The ICT Sector in Economic Development of the Countries of Eastern Europe: a Comparative Analysis

The purpose of the article is to study the impact of the ICT sector on economic development of countries based on the comparative analysis of this sector development in some Eastern European countries. Within the article, economic development of the outlined countries in 2010-2019 was studied and analyzed. The analysis of the impact of the ICT sector on the GDP formation allowed to single out certain groups of countries under this indicator and to identify the characteristics that are inherent to them. Using the correlation-regression analysis made it possible to analyze the ICT impact on economies development of Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Authors paid a special attention to the study of the influence of various factors on the ICT sector development. Accordingly, an analytical study of the dependence of the ICT sector weight in the GDP of the countries on the following parameters: enterprises that employ ICT specialists; enterprises that provided training to develop/upgrade ICT skills of their personnel; percentage of the ICT personnel in total employment; using Internet for Internet banking, % of individuals; enterprises who have ERP software package to share information between different functional areas; enterprises selling online (at least 1% of turnover), % of enterprises; online purchase in the last 12 months, % of individuals; enterprises having received orders via computer mediated networks, % of enterprises. Within the article, the features of the ICT sector development in the COVID-19 context are examined, and it is analyzed how the pandemic has affected the development of this sector in long and short terms. The study showed that the ICT sector today already plays a key role in the development of the national economies. Countries where the sector is developing faster show better performance and economic development.

Investigating the Impact of Situational Influences and Social Support on Social Commerce during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Without question, 2020 was an unprecedented period for all businesses and consumers in the world, especially for social commerce businesses. Growing online shopping during the pandemic has proliferated the appetite of social commerce websites. Drawing on the situational influences’ theory and social support theory, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of situational influences during the COVID-19 pandemic on online purchase intention across the big five personality traits. The data were collected via online survey. The sample consisted of 349 social commerce website users in the UK. The model was tested using Partial Least Squares-Structured Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results showed the different cohorts of buying intention on social commerce websites. Social support does not impact online purchase intention, while other situational factors do. Moreover, the model varied across the big five personality traits. The study substantially contributes to social commerce by investigating the social support and situational influences across different types of personality traits on online purchase intention during the pandemic.

Determinants of Online Purchase Intention of Apparel Products in Lebanon

This study investigates factors (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, privacy concerns, trust, innovativeness, and perceived benefits) affecting Lebanese consumers’ attitude toward online purchasing and their intention to purchase online. Data collected from 416 online shoppers were analyzed using regression analysis. All the factors affect attitude towards online purchasing except trust and privacy concerns which were not supported. In addition, results show that attitude toward online purchasing affect online purchase intention. This study is the first to empirically examine factors influencing online purchase intention towards apparel products in Lebanon. The study provides insight from an overlooked emerging country, Lebanon.

Online Consumer Behavior in Buying Samsung Smartphones

Purchasing decision is the culmination of consumer behavior, in which finally, the consumers will do purchase having passed through some stages of consumer behavior. In this research, consumer behaviors being the variable of research are price, brandtrust, and online service, while the variable affected is purchasing decision. Purchasing decision implemented online is, of course, more complex than the one implemented directly, in which buyers interact face to face with the sellers. The objective of research is to analyze the effect of price, brandtrust, and online service on purchasing decision made in online purchase in the students of Faculty of Economics and Business, Sebelas Maret University (Universitas Sebelas Maret). Questionnaire was used as an instrument of collecting data in this research and SPSS version 24 software was used to analyze data. Data analysis was carried out using a multiple linear regression. The result of research shows that price, brandtrust and online service quality affect the decision of purchasing Samsung smartphone positively and significantly, either partially or simultaneously.

Shipment Tracking, Delivery Speed, and Product Presentation as Antecedents of Repurchase Intention

The chapter aims at understanding the predictors of attitude and repurchase intention with online shopping in India by using signaling theory. This research validates shipment tracking, delivery speed, and product presentation as new predictors influencing attitude towards online purchase. It also validates trust as a mediator between attitude and repurchase intention. Data was collected through a self-administered and structured questionnaire targeting online shoppers in North Indian states. A sample of 519 online shoppers was considered in this research. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to evaluate the interrelationships among constructs. To examine the hypothesized relationships, path analysis was carried out. The findings of the chapter revealed that delivery speed and product presentation had a significant positive impact on attitude towards online shopping. In contrast, shipment tracking emerged as non-significant antecedent of attitude. The study further empirically provides the evidence that trust mediates the relationship between attitude and repurchase intention.

THE ROLE OF ONLINE CONSUMER REVIEW, SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISEMENT AND INFLUENCER ENDORSEMENT ON PURCHASE INTENTION OF FASHION APPAREL DURING COVID-19

Recent marketing research focuses on social media marketing as an essential tool for companies to fully utilise particularly with the increase of online and home-based consumption during pandemic. In particular, the authors hypothesize that online consumer review, social media advertisement and influencers endorsement may affect online purchase intention. The investigation of the hypotheses utilizes a sample of 163 customers who shop for fashion apparel via online platforms during the pandemic. In order to assess the relationships between these variables, the current research used quantitative methods through an online self-administered questionnaire, in which the scale items were derived from existing literature. These results suggest that ‘Online Consumer Review’, ‘Social Media Advertisement’, and ‘Influencer Endorsement’ have a positive and significant correlation with online purchase intention of fashion apparel during pandemic (r = .25; r = .35; r = .48, respectively). The researcher deliberates the implications for marketing research and practice which include addressing the literature gap in understanding online purchase intention of fashion apparel during the pandemic and highlighting the importance of social media marketing for companies to survive in the 21st century of online-based consumption and consumer-oriented social media.