Abstract
The study aims to understand how pro-responsible e-shopping behaviour proceeded during the COVID-19 pandemic. Structural equation modelling is used in the study. A field survey with 618 e-shoppers is performed to test the survey model and hypotheses. In addition, complementary studies on mediating and moderating effects are employed. The results show interesting and important findings. The conceptual model is validated, where the mediating role of e-consumer informedness is highlighted between digital usability and responsible e-shopping, considering the specific context of COVID-19. In addition, the results of the control variables show mediating effects of income and age on the model trajectories. The chapter presents an original model that examines the relationship between digital usability, e-consumer informedness, and responsible e-shopping. In addition, the research considers a disruptive context like COVID-19 time, thus emphasizing the importance of contextual factors in sustainable procurement, where e-consumer informedness plays a prominent role.
TopLiterature Review And Hypotheses
This study is oriented towards the finding of differences between informed shopping and emotional shopping by e-shoppers, and it is crucial to review digital usability as antecedents of the emotional online shopper and informed online buyer.
Key Terms in this Chapter
COVID-19: It`s an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has spread globally since December 2019.
Digital Usability: It`s the ability of a digital system or platform to be easily used and understood by users and refers to user experience.
Sustainability: It refers to the ability to meet current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Responsible E-Shopping: It`s an e-commerce approach that considers the social and environmental responsibility of online purchasing practices.
E-Commerce: It`s the practice of carrying out commercial transactions of buying and selling products and services through electronic tools, such as the Internet.
E-retail: It`s e-commerce in the retail sector.
Structural Equation Modelling: It`s a statistical technique used to analyse the relationships between latent variables (non-observable constructs) and observable variables in a theoretical model.
E-Consumer Informedness: It refers to the level of knowledge, information and skills that a consumer has when shopping online.