This research examines whether (1) consumers’ demographic characteristics and their internet usage are significantly related to their attitude for shopping and internet, (2) relationships of internet shopping consumers’ attitude for shopping and internet will vary by the type of products (i.e., low price and search, high price and search, low price and experience, and high price experience). Deriving from the product classification theory, products are classified into four categories: low price and search, high price and search, low price and experience, and high price experience. To classify these product types, two dimensions were adopted: Product’s price(low and high price) and the difficulty of gaining the product information on the web(search and experience product).
Data were collected through self-administered surveys from population in Seoul in the South Korea. The findings significantly support the study’s hypotheses that shopping orientations and demographic variables such as gender, education, and household income were significantly related to consumer’s online purchase preference. The researchers’ findings also confirm that the internet shopping consumers’ attitude for shopping and internet significantly differ by product category. More specifically, time consciousness, shopping risk aversion were negatively, and preference for online, belief for internet shopping and preference for internet shopping were positively related to preference for shopping online for product type A, product type B, product type C, product type D. The results and discussion section also includes implications drawn from the findings.
