disease 19 (COVID‐19) is attracting worldwide attention and has been declared an infectious disease by the World Health Organization (WHO), and accordingly, interest and meaning in health and well‐being are expanding in recent years.

Aims

This paper attempted to investigate the recognition and development potential of customized cosmetics focusing on inner beauty products through DTC (Direct to Customer) genetic testing in the era of COVID‐19 pandemic.

Patients/Methods

The number of women included in the survey of consumers living in Seoul metropolitan city ranged from 40 to 60, and 380 women in Republic of Korea. Statistical processing of the data collected by the data analysis method is analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) WIN25.0 statistical package program through the process of data coding and data cleansing.

Results

In this study, the DTC genetic test, single, and/or combination treatment for customized inner beauty products and customized cosmetics were compared and analyzed, respectively. Accordingly, in keeping with the rapidly changing market conditions, we sought to study customized inner beauty and customized cosmetics recognition and purchasing behavior through DTC genetic testing in the unexplored era after COVID‐19 pandemic. As a result, it was significantly more effective to use customized inner beauty and customized cosmetics after DTC genetic test (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

This study emphasizes that after the global COVID‐19 pandemic worldwide that occurred after January 2020, the definition of health persistence, wellness, and well‐dying associated with beauty and cosmetology is also evolving from the DTC genetic test. In our results, it was found for the first time that the intake of customized inner beauty preparations and the use of customized cosmetics would be more effective. In the above significant research results, it is believed that research on the combinational effect of customized inner beauty products and customized cosmetics is required in the global DTC genetic testing market.

What Type of Consumption Induces or Alleviates Consumer Psychological Distress? Evidence From the COVID-19 Pandemic in China

Even though the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has limited consumption, individuals continue to plan post-pandemic consumption activities to get rid of the stress caused by consumption repression. Building on Maslow's theory of needs and Herzberg's two-factor theory, our research categorizes consumption into fundamental ("must-have" products that fulfill the physical needs of individuals), hygiene (maintaining the security needs of consumers), and motivational consumption (enhancing well-being of individuals). Based on empirical data of purchase behavior and consumption expectation before, during, and after the pandemic in China, we identify how consumption repression induces psychological distress, via a sense of feeling threatened, lacking control, or lacking freedom, and how the expectation of future consumption alleviates that stress. Results show that fundamental consumption leads to psychological distress; hygiene consumption can both result in and reduce stress; and motivational consumption can reduce stress. Our findings provide new insights into the relationship between consumption and psychological distress through new theoretical formulations. The results can be applied by marketers attempting to understand purchase decision-making and by policymakers supporting both citizens and commerce during social emergencies.

Can Healthy Checkout Counters Improve Food Purchases? Two Real-Life Experiments in Dutch Supermarkets

Most snacks displayed at supermarket checkouts do not contribute to a healthy diet. We investigated the effects of introducing healthier snack alternatives at checkouts in supermarkets on purchasing behavior. In Study 1, we investigated the effect of completely substituting less healthy with healthier snacks (one supermarket). In Study 2, we investigated the effect of placing and discounting healthier snacks while the less healthy snacks remain in place (two supermarkets). In both studies, the number of purchased snacks (per 1000 customers) was used as the outcome variable. Results for Study 1 showed that the absolute number of purchased checkout snacks was 2.4 times lower (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.9-2.7) when healthier snacks instead of less healthy snacks were placed at the supermarket checkouts. Results for Study 2 showed that when additional healthier snacks were placed near the checkouts, the absolute number of healthier purchased snacks increased by a factor of 2.1 (95% CI: 1.3-3.3). When additional healthier snacks were placed near the checkouts and discounted, the absolute number of healthier purchased snacks increased by a factor of 2.7 (95% CI: 2.0-3.6), although this was not statistically significant higher than placement only (ratio: 1.1, 95% CI: 0.7-1.9). Purchases of less healthy snacks did not decline, and even slightly increased, during the intervention period (ratio: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1-1.5). If supermarkets want to promote healthier snack purchases, additional healthier products can be positioned near the checkouts. However, this does not discourages the purchase of less healthy snacks. Therefore, to discourage unhealthy snack purchases at supermarket checkouts, a total substitution of less healthy snacks with healthier alternatives is most effective.

Are Students Really Cautious about Food Waste? Korean Students' Perception and Understanding of Food Waste

The amount of food wasted by Korean households is significant and to some extent could be preventable. It is not well illustrated how Korean students perceive food waste and how much they know about the consequences of food waste. This study aimed to examine Korean students’ perception of food waste. Overall, results show that students’ perception of food waste varies in different clusters. Considerate food wasters (cluster 1) are knowledgeable and have much information regarding food waste. This paper suggests that additional information about how to preserve food and about issues related to food wastes, which cause a bigger environmental problem over the long term, could influence the behavior of this cluster, reducing perhaps further food waste. On the other hand, unwitting and ruthless food wasters, who are in clusters 2 and 3, need extra attention. Marketers should initiate educational campaigns to raise awareness of food waste for students and youth. Students who fall under these two clusters may need to pay extra attention to their shopping behavior. They should be more connected to their food, and to their purchase behavior, which may reduce food waste.

Influence of Being Embodied in an Obese Virtual Body on Shopping Behavior and Products Perception in VR

Research in Virtual Reality (VR) showed that embodiment can influence participants' perceptions and behavior when embodied in a different yet plausible virtual body. In this paper, we study the changes an obese virtual body has on products perception (e.g., taste, etc.) and purchase behavior (e.g., number purchased) in an immersive virtual retail store. Participants (of a normal BMI on average) were embodied in a normal (N) or an obese (OB) virtual body and were asked to buy and evaluate food products in the immersive virtual store. Based on stereotypes that are classically associated with obese people, we expected that the group embodied in obese avatars would show a more unhealthy diet, (i.e., buy more food products and also buy more products with high energy intake, or saturated fat) and would rate unhealthy food as being tastier and healthier than participants embodied in “normal weight” avatars. Our participants also rated the perception of their virtual body: the OB group perceived their virtual body as significantly heavier and older. They also rated their sense of embodiment and presence within the immersive virtual store. These measures did not show any significant difference between groups. Finally, we asked them to rate different food products in terms of tastiness, healthiness, sustainability and price. The only difference we noticed is that participants embodied in an obese avatar (OB group) rated the coke as being significantly tastier and the apple as being significantly healthier. Nevertheless, while we hypothesized that participants embodied in a virtual body with obesity would show differences in their shopping patterns (e.g., more “unhealthy” products bought) there were no significant differences between the groups. Stereotype activation failed for our participants embodied in obese avatars, who did not exhibit a shopping behavior following the (negative) stereotypes related to obese people. conversely, while the opposite hypothesis (participants embodied in obese avatars would buy significantly more healthy products in order to “transform” their virtual bodies) could have been made, it was not the case either. We discuss these results and propose hypotheses as to why the behavior of the manipulated group differed from the one we expected. Indeed, unlike previous research, our participants were embodied in virtual avatars which differed greatly from their real bodies. Obese avatars should not only modify users' visual characteristics such as hair or skin color, etc. We hypothesize that an obese virtual body may require some other non-visual stimulus, e.g., the sensation of the extra weight or the change in body size. This main difference could then explain why we did not notice any important modification on participants' behavior and perceptions of food products. We also hypothesize that the absence of stereotype activation and thus of statistical difference between our N and OB groups might be due to higher-level cognitive processes involved while purchasing food products. Indeed our participants might have rejected their virtual bodies when performing the shopping task, while the embodiment and presence ratings did not show significant differences, and purchased products based on their real (non-obese) bodies. This could mean that stereotype activation is more complex that previously thought.

Consumer choice: Linking consumer intentions to actual purchase of GM labeled food products

With a mandatory labeling scheme for GM food in Europe since 2004 measuring actual consumer choice in practice has become possible. Anticipating Europeans negative attitude toward GM food, the labeling was enforced to allow consumers to make an informed choice. We studied consumers actual purchase behavior of GM food products and compared this with their attitude and behavioral intention for buying GM food. We found that despite a majority of consumers voicing a negative attitude toward GM food over 50% of our European respondents stated that they did not actively avoid the purchase of GM food and 6% actually purchased one of the few available GM labeled food products in the period between September 2006 and October 2007. Our results imply that a voiced negative attitude of consumers in responses to questionnaires about their intentions is not a reliable guide for what they actually do in supermarkets. We conclude that the assumption of a negative attitude with regard to GM food is at least in part construed.