Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management (ETDs)

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Privacy concerns

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    Trust in E-commerce and its impact on the purchase intention of consumers in south africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Esther, Mufhadi Thilimbilu; Pillay, Kiru
    The COVID-19 pandemic brought many challenges to companies. With the restrictions that were imposed, companies were forced to look at their digital transformation strategy to first overcome the challenges they were facing and second to determine what digital technologies could be leveraged to fast-track services and service delivery to their consumers. This research study seeks to understand the role of online trust in stimulating the purchase intention of e-commerce consumers in the South African market. The study applied an experimental research design to address the research questions. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire collected through an online survey. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (chi- squared test). Furthermore, to investigate the relationship between privacy concerns and online trust in e-commerce consumers in South Africa, regression analysis was applied, and a p-value of 0.05 was used. The SPSS Version 28 was used to analyse the data. Results show that online shopping occurs predominantly amongst youth between 18 and 39 years old with an honours degree education. Most of the participants purchase online for convenience (27.9%), and 2.6% of participants mentioned fear of cybercrime as the reason for not using online shopping. Perceived risk influences consumers’ decision-making processes for buying products on e-commerce platforms. Most of the participants learned about online shopping from social media platforms (32.5%) and 11.3% from word of mouth. Most of the participants trust the e-commerce (75%). The majority of participants mentioned that website safety and ease of navigation (95%) encourage them to purchase online. Also, 90% of participants believe that familiarity with the website before making an actual purchase reduces the risk of shopping online. This study recommended providing more online shopping platforms to youth and educated consumers since this group is more aware of the risk factors associated with online shopping.
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    The impact of the Protection of Personal Information Act on online consumers’ privacy concerns
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Mosakoa, Panki Patrick
    Globally, consumer privacy remains a major concern when shopping online and merchants are collecting and using personal information. However, many nations have been responding with personal data protection laws to protect individuals’ human rights to privacy. In South Africa, the government introduced the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) in 2013 and fully enacted in July 2020. This study aimed to investigate the impact of POPIA on online shoppers' privacy concerns by examining consumer privacy concerns before and after POPIA was introduced and also determine the extent to which knowledge of POPIA has influenced online privacy concerns. A quantitative methodology using descriptive statistics and hypothesis testing was adopted to guide the analysis of data collected from a random sample drawn from students of one South African university using a pre-designed questionnaire. The results support the hypothesis that online shoppers' privacy concerns have not changed before and after the POPIA enactment. The descriptive statistics revealed that online shoppers lack knowledge of POPIA and still have concerns about the safety of their personal information, credit card and identity information theft, and impostor online organisations. With increased data breaches and deliberate information disclosure, these concerns prevent consumers from shopping online because of personal information safety fears. It is recommended that policymakers introduce more awareness campaigns and case laws of the legislation to the public. Organisations can invest more in employee training and development initiatives on POPIA regulations, POPIA compliance on internal systems, and online platforms to sensitise staff and minimise possible litigation
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    Investigating factors that influence online purchase behaviour using Augmented and Virtual reality in the South African furniture industry
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Mankhili, Mulalo Lusan; Zulu, Melissa
    In South Africa, the furniture industry plays a significant role in the country's economy, contributing to Growth Domestic Product (GDP) and employment rates. As the trend of online shopping continues to gain popularity, integrating augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies into the retail sector has become increasingly important. Research has demonstrated that these technologies can offer a competitive edge to brands operating in the furniture sector. Consequently, this study aims to explore the factors influencing the adoption of AR and VR in the South African furniture industry. According to a report from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTIC), the South African furniture industry has experienced a decline in recent years, with consumers shifting towards purchasing furniture online through e-commerce platforms. Given the growing significance of e-commerce, it is imperative for businesses to understand the determinants of consumers' online purchasing behaviour to enhance their online sales performance. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the utilisation of AR and VR technologies can impact online purchase behaviour by dissecting the various factors influencing AR and VR adoption. To achieve this, the study has incorporated three theoretical frameworks: the Stimulus Organism Response theory (S-O-R), the Uses and Gratification theory (UGT), and the Flow theory. The research has identified several constructs derived from these theories to examine the interrelationships and influences among hedonic and utilitarian benefits, decision comfort, spatial presence, perceived intrusiveness, personal privacy concerns, mental imagery, perceived social presence, brand attitude, VR adoption, online purchase intention, and purchase behaviour. Data was collected from 400 South African online furniture customers, and the study utilised the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyse the relationships betweenthese variables. The study formulated eleven hypotheses, of which nine were supported. The findings revealed that hedonic and utilitarian benefits, decision comfort, spatial presence, mental imagery, perceived social presence, brand attitude, and VR adoption have an influence on online purchase behaviour. However, perceived intrusiveness and personal privacy concerns had no influence on online purchase intentions when using AR apps. This suggests that consumers' concerns about intrusiveness and privacy may not significantly affect their purchase intentions when interacting with AR technology. Additionally, the research highlights the roles of brand attitude and VR adoption as mediators between mental imagery and online behaviour and between iii perceived social presence and online purchasing behaviour. These findings offer valuable insights for businesses seeking to refine their online sales strategies and have the potential to contribute to the growth and development of the South African furniture industry