Issues in Online Shopping and Cultural Influences on Consumer Behaviour

This article discusses the issues faced by consumers in online shopping and the cultural influences on consumer behaviour in the Australian retail sector. It also provides solutions to these issues and industry examples.

Running head: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
Consumer Behaviour
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

1CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
Issues in the online shopping and cultural influences on consumer behaviour
Consumer Behaviour refers to study regarding how the individual customers along
with the organizations select and use the ideas, goods along with the services that helps in
satisfying their needs. It is indicative of actions of customers within marketplace and
underlying motives in relation to their actions. The online shopping has become popular
among the people in the present age however the consumers have to face obstacles in the path
of the online shopping in the arena of Australian retail sector. There are issues in relation to
online shopping in the present era of technology and there are influences of the cultural
patterns on the consumer behaviour on the retail industry of Australia. There are problems
that arise in the event of the customers shopping in the online platform in the present age.
Firstly, the customers have to face the problem in relation to the delivery and the logistics
when they are shopping in the online platform in the retail companies (Jain and Kulhar 2019).
There exist the order tracking system in the present age that works to the benefit of the
customers in the present age. It has however been found that the system is not accurate that
raises inconvenience for the people in the modern age. The delivery personnel does not have
any fixed time of arrival that causes problems for the people.
Secondly, the customers have to face the problem of the digital payment failure within
the framework of the retail companies of Australia that raises problem for the people in the
present age (Rouibah, Lowry and Hwang 2016). The faltering internet connection or the
occurrence of the technical glitches causes the payable amount to be debited from the account
of the customer however it is found that the amount is not credited to that of the selling party
(Malik et al. 2017).
Thirdly, the customers in the present age have to face the issues relating to cyber
security in the retail companies that raises problems for the people. The e-commerce sites are

2CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
involved in recording the customer data that can cause security issues for the common
people. The leaking of the customer data jeopardizes the fate of the consumers in the present
age where online shopping is a popular phenomenon.
Culture plays an important role in influencing the customer behaviour in the present
age. Cultural factors refer to set of the values along with the ideologies in relation to
particular community. The individuals in the society have the different set of the habits along
with the beliefs that have effect on the buying pattern of the customer. Culture acts as a
mirror of values along with possessions of the members in the society. Culture has an
influence on the thoughts along with the behaviours of the people in the society. Cultural
orientation of a person can be said to be an important underpinning in relation to the buying
patterns of a consumer in the society (Shobeiri, Mazaheri and Laroche 2018). An individual
behaves in a particular manner in the society as the cultural norms in the society compels him
to carry out the acts in a particular manner. Culture helps in providing a framework in which
the individual along with his household lifestyle can evolve. The culture is not inherited in a
genetic manner but it is acquired with the help of the cultural norms in the society. The
preferences of the customers have an influence in the buying trends of an individual within
the framework of the society.
Solution to the issues
There are certain solutions to the problem that can help in solving the issues. Firstly,
the e-commerce retailers within Australia can insource the logistics that can work for the
betterment of the company. It can help the company in getting access to the capabilities that
can help in solving the logistics problems in the company. The e-payment challenges can be
addressed by the business in the present age in the event of the company taking suitable

3CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
measures. The customers can be provided with the payment options through their mobile that
can help in solving the challenges in relation to the online payment (Taylor 2016).
Secondly, there should be an appropriate payment system infrastructure that can help
the retail business of Australia in solving the payment related problems occurring within the
retail company (Pappas 2016). There should be automated clearing houses that can help in
the area of online payment of the e-commerce companies. There should be interbank payment
card platform that can help the company in getting over the problems related to the online
payment.
Thirdly, the business companies can maintain the vulnerability management program
that can help in securing the online payment service of that of retail companies of Australia
(Bezes 2016). There should be strong implementation of the control measures that can help
the company in making the payment system secure. The online retail companies can solve the
cyber security problem by taking recourse to the predictive analytics (Chakraborty et al.
2016). The companies can make use of the software which is driven by the machine learning
that can help the company in gathering large amount of data in relation to the known cyber-
attacks. It that can help the companies in solving the problems related to cyber security and
strengthen the security protocols in the company.
Industry examples
JB Hi Fi has brought the logistics in-house that has helped the company in solving the
logistics problems occurring in the company (Jbhifi.com.au 2019). It has helped the
company in providing the e-commerce shipping solution that is efficient that has worked to
the benefit of the company. It has helped in the process of reduction of the operating cost of
the company. The implementation of the in-house logistics has helped JB Hi Fi in the
integration of the production process that has proved to the benefit of the company. It has

4CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
aided in the process of management of the assets that has helped the company in focussing on
the main operations of the company.
Harvey Norman has made use of the right payment system infrastructure that has
helped in providing advantages to the company (Harveynorman.com.au 2019). The company
has optimized the production facilities that has helped the company in the area of in-plant
warehousing. It has aided the company in meeting the demands of the customer within the
competitive environment. It has helped the company in the maintenance of that of highest
levels of the quality that has helped in maximising the profits of the company. It has helped in
the identification of the weakness of the company which has improved the operations. It has
helped in facilitating the smooth payment that has helped the company in enjoying the
advantages.
The online retail company Kogan has made use of the predictive analytics that has
helped the company in solving the problems related to the cyber security (Hubert et al. 2017).
It has helped in providing the valuable insights to the company that has helped in improving
the profitability of the company within the evolving market. It has been instrumental in
improving the pattern detection that has helped in preventing the criminal behaviour. It has
helped the company in retaining the profitable customers. The organizations can use the
software which can help company in the gathering of large amount of the data that can help
in dealing successfully with the problem of the cyber-attacks.

5CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
References
Bezes, C., 2016. Comparing online and in-store risks in multichannel shopping. International
Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 44(3), pp.284-300.
Chakraborty, R., Lee, J., Bagchi-Sen, S., Upadhyaya, S. and Rao, H.R., 2016. Online
shopping intention in the context of data breach in online retail stores: An examination of
older and younger adults. Decision Support Systems, 83, pp.47-56.
Harveynorman.com.au (2019). Harvey Norman | Shop Online for Computers, Electrical,
Furniture, Bedding, Bathrooms & Flooring | Harvey Norman Australia. [online] Harvey
Norman Australia. Available at: https://www.harveynorman.com.au/ [Accessed 19 Sep.
2019].
Hubert, M., Blut, M., Brock, C., Backhaus, C. and Eberhardt, T., 2017. Acceptance of
smartphone‐based mobile shopping: Mobile benefits, customer characteristics, perceived
risks, and the impact of application context. Psychology & Marketing, 34(2), pp.175-194.
Jain, R. and Kulhar, M., 2019. Barriers to online shopping. International Journal of Business
Information Systems, 30(1), pp.31-50.
Jbhifi.com.au (2019). Microsoft Surface Pro 6. [online] JB Hi-Fi. Available at:
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/collections/microsoft-surface-pro6 [Accessed 19 Sep. 2019].
Malik, M.N., Khan, H.H., Chofreh, A.G. and Goni, F.A., 2017, April. Online Shopping
Inventory Issues and Its Impact on Shopping Behavior: Customer View. In International
Conference of Reliable Information and Communication Technology (pp. 804-811). Springer,
Cham.
Pappas, N., 2016. Marketing strategies, perceived risks, and consumer trust in online buying
behaviour. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 29, pp.92-103.

6CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
Rouibah, K., Lowry, P.B. and Hwang, Y., 2016. The effects of perceived enjoyment and
perceived risks on trust formation and intentions to use online payment systems: New
perspectives from an Arab country. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 19,
pp.33-43.
Shobeiri, S., Mazaheri, E. and Laroche, M., 2018. Creating the right customer experience
online: The influence of culture. Journal of Marketing Communications, 24(3), pp.270-290.
Taylor, E., 2016. Mobile payment technologies in retail: a review of potential benefits and
risks. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 44(2), pp.159-177.