Japanese Students’ Perception of B2C

Business-to-consumer sales of electronic commerce are commonly used worldwide as an important element of the consumer market. In relation to e-business, management of customer knowledge is an important asset for online shops. However, it is difficult for online shops to deal with customer management, collect data, and translate them into basic customer knowledge. This study examines university students’ behavior and perceptions toward online shopping to provide basic customer knowledge. We used a questionnaire-based research method to elucidate students’ perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of online shopping. It was found that lesser is the availability and variety of goods in nearby actual shops, higher is the motivation to shop online, and that the availability of goods is a stronger incentive than cheapness in relation to the use of online shops. Conjoint analysis revealed students’ priorities with respect to several attributes of online shopping. They gave higher priority to the perception of online shops’ websites than other attributes. Surprisingly, this analysis also indicated that for students postage is a more important criterion than the price of goods. These analyses examined differences with respect to students’ living environment or experiences of online shopping. The study will contribute to the development of understanding customer knowledge and suggest effective marketing strategies regarding online shopping.