Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

Objectives: The study is to identify the impediments affecting business-to-consumer (B2C) online shopping in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This research concentrates on the demographic survey of the buyers and their influence on buyer sensitivity to internet purchasing obstructions. Methods/analysis: This study is a descriptive survey design. Quantitative data is collected using an online questionnaire. The respondents were asked questions about their demographic profile and their observed impediments to internet purchasing. The sample size is 240 respondents who had engaged in online shopping only once or never engaged in online shopping. Frequency counts, mean score, ranking and chi-square test were the statistical techniques deployed to test the hypotheses using SPSS statistical software. Findings: The most important observed impediments to internet purchasing were identified as security and privacy risks in online shopping, the English language barrier, trusting tangible products, not using a credit card and the issue of distrust and credibility. It was found that the barrier of security and privacy risks in online shopping is independent of the educational status of interviewees. The hurdle of believing tangible goods does not depend on the age of interviewees. Moreover, the barrier of distrust and credibility is dependent on the online shopping experience of customers. Novelty/improvement: This study can help online retailers to understand the barriers affecting consumers’ online buying behavior, which can help retailers to create their selling approach to change prospective buyers into real buyers. 
Keywords: E-Commerce Barriers, Online Shopping Behavior, Security Risk, Language Barrier, Online Trust