Alemán Ramos, P. F., Morales Almeida, P., & Gisbert Caudeli, V.
Young university students towards online commerce: strategic dimensions for the advertising industry from the purchase process, trust and satisfaction.
RESEARCH
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Received: 17/01/2023 Accepted: 05/04/2023 Published: 08/05/2023 |
YOUNG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TOWARDS ONLINE COMMERCE: STRATEGIC DIMENSIONS FOR THE ADVERTISING INDUSTRY FROM THE PURCHASE PROCESS, TRUST AND SATISFACTION
Los jóvenes universitarios ante el comercio online: dimensiones estratégicas para la industria publicitaria desde el proceso de compra, la confianza y la satisfacción
Pedro Francisco Alemán Ramos[1]: University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Spain.
Paula Morales Almeida[2]: University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Spain.
Vicenta Gisbert Caudeli[3]: Autonomous University of Madrid. España.
How to reference this article:
Alemán Ramos, P. F., Morales Almeida, P., & Gisbert Caudeli, V. (2023). Young university students towards online commerce: strategic dimensions for the advertising industry from the purchase process, trust and satisfaction. Vivat Academia, 156, 1-23. http://doi.org/10. 15178/va.2023.156.e1468
ABSTRACT
Young population has developed a particular use of electronic commerce, modified by the impact of the conditions of the pandemic produced by COVID19. The present study is based on the attitude and perception of consumers. It is aimed to identify and map the online purchase process, as well as the criteria of trust and satisfaction in the digital acquisition of services and products. Social representations were taken as a theoretical framework, and the analysis was developed following Reinert's method through the IRAMuTeQ computer program. The corpus included the contributions of 203 university students. The Descending Hierarchical Analysis and the Correspondence Factor Analysis were used, resulting in 4 classes associated with the online purchase process (product information, web security, economic value of the product, value for money), 4 classes in the trust criteria (reliability of the web page, positive evaluations, shared experiences, security and officiality) and 3 classes related to the satisfaction of the online purchase (optimum reception of the product, speed of service, meeting expectations). Web security, the promotion of networks of experiences, the honesty and transparency of the characteristics of the product or service, as well as the effectiveness of its deliveries, were considered especially important in the implementation of advertising strategies.
Keywords: purchasing process, trust, satisfaction, social representations, advertising, young people.
RESUMEN
La población joven ha desarrollado un particular uso del comercio electrónico, modificado por el impacto de las condiciones de la pandemia producida por el COVID19. El presente estudio parte de la actitud y percepción de los consumidores, y tuvo como objetivo identificar y mapear el proceso de compra online, así como los criterios de confianza y de satisfacción en la adquisición digital de servicios y productos. Se tomó como marco teórico las representaciones sociales, y se desarrolló el análisis siguiendo el método de Reinert a través del programa informático IRAMuTeQ. El corpus incluyó las aportaciones de 203 jóvenes universitarios. Se empleó el Análisis Jerárquico Descendente y el Análisis Factorial de Correspondencia, dando como resultado 4 clases asociadas al proceso de compra online (información del producto, seguridad web, valor económico del producto, relación calidad-precio), 4 clases en los criterios de confianza (fiabilidad de la página web, valoraciones positivas, experiencias compartidas, seguridad y oficialidad) y 3 clases relacionados con la satisfacción de la compra online (óptima recepción del producto, rapidez del servicio, cubrir expectativas). Se consideró de especial importante en la implementación de estrategias publicitarias la seguridad web, el fomento de redes de experiencias, la honestidad y transparencia de las características del producto o servicio, así como la eficacia de sus entregas.
Palabras clave: proceso de compra, confianza, satisfacción, representaciones sociales, publicidad, jóvenes.
Jovens estudantes universitários e comércio em linha: dimensões estratégicas para a indústria publicitária em termos de processo de compra, confiança e satisfação
RESUMO
A população jovem desenvolveu um uso particular do comércio electrónico, modificado pelo impacto das condições pandémicas causadas pela COVID19. Este estudo baseia-se nas atitudes e percepções dos consumidores, e visa identificar e mapear o processo de compra online, bem como os critérios de confiança e satisfação na aquisição digital de serviços e produtos. As representações sociais foram tomadas como um quadro teórico, e a análise foi desenvolvida seguindo o método de Reinert, utilizando o software IRAMuTeQ. O corpus incluiu as contribuições de 203 jovens estudantes universitários. Foram utilizadas a Análise Hierárquica Top-Down e a Análise de Factores de Correspondência, resultando em 4 aulas associadas ao processo de compra online (informação do produto, segurança da web, valor económico do produto, relação qualidade/preço), 4 aulas nos critérios de confiança (fiabilidade do website, avaliações positivas, experiências partilhadas, segurança e oficialismo) e 3 aulas relacionadas com a satisfação com a compra online (recepção óptima do produto, rapidez do serviço, satisfação das expectativas). A segurança na Web, a promoção de redes de experiência, a honestidade e transparência das características do produto ou serviço, bem como a eficiência da entrega foram consideradas particularmente importantes na implementação de estratégias publicitárias.
Palavras-chave: processo de compra, confiança, satisfação, representações sociais, publicidade, jovens.
1. INTRODUCTION
Young population has been the subject of numerous studies in various research fields. Previous studies have found relationships in their tendencies towards gaming, social media usage, and purchasing habits based on their age, gender, academic performance, or field of knowledge (Ruíz-Olivares et al., 2010; Ramos-Soler et al., 2021). Some findings have shown certain tendencies towards compulsive buying and abusive consumption, especially during the identity-building process (Quintano-Méndez et al., 2023). Young people constitute an interest group for the market, and their buying patterns have been influenced by commercial strategies aimed at increasing their consumption and obtaining a certain degree of loyalty to their consumer trends (Denegri et al., 2017).
During the university stage, there is usually a first-time experience of certain economic independence, which can lead to behavior that tends towards compulsivity, related to socialization and the effort to conform to a social image (Barros et al., 2019). At this stage, self-concept is highly determined by the beliefs of the social group regarding oneself, so collective identity limits and structures personal identity (Badaoui et al., 2018). Consumption is also influenced by products related to peers and purchasing power, with a certain distance between who the individual is and who they want to be, or what would be an improved version of themselves (Norberg et al., 2019).
Shopping habits have been modified in recent decades. The increase in mobile devices, the ease of connections that can now be considered universal, access to detailed product information, and the facilities for home delivery of products, avoiding travel, have contributed to a widespread trend in which geographical distance disappears (Tapia and Torinos, 2014). Some of the dangers that these new trends generate are increasing impulsiveness, lack of control, and their resulting addiction, as the individual feels invaded by a gratifying and pleasurable sensation after making a purchase (Unger et al., 2018).
Another determining factor in this variation in consumption habits has been the exceptional situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has generated urgent adaptations to an unforeseen reality that involved mandatory isolation that prevented, among many other things, the realization and payment of purchases in physical stores (Hernández and Suárez, 2021). The general landscape shifted from physical to virtual, both in social life and in studies or work, generating a certain need and dependence on connection and revealing the effects of the gap in access to and use of digital tools, which has been considered a highly limiting technological gap (Pinto-Santos et al., 2022).
Being confined for several weeks generally caused variations in the health status of individuals who had a tendency towards overweight, hypertension, addictions, or stress, leading to a decline in the well-being of the population (Hernández and Suárez, 2021). The situation resulted in logical consequences on social aspects, especially in young university students who were affected by various emotional symptoms (González-López and Lemos, 2020), a deterioration of health and quality of life that includes physical aspects but also aspects related to human development in all its dimensions (cultural, social, environmental, economic, etc.) (Hernández & Suárez, 2021; Rivera-Salas & Curro-Lau, 2021).
The way we understand health depends on the study and understanding of the cultural environment, as scientific knowledge coexists with popular knowledge, transmitted through oral communication in that popular imaginary, and investigated and rigorously concluded to add to that collective knowledge. Each individual tends to consider health in a particular way determined by their life experiences, values and beliefs, environment, and cultural and economic factors, not focusing solely on the presence or absence of diseases, but expanding the concept to include psychological, physical, and social well-being, as well as associated risk factors that can be found in the family, educational or social environment (Capriati and Wald, 2020).
Special attention has always been paid to finding the best way to facilitate access to formal education for those who have had difficulties with it, and these efforts were increased during the pandemic period, trying to guarantee that access to households where there were minors and young people, in an attempt to normalize the situation and minimize psychological risks (Méndez, 2020). Access to learning is inevitably linked to the process of communication and message reception. Its effectiveness depends largely on the ability to capture the attention of the receiver - in the case of learning, the students -, the ability to show the spatiotemporal relevance of the content and the ability to convince of its value (positive messages provide a higher degree of persuasion) (Gómez-Carmona et al., 2022).
Focusing on the importance of communication, it will be possible to improve the message if we manage to understand the attitude and perception that university students have towards new forms of shopping: online commerce. That is why this work has focused on understanding the dimensions considered during the purchasing process, the reliability and satisfaction criteria they present during and after it. By analyzing these parameters, it will be possible to adapt priority aspects in advertising campaigns, launching much more meaningful messages for this particular target audience.
Therefore, understanding the perception and attitude towards online shopping among college students is important to identify and evaluate the particular conditions in the commerce-digital binomial. Knowing the central elements will help establish priorities in advertising adaptation.
2. OBJECTIVES
Given the economic and social conditions experienced in recent years, as well as the characteristics of university students, the online purchasing process plays an important role in economic development. Understanding the different dimensions involved in this process will allow for adjustments to be made to existing communication processes. The focus is on the individual as an online purchasing agent in order to adjust communication actions. From this perspective, this study aims to globally identify and map the fundamental characteristics of electronic commerce developed by university students and establish strategic lines for current advertising development. To this end, three research questions (RQ) are identified:
RQ1. What are the current dimensions presented in the online shopping process of university students?
RQ2. What are the subjective determinants of trust when university students make online purchases?
RQ3. What are the fundamental dimensions underlying the satisfaction of online shopping in university students?
Therefore, the research aimed to identify the dimensions that are present in the online purchasing process, as well as the criteria that underlie the subjective interpretation of trust and satisfaction among university students.
3. METHODOLOGY
A qualitative and exploratory study was conducted to explore the peculiarities of a new, particular, or open reality, highlighting its unique elements (Corona, 2018; Flick, 2022). The theoretical framework of Social Representations was used, which explains how organized sets of knowledge are created and how humans make reality intangible, integrating and developing it in a daily process of communication within their social group (Moscovici, 1981; 2001). The Reinert method of lexical analysis was used, which is based on discourses expressed in lexical groups that are organized rationally to give coherence to the parts that are enunciated (De Alba, 2004).
3.1. Participants
The instrument used in the study was a semi-structured interview guide consisting of open-ended questions designed to explore the dimensions and criteria involved in the online purchasing process, as well as the subjective perceptions of trust and satisfaction related to it. The guide was developed based on the theoretical framework of Social Representations and the Reinert method for lexical analysis.
3.2. Instrument
A structured questionnaire was used to collect data, which consisted of sociodemographic questions (age, gender, employment status, frequency of online shopping, and subjective social class) and open-ended questions related to the research objectives: "What do you usually do before and during the process of purchasing a product or service online?", "What are the factors that give you the most confidence when making purchases online?" and "What factors influence your satisfaction with purchases made online?"
Table 1
Sociodemographic characteristics of the sample.
|
Variables |
Categories |
%/[ |
|
|
Edad |
|
[21.16, 3.72] |
|
|
Gender |
Man |
15.2% |
|
|
Women |
84.7% |
||
|
Employment situation |
They study and work eventually |
22.7% |
|
|
They study and work regularly |
21.1% |
||
|
Do not work |
56.2% |
||
|
Purchase Frequency Online |
Every day |
1% |
|
|
3-4 times a week |
2% |
||
|
Once a week |
5.9% |
||
|
Once every 15 days |
17.7% |
||
|
Once a month |
27.1% |
||
|
Less than once a month |
46.3% |
||
|
Subjective social class |
Low Class |
1% |
|
|
Lower middle class |
61.1% |
||
|
High middle class. |
37.9% |
||
Source: Authors' own work. (%) Percentage in categorical variables or (x) mean and (SD) standard deviation for continuous variables.
3.3. Procedure
The digital questionnaire was designed and implemented in a self-directed manner, requesting the voluntary participation of students from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. All participants agreed to the free and informed consent of the study, aimed at explaining the research objectives, preserving anonymity, and using contributions for exclusively academic purposes. The fieldwork was carried out between October 27 and November 14, 2022.
Later, the textual variables (open-ended questions) were refined for the analysis of social representations. The final corpus collected 203 texts with 628 text segments, 7241 occurrences of 1086 different forms of which 595 were hapax or words with a single frequency. Three sub-corpora were created according to the research objectives: for the analysis of the purchasing process (213 text segments with 2778 occurrences of 575 forms), for trust (208 text segments with 2159 occurrences of 525 forms), and for satisfaction (207 text segments, 2304 occurrences of 456 forms).
3.4. Analysis
First, the characteristics of the study sample were defined by analyzing frequency and distribution according to sociodemographic variables using the SPSS software. Second, within the study of social representations, lexical analysis of the subcorpora was carried out using the Reinert method. It is considered that reality is shaped through communication, creating a system of lexical worlds that organizes and gives coherence among the participants. The lexical world, as a group of words that constitute a fragment of discourse, captures the shared social representations among the study population on a given topic or concept. Social representations, as a theoretical basis, have also been employed in research in the field of marketing and advertising, as reported by Lauri (2015), where the incorporation of sociological trends in attitude research and the inclusion of the theory of social representations in social marketing involves delving into public opinion, generalized beliefs, as well as understanding their functions and processes.
For the present study, the text analysis software IRAMuTeQ - Interface de R pour les Analyses Multidimensionnelles de Textes et de Questionnaires - version 0.7 alpha 2, was used as it allows the analysis of the structure and organization of the lexical worlds present in the text segments. According to Schonhardt-Bailey (2013), its statistical basis allows interpreting each class as a thematic or lexical world, creating a transparent and reproducible process until the moment of interpretation where each class will be labeled according to its composition. In this sense, it is a useful, appropriate, and reliable tool in the process of text analysis (Góes et al., 2021).
For the analysis, lemmatized and complete words were defined as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, and both Hierarchical Descendant Analysis and Correspondence Factor Analysis were used.
The Hierarchical Descending Analysis was used to classify and group the text segments into classes, offering the most characteristic words of each one using the chi-square association criterion (x2) with a margin of error of less than .05. The result is a description of classes with text segments that have similar words among them, but also differentiated from the other classes. The information is presented in a dendrogram that shows the total percentage of text segments included in the result and by social class, as well as the strength of the relationship of the words with each class (Camargo and Justo, 2013; 2016). The name of each class is established qualitatively depending on the main words associated with each class, the reading of the associated text segments, and the semantic context in which the contributions are inserted.
Factorial Correspondence Analysis is a representation on a Cartesian plane of the words and positioning of classes based on the frequencies and correlation values of each word in the corpus. The lexical factorial plot allows visualization of the typical vocabulary of each class in semantic contexts and also represents the words that exist in each class, enabling the relationship between each representation or social perception to be established (Camargo and Justo, 2016).
4. RESULTS
The Hierarchical Descending Analysis of the purchasing process classified 136 segments out of 213 (63.9%) into four classes (see Figure 1). Specifically, two main dimensions were identified. On the one hand, the global attitude centered on the quality-price relationship, and on the other hand, an attitude focused on partial elements. In the latter, a distinction was made between those related to product conditions (information and price) and those related to service conditions (security). In terms of importance, the classes based on service conditions (security) stand out, followed by the quality-price relationship class.
The first class was named `product information´ (24.2% of text segments) and is characterized by considerations such as: "Usually I look online for the product I like, and many times I try to go to the store to see the product. If it's not in stock, I usually look for comments about the product online, and from there I make the purchase" (x2=66.7); "before buying, I search for information about the brand or the product, and as I select what I want, I always check what reviews it has" (x2=65).
The second class has the highest weight in terms of the number of segments (29.4%) and was defined as `web security´. Contributions associated with this class or social representation include: "Before making a purchase, I would make sure to be in a secure web space, have an up-to-date antivirus, and protect the camera and microphone of the device I am using, as well as its geolocation" (x2=69.4); "before buying, I check that it is a secure page to avoid fraud, and then I make sure that the payment has been made correctly" (x2=67.1).
Figure 1
Dendrogram of the Descending Hierarchical Classification of the purchase process which includes the words whose relationship criteria with the class (x2) were significant (p<0.05).
Source: Author´s own work. (x2) Chi-Square.
The third representation was defined as the `economic value of the product´ (19.9% of text segments) and included statements such as: "I also check for similar items and look for the cheapest one if it matches my preferences. Finally, when I have them selected, I check if I really need them, look at my budget and see if there are any discounts available" (x2=142.6); "I also compare prices on different websites to see which one has the product I want to buy at a lower price" (x2=131.7).
Finally, the fourth class was defined as 'price-quality ratio' (26.5%) as it includes an integral dimension composed of contributions such as: "informing myself, comparing prices, tracking, and ensuring the reliability of payment" (x2=100.1); "looking at similar products, buyer ratings for the product, and comparing prices" (x2=94.2).
In the factorial analysis of the buying process (figure 2), the information about the product or service (red color) is distinguished in the central part, which is related to the economic aspects of the price (blue color, top part) and the aspects of web security (green color, bottom part). Meanwhile, the global comparison based on quality-price is distinguished from the other classes (purple color). The comparison of price and quality, looking at ratings and comments, as well as web security, stands out in the buying process.
Figure 2
Correspondence Factor Analysis of the online purchase process.
Source: Author´s own work.
Regarding the criteria associated with trust in online shopping, the Descending Hierarchical Analysis classified 127 segments out of 208 (61.06%) into four classes, according to the Reinert method (see Figure 3).
Two well-differentiated dimensions are established. On the one hand, the classes related to the structural elements of the sale are collected (classes 1 and 4), and on the other hand, the classes include the factors of social relationship and behavior (classes 2 and 3).
The first class was named 'positive reviews' (29.1% of text segments) and among the most significant quotes are: "that the website is trustworthy, followed by people I know, and has good reviews" (x2=131.2); "that they are reliable and well-known websites" (x2=113.7).
The second class was defined as "shared experiences" (18.9% of the text segments), with contributions highlighting: "the reviews of the product buyers and their ratings" (x2=58.2); "when I read the reviews of products or apartments/hotels, from my point of view it is what comes closest to reality because they are people who have previously used the product and express their point of view" (x2=52.4).
Figure 3
Dendrogram of the Descending Hierarchical Classification of the criteria on trust in online shopping, which includes the words whose relationship criteria with the class (x2) were significant (p<0.05).
Source: Author´s own work. (
) Chi-Square.
The third class found was related to `positive ratings´ (29.1% of the text segments). It focuses on contributions such as: "positive comments and the seller" (x2=69); "customer reviews when the satisfaction curve does not form a c" (x2=59).
Finally, the fourth class defined as security and officiality, with a weight of 29.9% of text segments, included statements such as: "that "s" means security, and when websites belong to official organizations or large companies, they generate a greater sense of trust and reliability" (x2=93.9); "although I have never made online purchases, I know that one of the indications that let us know that the website is secure can be found in its link when the beginning of its URL starts with https" (x2=82.2).
According to the factorial analysis of trust criteria (figure 4), a central part is observed consisting of web reliability (purple) which is closely related to their officiality and security (red). The classes related to shared product experiences (green) and positive ratings through comments (blue) are not only more distant but also weakly related to the first two classes. The importance of knowing the website's reliability, as well as the comments and photos from other users, is highlighted.
Figure 4
Factorial Correspondence Analysis of Trust in online shopping.
Source: Author´s own work.
Finally, regarding satisfaction, the Descending Hierarchical Analysis classified 134 segments out of 207 (64.73%) into three classes (see figure 5). Online purchase satisfaction criteria are based not only on the conditions of product or service delivery but also on meeting the buyer's expectations. In addition, delivery conditions are based on the optimal receipt of the product and the speed of the service.
The first class includes terms related to the "optimal reception of the product", with 28.3% of the text segments. Among the most significant quotes are: "that the product arrives in good condition and is of the same quality as offered on the internet" (x2=137.3); "if the products arrive in good condition and just as they appear on the internet" (x2=132.8).
The second class was defined as `speed of service´ (38.1% of text segments). It is related to contributions such as: "the speed of payment and arrival of products in addition to quality" (x2=82.4); "the speed of arrival and quality of the product" (x2=82.4).
Figure 5
Dendrogram of the Descending Hierarchical Classification of the criteria on satisfaction in online purchases, which includes the words whose relationship criteria with the class (x2) were significant (p<0.05).
Source: Author's own work. (
) Chi-square.
Finally, the third class related to satisfaction was called 'meeting expectations' (33.6% of the text segments), related to contributions such as: "it depends on whether the condition of the items received is as similar as possible to the photo that appears on the website" (x2=70); "that the product I receive meets the expectations I had when I placed my order" (x2=43.9).
The factorial analysis of satisfaction criteria (Figure 6) reveals the centrality of the product reception conditions (red color), which is more related to meeting the consumer's expectations (green color). On the right, at a more distant position, are the criteria related to logistics (blue color).
Figure 6
Correspondence Factor Analysis of Satisfaction in online shopping.
Source: Author´s own work.
5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
The aim of this study is to understand the perception and attitude toward online shopping among young university students in order to identify and evaluate the particular conditions in the commerce-digital binomial. Understanding the central elements will help establish priorities in advertising adaptation.
The obtained results have provided us with data that we will now proceed to discuss. To do so, we will focus on the three strategic lines that we have defined for the advertising industry: from the purchasing process, to trust and satisfaction, analyzing the different dimensions and classes obtained in the dendrogram.
Firstly, regarding the purchasing process, to understand what young university students usually do before and during the online purchase of a product or service, it can be stated that there are two main tendencies. On the one hand, the overall attitude focused on the quality-price relationship, which belongs to dimension 2 and class 4, and on the other hand, an attitude focused on partial elements that include dimension 1 with classes 1, 2, and 3, related to information, security services, and price, respectively. We are talking about four classes within this strategic line.
The online buying process is different from the traditional one, so new models of behavior are being developed to better understand consumers and help companies understand them, thus promoting greater profitability (Karimi et al., 2015). It seems evident that there is a prior decision-making process after which the customer will purchase one product or another. The first research on this matter focused on decision-making tasks, but there are not as many studies on the decisions that affect these purchases (Chowdhury et al., 2009; Ranaweera et al., 2005). This decision-making is framed in attitude, as established by the two dimensions of this line. In this research, we detected that university students tend to focus on the quality-price relationship when acquiring a product or service. This falls within the dimension that we call global attitude. In addition to this global attitude regarding the relationship between quality and price, the university student also focuses on other partial issues that have to do with attitudes, such as information, price, or web security. Information about the product or service will affect buying behavior and, therefore, the process of it, as affirmed by Bughin et al. (2010) and Chang and Burke (2007), since the more knowledge the customer has, the less motivation they will have to search for information, while those with low levels of knowledge will not be able to search for and evaluate that information (Bettman and Park, 1980). This leads us to determine that the university student already has preconceived ideas about what they want and usually goes straight to that information. On the other hand, regarding price, university students tend to check items that may be similar, that resemble their tastes, or that is truly something they need. Finally, regarding web security, they usually ensure that they have a good antivirus or that the transaction is secure. In this aspect, security refers to the confidentiality, integrity, authentication, and security of data online, as affirmed by Turban et al. (2006). University students are concerned with ensuring that the website on which they will carry out the transaction is secure and offers them guarantees of secure payment, in addition to other issues.
It can be stated that university students have greater knowledge about the products or services they want to purchase, which leads them to have clearer and more precise information about what they want, focusing on aspects such as quality, information, and security.
Secondly, with regard to the factors that promote more trust in young university students when shopping online, two important dimensions are identified. On the one hand, the first dimension focuses on structural elements of the sale with the classes "reliability of the website" and "security and officiality", the latter belonging to class 4. The second dimension includes factors of social relationship and behavior with the classes: "shared experiences of products and services" and "positive ratings", the latter belonging to class 3. Thus, we have 4 classes within this strategic line.
One of the most challenging aspects of purchasing is based on trust factors. Companies often have a hard time promoting trust in their customers, as Reichheld and Schefter (2000) point out. Trust is a topic that has been studied extensively in commerce. Already in 1985, Lewis and Weigert classified trade trust as cognitive trust and emotional trust. In addition, if we talk about online shopping, other problems arise, such as not being able to identify the seller, the purchasing decision, payment, the sales process, etc. (Christine-Roy et al., 2001). There are various studies on online shopping, developed, among others, by Gefen (2000), McKnight et al. (2000), and Jarvenpaa et al. (1999). Therefore, it is not surprising that one of the most important aspects highlighted by university students is the security and authenticity when purchasing a product or service online, as we have been able to analyze in the data obtained.
In addition, they also focus on other aspects such as positive reviews of the product or service, as well as the number of followers they have on their website, positive comments, and reviews, as already analyzed by authors such as Xiao et al. (2018) and Zhang et al. (2014). This interaction between the seller and the customer will play a crucial role in online buying and selling so that the buyer feels secure throughout the entire purchasing process (Kim and Park, 2013).
Therefore, regarding trust, the university student values security and knowledge about who is selling the product or service, as well as the comments made by other people to assess whether or not to make the purchase.
Thirdly, regarding satisfaction criteria, it is important to know what determines the satisfaction of young university students when they make purchases online. Based on the data obtained, we can say that these criteria do not only depend on the delivery conditions of the product or service, which is included in class 2 of dimension 1, but also on meeting the expectations of young people, which belongs to class 3 of dimension 2. In addition, delivery conditions are based on the optimal receipt of the product and the speed of the service, belonging to class 1 of dimension 1, which is the most important of all. Therefore, we can talk about three classes within this strategic line.
For the young university student, the most important aspect regarding satisfaction is that the product or service is delivered in the shortest possible time and in perfect condition. Scientific studies indicate that, furthermore, if the website is easy to use and allows for product pickup at local stores, it increases the likelihood of customers buying from these websites (Anand, 2007). With regards to delivery, we are referring to the total time spent on shipping and handling. Reliable and timely delivery of the product is essential for customer satisfaction, as Schaupp and Belanger (2005) have noted. It is not only necessary to minimize delivery time but also to provide package tracking mechanisms in order to reduce customer anxiety. In addition, young university student expects the product or service to meet the expectations they had when they purchased it, and for the product to match what was seen online.
It seems clear that, as Yin et al. (2021) state, customer satisfaction is crucial for customer retention. It contributes to customer loyalty, which is one of the most effective strategies for improving business performance (Chen and Chiu, 2009; Hsieh et al., 2012).
Therefore, through this research, we have been able to understand the perception and attitude that university students have toward online shopping. By identifying key factors and strategic lines, we have obtained valuable information that will help establish priorities within the advertising industry, resulting in an improvement in the products and services offered through the Internet.
This article is based on a sample of interest for qualitative analysis of online commerce among university students. Perhaps the most relevant aspect is that the analysis of advertising strategies is based on the social representation of the subjects. This subjective perspective, combined with lexical analysis, provides important conclusions that can be used to improve safe communication processes for the development of e-commerce. It would be of interest to establish differences based on sociodemographic or categorical issues, to deepen this specific knowledge, as consumers' personal characteristics have an effect on the purchasing process (Moore and Lehmann, 1980). Furthermore, as Schwartz et al. (2002) state, understanding the style of decision-making as a tendency to satisfy or maximize a decision depends on personal characteristics that can establish predictors of behavior. In short, understanding how public self-awareness affects consumer perceptions and behaviors can help predict and even influence consumer decisions (Pham et al., 2010).
In conclusion, and as far as we know, this study is one of the first to examine the social representations of young university students focused on online shopping as a basis for designing advertising strategies. The findings reveal that there are key factors for understanding how the purchase process is perceived, as well as the criteria for trust and satisfaction in this digital modality. We cannot forget that, as there is a purchasing process, it is because there is an intention to buy, and consumers are already evaluating, according to their criteria, the quality of the website, information search, and product evaluation (Poddar et al., 2009; Hausman & Siekpe, 2009). Thus, the advertising strategy should focus on web security criteria, promoting networks of experiences, honesty and transparency of product or service characteristics, and effectiveness in delivery or logistics. The intention of online purchases reflects the consumers' desire to make a purchase through a website (Ying et al., 2010), and therefore, it is susceptible to offering advertising strategies that are in line with the subject's needs.
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AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS, FUNDING AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Author Contributions:
Conceptualization: Gisbert Caudeli, Vicenta y Morales Almeida, Paula. Methodology: Alemán Ramos, Pedro Francisco y Morales Almeida, Paula. Software: Alemán Ramos, Pedro Francisco. Validation: Gisbert Caudeli, Vicenta y Morales Almeida, Paula. Formal analysis: Alemán Ramos, Pedro Francisco y Gisbert Caudeli, Vicenta. Data curation: Morales Almeida, Paula. Writing-Preparation of the original draft: Gisbert Caudeli, Vicenta y Morales Almeida, Paula. Writing-Revision and Editing: Alemán Ramos, Pedro Francisco. Visualization: Morales Almeida, Paula. Supervision: Gisbert Caudeli, Vicenta. Project management: Alemán Ramos, Pedro Francisco. All authors have read and accepted the published version of the manuscript.: Alemán Ramos, Pedro Francisco, Morales Almeida, Paula y Gisbert Caudeli, Vicenta.
AUTHOR/S:
Pedro Francisco Alemán Ramos
PhD from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of Alicante and diploma in Social Work from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. He is currently a Contracted Doctor Professor at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (knowledge area of Sociology in the Department of Psychology, Sociology and Social Work). Co-director and responsible for the community social specialty of the Interuniversity Master's Degree in Family, Social and Community Intervention and Mediation. Member of the Research Group on "Inclusive Education, Society and Family (GIEI)".
Orcid ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9755-9171
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.es/citations?user=MQh2MqAAAAAJ&hl=es&oi=sra
Dialnet: https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/autor?codigo=4389971
Accedaccris ULPGC: https://accedacris.ulpgc.es/cris/rp/rp00235
Paula Morales Almeida
She holds a Ph.D. in Education, a degree in Educational Psychology, and a diploma in Social Education. She is an expert in childhood and adolescence at risk of social exclusion. She is a faculty member at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in the Department of Psychology, Sociology, and Social Work, where she also serves as Secretary. She is in charge of internships for the Interuniversity Master's Degree in Family, Social, and Community Intervention and Mediation. She is a member of the educational innovation group "Digital Innovation" and the research team "Computational Model of Learning and Human Movement Degeneration for Clinical Diagnosis (MoCADiD)" funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, as part of a competitive project in 2021. She is also part of the research team for several reports related to childhood and families in the Canary Islands, commissioned by the General Directorate for Child and Family Protection.
Orcid ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4420-1918
Google Scholar: https://n9.cl/paulamoralesalmeida
Vicenta Gisbert Caudeli
Doctor of Education Sciences, Bachelor of Oboe, and Master of Neuroscience for Teachers. She is accredited as a Contracted Doctor by the National Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ANECA) and works as a faculty member at the Autonomous University of Madrid. She is the Academic Coordinator of the Master's Degree in Music Pedagogy (2020-2022), Coordinator of the Pedagogy area of the Music Degree, and mentor at the International University of La Rioja (UNIR). Additionally, she is the Secretary of the University Study Center for Education in Diversity (ULL) and a member of the INCISO Group (UNIR), IMETIC (University of Coruña), GIED (ULL), and GIMB (ULL). She also collaborates in the Master to Educate in Diversity and Social Inclusion Project of the Erasmus+ Program, European Union KA2 Strategic Partnerships in Higher Education, 2019, University of La Laguna.
Orcid ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1763-1143
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=cZDxAtcAAAAJ&hl=es
Vivat Academia. Revista de Comunicación. ISSN 1575-2844 1