College Students' Perceived Attributes of Internet Websites and Online Shopping

The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of attributes of clothing retailers' Internet websites in relation to previous and intended future purchase from the websites. Survey data from 414 U.S. college students, non-married and aged 18-22 with online clothing shopping experience and favorite clothing websites were used. Five clothing website attributes were identified by factor analysis (i.e., product information, customer service, privacy/security, navigation, auditory experience/comparison shopping). Multiple regression results showed positive relationships between frequency of previous purchase from websites and perceived product-information, customer-service, and privacy-and-security attributes of the websites, and between future intended purchase from websites and perceived customer-service attributes of the websites. Implications were discussed for effective website design by clothing marketers and for consumer education of college students.