Determinants influencing the adoption behavior of Indian consumers in reference to online pharmacy purchases

Abstract

This research’s goal is to identify the variables that influence consumers’ decisions when they buy prescription drugs online. This study investigates the factors influencing consumers’ decisions regarding online pharmacies through a comprehensive investigation of the variables influencing purchasing decisions. The Unified Theory of Adoption and utilize of Technology (UTAUT 2) is extended to include already available two variables; Performance Expectancy and Price Value and extension has been established by including Adoption Intention as a mediator among PE, PV and Consumer Buying Behavior (CBB). Partial least squares (PLS) analysis is used in this study to examine a sample size of 384 users. The results of the study showed that performance expectancy has no direct impact on adoption intentions which is quite opposite to the previous studies’ findings. Also, findings revealed that Price value has strong direct effect on adoption intention. The findings also shed light on the mediating effect of adoption intention influencing consumers’ choices when they buy products from internet pharmacies, providing knowledge to enhance the online pharmacy experience and support industry stakeholders in their strategic decision-making. In light of the findings, this work provides organizations with useful guidance on how to establish online pharmacy platforms and implement recommendations for online purchases.

Keywords

• Price value
• performance expectancy
• online pharmacy purchases
• UTAUT2 framework
• adoption intention
• consumer buying behavior