Banking Academy of Vietnam

International School of Business

A Research Report
on

A STUDY ON THE ONLINE SHOPPING BEHAVIOR OF STUDENTS OF BOTH

GENDERS

Teacher: Nguyen Huong Tram Anh

Student: Le Quoc Tuan

Class: CityU7D

Course: Project

Hanoi, 19/7/2019
 A primary research

on

A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

by

Le Quoc Tuan_ CA7108

Class: CityU7D

Lecturer: Nguyen Huong Tram Anh

Course: Project

Mark:

Hanoi, 19/7/2019
 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

Students’ name: Le Quoc Tuan

Declaration
I declare that the work attached is entirely my own, and that I have given due
acknowledge as required by International School of Business (ISB).
I understand that the work submitted may be reproduced and/ or communicated for
the purpose of detecting plagiarism.
Signed _________________ Date: 19th July, 2019

Plagiarism
By signing the declaration, you are stating that you have not plagiarized.
Use the following as a checklist.
 This work is entirely my own.
 I have not copied another student’s work.
 I have not copied or used in any way material from a text, journal, website
or other published source without acknowledgement (including non –
English sources).
 I have cited and referenced fully and correctly as required by the ISB
where applicable.
 I have not reworded material from another source and presented it as my
own.
 I have not used this work in a previous class (self - plagiarism).
A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

ABSTRACT
In the time being, residing in the technologically developed society, especially in the

technology era 4.0, we face the reality that people tend to spend more money when shopping

online. Online shopping brings about convenience, better prices, better selection, incentives align

and so on. To specifically analysis, this research will show you about the difference between men

and women’s behavior when they do online shopping of student in banking academy. The purpose

of this study is that understanding the gender difference which affects purchasing decisions of

expenditures, businesses will come up with the idea of developing a new product and choosing the

right positioning strategy for that product in each specific market. In term of method, in particular,

at the beginning, a questionnaire consisting of 10 multiple-choice questions was designed related

to my five research questions. In the next step, 100-150 students of different age, gender and

academic years were both randomly selected and intentionally selected because this selecting way

brought about a balance and a diversity for my research. The method of interviewing made

participants and interviewees save a lot of time and effort, could get many more answers than

interview each person. After relying on my research, readers can consult and evaluate the product

in the most accurate way through criteria, income, frequency of buyer, namely between male and

female student. Moreover, this could be served as the foundation of other project on the topic of

online shopping behavioral research. Furthermore, through my attempt to differentiate between

male and female student in Banking Academy in the above issue, there were several question posed

from the projects regarding the differences in majors, age, hometown and so on. Consequently,

further research would be conducted to study this issue in a broader scope with more diverse

participant groups.

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A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………… i

List of figures……………………………………………………………………………… iii

1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….. 4

2. Method………………………………………………………………………………...... 5

3. Results………………………………………………………………………….............. 6

4. Discussion of findings…………………………………………………………….......... 9

4.1. The criteria …………………………………………………………………………… 10

4.2. The incomes……………………………………………………................................... 11

4.3. The frequency………………………………………………………………………… 12

5. Recommendation………………………………………………………………….……. 12

6. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………… 13

References……………………………………………………………………………........ 15

Appendices……………………………………………………………………………..…. 16

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A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

LIST OF FIGURES/TABLES

Figure 1: People who shop online…………………………………………………6

Figure 2: Student’s frequency of shopping online in Banking Academy……...........7

Figure 3: The criteria of both male and female students……………………………8

Figure 4: The income’s students in both genders………………………………….9

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A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

1. Introduction

In the time being, residing in the technologically developed society, especially in the

technology era 4.0, we face the reality that people tend to spend more money when shopping

online. Online shopping brings about convenience, better prices, better selection, incentives align

and so on. To specifically analysis, this research will show you about difference between male and

female students behavior when they do online shopping of student in Banking Academy. In

previous studies, they just investigated about buying trends of customers (Food insight 2018). In

particular, when it comes to reading nutrition info before purchasing groceries online, age is the

biggest factor (among the demographics observed). The most popular types of food to buy online

are snacks, followed by cereals/breakfast foods and canned goods. Fewer than half of shoppers are

reading nutrition info online before purchasing food (42%) and about 66% of shoppers read

nutrition info before purchasing food in a store. Cost and time are the two primary barriers to

shopping online. Another study revealed that attitudes and factors affecting online purchases

(Ammar Harder, Nadia Nasir 2016). Results of hypotheses testing indicated that financial risk and

non-delivery risk has negative effect on attitude toward online shopping behavior. Similarly,

Product risk also has negative effect on online shopping behavior. Return Policy has Positive effect

toward online shopping behavior of consumers. Therefore, during the process of finding the

demand on customers, there are a lot of factors which affects buying decisions of costumers, one

of the important factors is the difference in online shopping between men and women. Student are

one of the most suitable subjects to investigate because they are still in their teens, so technology

and internet are the things they know very well. Moreover, they also pay special attention to

shopping. Since men and women shop with habits, opinions are affected by the different objective

factors. The research of Vietnamese customers shopping behavior conducted by Decision Lab

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A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

revealed that Vietnamese men tend to buy beauty products such as clothes, footwear and so on

from online channels more than women. After some decades of research on this topic, the different

thinking in online shopping has been made clear. Furthermore, understanding the gender

difference which affects purchasing decisions of expenditures, businesses will come up with the

idea of developing a new products and choosing the right positioning strategy for that product in

each specific market. The common phenomenon of overspending when browsing the Internet

results from several strategies employed by retailers. According to Nielsen’s research, Vietnam

has about 24 million people who regularly shop online, spending of this group is accounting for

one third of consumer spending on consumer electronics in Vietnam. Specifically, in the big cities,

the percentage of the population using phones is up to 92%. In which, 76% are using smartphones.

To understand this issue carefully, the following paper will outline the questions: What is the

difference in criteria of shopping online between man and women in banking academy? What is

the difference in frequency shopping online between man and women in banking academy? What

is the difference in the incomes between male and female students?

2. Method

The data used in this report was acquired from a survey carried out within banking Academy. At

the beginning, a questionnaire consisting of 10 multiple-choice questions was designed related to

my five research questions. In the multiple choice questionnaire, I gave them 4 available questions,

5 combined questions and only 1 question to make them give their own answers. In the next step,

100-150 students of different age, gender and academic years were both randomly selected and

intentionally selected because this selecting way brought about a balance and a diversity for my

research, and each of them would receive my survey paper consisting of 10 questions which was

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A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

given and designed by me. The method of interviewing made participants and interviewees save a

lot of time and effort, could get many more answers than interview each person. Especially,

participants also felt excited, therefore, they would give the answer rightly and practically. Part of

the reason I chose this method because the number of people I interviewed was 100-150 people, if

using the direct interview, it was extremely impossible. In short, I could confirm that the data was

acquired from a method of questioning my interview obtained achieved a fairly high level of

genuineness. Furthermore, as I said above, this method brought about a balance and a diversity for

my research and with a large number of participants, readers would feel more confident.

3. Result

The participants of this study were divided into male and female students from Banking

Academy who was selected randomly. As expected, the acquired data successfully indicate the

similarities and dissimilarities between the two groups in terms of online shopping.

Yes No Yes No

Male Female

Figure 1: People who shop online

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A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

As we can see, the difference between the percentage of male and female students who

shop online was absolutely clear. The number of male students who buy online accounted for 68

percent on total. Meanwhile, the number of female students who shop online made up the majority

of the percentage, about 91 percent.

35

30

25

20

15

10

0
Always Sometimes Rarely Never

Male Female

2.1: Male student 2.2: Female student

Figure 2: Student’s frequency of shopping online in Banking Academy

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A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

Based on the results from the survey, we can see that at the banking academy, male students

tend to have less online purchases than female students. Percentage of male students who regularly

shop online is 50%, for women is 70%.

Quality Price Credibility Others Quality Price Credibility Others

Figure 3: The criteria of both male and female students

It can be easily seen in figure 1 that the number one criteria of both genders at the banking

academy is the credibility. The primary criterion of online shopping in both genders is the

credibility and the price. Specifically, the percentage of people who choose the credibility is the

first criterion for men is 76% while in females is 55%.

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A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

30

25

20

15

10

0
Allowances Part time jobs Scholarship Others

Male Female

Figure 4: The income’s students in both genders

The results from the data indicated that the percentage of male student's income from part

time jobs was twice the percentage of income from the allowances, at 50% and 25% respectively.

In contrast, the percentage of female students' income from the allowances from parents was much

higher than the percentage of income from part time jobs, approximately 45% and 35%

respectively.

4. Discussion of findings

This results are not capable of covering all of the shopping behavior of all students, because

the fact that this article is only student-based research of only one university and in quite a limited

scope. However, thanks to our research student - student in both genders of Banking Academy, we

can get information quickly and accurately because this university has a lot of students from many

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A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

different places, with many different social background. Moreover, the students here are extremely

cooperative and friendly. Therefore, we can strongly affirm that a certain level of generalization

can be concluded from the obtained data.

4.1. The criteria

It can be easily seen in Figure 1 that the number one criteria of both genders at the banking

academy is the credibility. The primary criterion of online shopping in both genders is the

credibility and the price.

Research results obtained from the above survey revealed that credibility and product cost

are the top criteria of students of the banking academy. This is understandable, because Shy-

Hwang Lee & Hoang Thi Bich Ngoc (2010) examined a theoretical extension of the model of

intended behavior (TPB) with an additional element - trust - by investigating behavioral intentions.

Vietnamese university students to shop online. The results show that trust can enhance the

anticipated benefits of TPB for the intention to engage in online shopping behavior, along with the

three variables of the TPB model, attitude, subjective norms and sentiment receive autonomy in

behavior. Research results show that trust is an important factor in the relationship between

attitudes and behavior of online shopping (Lee, Shy-Hwang, and Hoang Thi Bich Ngoc

“Investigating the online shopping intentions of Vietnamese students: an extension of the theory

of planned behavior”).

To explain why trust is the top criteria of students at the banking academy, we can see that

now in Vietnam market, Counterfeit goods appear a lot and identical to real goods, if not careful,

we will buy fake goods that are of poor quality. For example, sites with a high number of followers

and likes, the store's revenue will be higher than other stores because when viewing that website,

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A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

customers will put more trust. Therefore, businesses need to have appropriate warranty, not

mislead advertising information.

4.2. The incomes

Regarding the income of students in our survey, it was shown that both groups of students

received the largest amount of money from their parents' money. This is understandable because

in Vietnam today it is normal for parents to continue to raise their children until they graduate from

college. However in contrast to this popular thought our research article on student jobs shows that

only a very small number of boarding students working outside of school hours are explained by

a sophomore at the Banking Academy: "I have a lot of problems just to solve class exercises and

complete deadlines." It can be said that there is not much time to go to work. Others say that very

few students think that scholarships are a source of income saying that they are infrequent and are

not widely distributed. However, it shows that young people from local families are the ones who

are financially independent, because more than half of Hanoi students doing our surveys say they

all have part-time job. The rest say that they intend to seek additional jobs that our survey is carried

out at the end of the school year making this trend with extra work surprising.

The reason why male students tended to earn income from part-time jobs rather than

receiving benefits from parents was because they wanted to challenge themselves. In terms of

female students, their health was not the same as male students, partly, because their parents often

pamper them more than male friends.

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A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

4.3 The frequency

Based on the results from the survey, we can see that at the Banking Academy, male

students tend to have less online purchases than female students.

This result is a predictable thing because according to the report of CBRE Vietnam, done

through acknowledging about 1,000 people in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, showed that 25% of

surveyed consumers intended to reduce the frequency of shopping at actual stores, while 45 - 50%

of respondents said they would shop online via desktop / laptop or smartphone / tablet in the future.

In addition, the survey results also show that all consumer products are more or less selected by

consumers, in which more and more online selections of product lines are found in the industry

such as equipment - furniture. high-tech electronics; toys - sports equipment; cosmetics; blankets,

pillows, curtains; beauty instruments; stationery and fashion items (accounting for 10 - 30% of

consumers choose to buy online).

The reason for this situation is because men tend to pay less attention to shopping than

women. The shopping needs of female students are very high including cosmetics, clothes, and

household items, while most men only choose clothes.

5. Recommendation

Based on the above discussion of findings, there are several following recommendations

that should be made into consideration. The first recommendation is that because the price of

products on the market is too expensive or too cheap compared to the shopping needs of buyers,

specifically my research object is student, namely male and female students. The most suitable

solution for this problem is that sellers need to adjust prices to suit the students because students

in general, especially female students, are the most likely buyers. Next, the second problem is that

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A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

it is still unknown how to choose products online, especially when counterfeit goods are becoming

more sophisticated and almost identical to the real ones. After relying on my research, readers can

consult and evaluate the product in the most accurate way through criteria. Specifically, encourage

buyers to choose products through credibility rather than choosing based on product prices. As I

have analyzed above, counterfeit goods and real goods are increasingly difficult to distinguish, if

you only care about product prices, you will most likely be a victim of fraud. Last but not least,

students' shopping habits are also a matter of great concern. Both male and female students are

quite less interested in buying online. Because of that, the solution that I offer is to promote

advertising and create a reputable website so that buyers can trust and access the product easily

and quickly.

6. Conclusion

The popularity of the online shopping behavior of students of both genders in term of the

price of products on the market is too expensive or too cheap compared to the shopping needs of

buyers, it is still unknown how to choose products online, especially when counterfeit goods are

becoming more sophisticated and almost identical to the real ones and the last is that students'

shopping habits are also a matter of great concern. The project will be valuable to sellers in terms

of limiting weakness and promoting strengths because sellers are direct influence on the impact of

prices and the trust level of products, from which they can improve it. The second related subject

here is the student in the Banking Academy. They need to be aware of the problems that I have

just put in order to be able to select products on the network in the most reasonable way. This

could be served as the foundation of other project on the topic of online shopping behavioral

research. Furthermore, through my attempt to differentiate between male and female student in

Banking Academy in the above issue, there were several question posed from the projects

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A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

regarding the differences in majors, age, hometown and so on. Consequently, further research

would be conducted to study this issue in a broader scope with more diverse participant groups.

(2339 words)

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A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

REFERENCE

Vietnamese overseas from Laos 2016 “Women and Men: different when making a purchase

decision” Marketing study. Available at URL:

https://hocmarketing.vn/phu-nu-va-nam-gioi-khac-biet-khi-ra-quyet-dinh-mua-hang/

Brands Vietnam “Behavior of online shopping of Vietnamese consumers like what?”

.Available at URL:

https://khoinghieptre.vn/hanh-vi-mua-sam-online-cua-nguoi-tieu-dung-viet-nam-nhu-the-nao/

Food insight 2018 “New research: Evaluating online grocery shopping trends”. Food

insight. Available at URL:

https://foodinsight.org/new-research-evaluating-online-grocery-shopping-trends/

Ammar Harder, Nadia Nasir 2016 “Factors Affecting Online Shopping Behavior of

Consumers in Lahore, Pakistan”. Available at URL:

http://oaji.net/articles/2017/2725-1483453764.pdf

Trang Le 2018 “The retail industry was forced to move before technology”. Brands

Vietnam. Available at URL:

https://www.brandsvietnam.com/14842-Nganh-ban-le-buoc-phai-chuyen-minh-truoc-cong-nghe

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A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

APPENDICES
Questionnaire
I’m Le Quoc Tuan, ISB student, Banking Academy. I’m doing a research project on ISB’s first
year student. This questionnaire is designed to help us obtain data for our research project. I highly
appreciate your opinions which are apparently crucial to the completion as well as the quality of
my paper. Please return the completed questionnaire by 24 June 2019. Thank you for your
cooperation.

1. What is your gender?

o Male

o Female

2. Do you shop online?

o No

3. How often do you shop online?

o Sometimes

o Rarely

o Never

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A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

4. Where do you often shop online?

(You can choose more than 1 answer)

o Websites

o Shopping applications

o Social media

o Others (please specify)

5. What are your sources of income?

o Part time wages

o Scholarship

o Others (please specify)

6. How much money do you have a month?

o Less than 500,000 VND

o From 500,000 VND to 1,000,000 VND

o From 1,000,000 VND to 3,000,000 VND

o More than 3,000,000 VND

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A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

7. How much money do you spend on online shopping monthly?

o From 100,000 to 500,000 VND

o From 500,000 to 1,000,000 VND

o From 1,000,000 to 3,000,000 VND

o More than 3,000,000 VND

8. Which items do you usually buy online?

o Clothes or shoes

o Foods or beverages

o Houseware

o Others (Please specify)

9. What are your criteria when shopping online?

o Quality

o Price

o Service

o Others (Please specify)

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A study on the online shopping behavior of students of both genders

10. What is the most important criteria? (I appreciate if you can be specific)

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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