Critical analysis of the influence of co-shoping & technological aid on consumer purchasing intent

Abstract

This study's fundamental nature focuses on analyzing the changes in online shoppers behavior in the presence of a group of individuals, female gender, and chatbot recommendations. The different parameters in the study include the presence, gender, and nature of the co-shopper. This report contains insights on the paradigm shift in online shopping behavior due to co-shoppers and technological advancements crafted out after reviewing an extensive quantum of literature. The literature review on the consumer behavior of shopping online revealed a gap in understanding the influence of gender, nature (human versus chatbot), and the presence of co-shopper. Hence, it led to the development of three hypotheses where our independent variables were the presence, gender, and nature of co-shopper and the dependent variable was the purchase intent. These hypotheses were tested by conducting experiments and receiving responses through surveys. The results of the experiments revealed interesting insights stating that the presence of co-shopper, gender of the co-shopper (1.e., being female), and nature of the co-shopper has a statistically significant positive effect on the online shopping experience of the consumers. It was found that customers add more items while co-shopping and are keener and more interested to explore the shopping platforms. This proven positive effect of online co-shopping behavior would encourage marketers to design seamless and gamified features to enhance the co-shopping experience. Deploying product features such as improvised chatbots, recommend a friend button, co-shopping platforms, and group shopping e-coupons will boost online sales and encourage customers to engage more with the platforms.