Technological readiness and propensity of young people to online purchases

Resumo

New technologies are constantly changing patterns of consumer behavior. Investigations about consumer acceptance and readiness to adopt new technologies are vital to the development of a better understanding of their behavior. This study aimed to analyze the relation between the dimensions of readiness for the adoption of technology and propensity to perform online purchases of undergraduate college students. It was surveyed 224 college students and the instrument of data collection comprised the TRI scale (Technology Readiness Index) and items for the assessment of propensity to online purchases. Analyses were performed through descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis. Results suggest that past experiences related to online purchases impact negatively on the propensity to online purchases. It was also observed that adaptive optimism and pioneerism impacts positively on propensity to online purchases. Thus, unpreparedness presents a significant negative impact on propensity. However, transactional and service insecurities do not have significant impact on the propensity to purchase online. The major limitation of this study is the small sample of a very specific group. So, some suggestions regarded to future investigations are made.