So Similar and Yet So Different: Reasons for Online Purchasing, a Comparative Research in Colombia and Mexico Using Nonparametric Association Tests

Abstract

The reasons for buying online have occupied the literature of consumer behavior on the Internet for quite some time. Different theories seek to understand the relationships between different variables of purchasing behavior using this channel. However, the literature has not been sufficiently focused on making comparative analysis between countries, especially between emerging and Latin American countries. For this reason, a comparative study that seeks to understand differences between the  reasons to purchase online by country. In 2017, we did survey 552 students, professors and administrative staff in two universities: one in Bogotá, Colombia, and one in Puebla, México using a convenience sampling. We designed a semi-structured questionnaire of 7 items, mostly categorical. Using nonparametric association tests, we discovered that in five of the six questions that are carried out there are significant statistical differences for the two countries such as why they buy in internet, payment methods, shipment, and why they would not buy in the internet . The implications for marketing for those companies interested in penetrating or improving their participation in these markets, is that they should be aware of their differences and use, depending on the country, adapted strategies.