Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The advent of the internet, digitalization, and technology has brought about significant changes in consumer patterns and habits. The implications of these changes for society, whether positive or negative, are still subject to ongoing debate. The environmental effects of online and omnichannel retail are a topic of debate, with differing opinions on both sides. Advocates highlight the efficiency of home deliveries compared to individual shopping trips, while others emphasize the complexities of consumer behavior. Despite extensive research, there is currently no consensus on this issue. The fragmented and contradictory nature of existing scientific knowledge makes it challenging for policymakers and practitioners to implement sustainability measures and guide consumers towards eco-friendlier practices. To tackle this problem, this article proposes a framework that comprehensively examines the environmental sustainability of shopping, based on a systematic literature review. The framework considers three key aspects that need to be collectively evaluated: individual purchases, consumer behavior, and consumption geography. While many studies focus on the environmental impact of single or basket purchases and generally favor e-commerce over in-store purchases, the equation changes when considering behavioral changes and geographical factors. While there is a growing interest in studying consumer behavior, empirical work that considers the spatial organization of businesses and consumers is scarce. This article goes beyond individual case studies and presents a comprehensive framework that can direct future discussions and research towards more sustainable paths. Moreover, with the increasing use of internet-connected devices by consumers for online shopping, the visual aspects of information presented in this medium have become a crucial subject for investigation and practical application. Drawing on fluency theory and environmental psychology, this study specifically explores how consumers' perception of fluency in written online information influences their cognitive effort and positive emotions when making choices. The results of the experiment indicate that how easily we perceive things affects both the mental effort we put in and the positive emotions we experience while shopping online. Furthermore, the level of mental effort and positive emotions we have also affects our judgments about the quality of the choices we make. This study is important because it examines the interaction between three aspects of processing fluency (how easily we perceive things, our emotional state, and the mental effort we exert) and how they impact consumer satisfaction with online shopping. Research on the impact of online shopping on consumers has explored various aspects and yielded several findings. Some of the key research findings and the significance of these impacts are: Convenience and Time Savings: Online shopping offers convenience and time savings for consumers. Research has consistently shown that consumers value the ability to shop anytime and anywhere, without the need to visit physical stores. This convenience factor has led to increased adoption of online shopping platforms. The significance of this impact is that it provides consumers with more flexibility and freedom in their shopping experiences, accommodating busy lifestyles and saving time. Product Selection and Information Access: Online shopping provides consumers with access to a vast array of products and detailed information about them. Research has found that consumers appreciate the extensive product selection and the ability to compare prices and features easily. This impact is significant as it empowers consumers with greater choice and enables them to make more informed purchasing decisions. Price Comparisons and Discounts: Online shopping platforms facilitate easy price. SPSS, short for Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, is a popular software application utilized extensively in statistical analysis and data management. It provides a wide range of features and functionalities that allow researchers, statisticians, and data analysts to manipulate and investigate data, conduct statistical tests, generate reports, and visualize results. By facilitating the exploration, organization, and interpretation of data, SPSS proves to be an invaluable resource in various disciplines such as social sciences, market research, and business analytics.It is particularly popular in social sciences research, but it is also used in various other fields such as marketing, healthcare, and finance. SPSS offers a user-friendly interface and supports both basic and advanced statistical analyses, making it accessible to users with varying levels of statistical expertise. Input parameter: How often you purchase online? Your past experience with online shopping, have you faced problems on online shopping, do you think online shopping is risky? Would u engage in online shopping in the next 3 months? Do u feel that online shopping makes comparison easy? In light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, which accelerated the widespread adoption of e-commerce worldwide, this research aims to address a crucial question: What is the overall environmental impact of online shopping? As new retail models such as Omni channel retail with click-and-collect and ship-from-store, along with the rise of delivery services like meal kits and subscriptions, as well as the digitalization of consumption (e.g., streaming music, e-books, and films) become more prevalent, it becomes increasingly challenging to comprehend the environmental consequences of shopping through different retail channels. While there are no universal models available to fully assess how virtual transactions affect the physical world, this article proposes a framework comprising three categories of impact. These categories include analyzing the environmental effects of individual purchases, understanding consumer behavior, and examining the geographical aspects of consumption
DOI: 10.46632/rmc/5/3/1
Language: English
Subfield: Building and Construction
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4403794733