Differences between e-commerce buyers and non-buyers in Colombia: The moderating effect of educational level and socioeconomic status on electronic purchase intention

Abstract

This study explores the differences between buyers and non-buyers in the adoption of electronic purchase intention in Colombia. Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), a theoretical model that includes a set of five variables is established: performance expectations, effort expectations, social influence, facilitating conditions, and risk. The empirical results obtained from a final sample of 1,836 surveys emphasize the importance of performance expectations for both groups. Social Influence is another determinant of electronic purchase as well. In addition, an exploratory study of the moderating effect of the educational level and socioeconomic status for each group was performed, finding strong evidence of the influence of these demographic variables, which suggests that, as a conclusion that makes a great contribution to this country, access to electronic shopping is strongly related to educational level and socioeconomic status.

Keywords

• e-commerce
• UTAUT
• purchase
• Colombia
• moderators
• socioeconomic status
• educational level