Exploring Consumer Preferences, Issues, and Factors in New Zealand's E-commerce Landscape

Abstract

The rapid growth of digital technology and the spread of e-commerce have made online shopping a popular choice, particularly accelerated by COVID-19, which has prompted more people to experience its benefits. This study explores the factors influencing online shopping behaviour in New Zealand from three perspectives: challenges in online shopping, drivers motivating online shopping, and shopping preference behaviours. The research adopted a positivist research philosophy and a structured questionnaire to collect responses. The results of the research indicated that price and convenience are the key reasons that attract consumers to make online purchases, while payment security, product quality, inaccurate product descriptions and shipping issues are the main challenges affecting consumer satisfaction. This study recommends that e-commerce platforms enhance consumer experience and that retailers explore hybrid strategies to integrate online and offline sales better.