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Business & Economics

ANALYSING CONSUMERS' ONLINE PURCHASE INTENTION OF OVER-THE-COUNTER DRUGS AND ITS INFLUENCING FACTORS: EVIDENCE FROM CHINA²
Jiaxiang Hu, Chenming Zhang, Hong Yang

ABSTRACT. Online purchase of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs can simplify and expedite the diagnosis and treatment process of consumers with mild symptoms and is a relatively effective marketing style for pharmaceutical companies. However, as consumers are less willing to accept the purchase intention of OTC drugs online, consumers' recognition of the platform is low, which somewhat restricts the development of online pharmacies. To effectively distinguish the influencing factors which affect consumers' online purchase intention of OTC drugs, a total of 202 survey data were collected from offline consumers in Nanjing City and Nantong City, China, and online consumers across China. Based on the theory of habitual purchase behaviour, the behaviour model for online purchase of OTC drugs was established. By using the multiple regression analysis method, consumers' online purchase intention of OTC drugs and the influencing factors were analysed. The attitude, personality, emotions, culture, network environment, website design, and logistics of consumers when purchasing drugs online positively affect their purchasing behaviour (p＜0.05). Conversely, perceived risk factors have a significant negative effect on their purchasing behaviour (p = 0.009, regression coefficient = -0.384). Gender, income, education, and online shopping time highly influence online drug purchase intention, but the Internet age does not affect it. Internal factors such as consumers' attitude, personality, emotions, perceived risks, and external factors such as cultural factors, drug information, platform layout, network environment, logistics, and distribution will affect consumers' purchase decisions. These findings are conducive to identifying the constraints on the development of online pharmacies, increasing the convenience of online drug purchase for consumers, improving the acceptance of online drug purchase by consumers, and further promoting the rapid development of the pharmaceutical e-commerce market.

KEYWORDS:  online drug purchases, influence factor, consumer behaviour.

JEL classification:  C5, I15, L81, M31.

²Acknowledgment:  This work was supported by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).