INVESTIGATING THE FACTORS AFFECTING CONSUMER PREFERENCE FOR ONLINE SHOPPING OVER TRADITIONAL SHOPPING – A CASE STUDY – YEMENI RESIDENTS IN ISTANBUL - TURKEY

Abstract

With the advent of online shopping platforms, customers started to change their buying habits by adopting it. Yet, while many have adopted it, there are many who still hesitate or refuse to take one step into it. Due to the unavailability of online shopping in Yemen, this study was initiated to determine whether Yemeni nationals residing in Istanbul – Turkey have used online shopping platforms or not yet. If not, what factors have affected their preferences for it? This study is a qualitative case study using interviews to amass data. Self-administered and pre-tested open-ended questions were made. 9 Yemeni participants were interviewed using an in-depth case study. The research model was analyzed using narrative techniques. Findings showed that the factors affecting their preferences for online shopping were trust, risk, and convenience. Findings also showed the majority of interviewees prefer traditional shopping to online shopping, for its safety, physicality and certainty etc