Sundararajan Santanagopalan, Krishna Raj
Purpose: Information plays a significant role in the online business space where consumers perform information search before making the final purchase decision. Information is the source for the word of mouth marketing which becomes critical in achieving the marketing goals of the organization. The study aims to understand the role of information presented to the customers in determining the purchase intention. Theoretical Framework: Consumers make their purchase decision in various stages and the role of information search plays a vital role in making the decision. Theory of planned behavior and theory of reasoned action are the base theories in studying consumer behavior. However the theories take into account the usage behavior and present lesser relevance to the information presented. This study focus on the nature of the information based on the existing literature.
Methodology: The scale to measure the Purchase Intention based on the intention attributes weretaken from (Javier A. Sánchez Torres et al,2018).Data were analysed using the MS Excel and structural equation modelling is carried out using SmartPLS3. Purposive sampling was adopted and the respondents who have used at least one Online auto dealership website were considered for the study Findings: Credibility of the information has a higher influence towards the Purchase intention among consumers. The second highest factor that influence the purchase intention of consumers is found to be the need for the information.
Research Implications: Affordable and ease of access towards internet has opened the path towards information overload through various mobile and social media applications. In this era. Online autodealership business owners have to create methods to emphasize on authenticity of the information presented in their website. The need analysis of the consumers based using the online tools and algorithms have to be improved to suggest the type of cars.
Originality/Value: The research is one among the few studies in understanding the information parameters for an online auto dealership website and it would play a vital role in designing the content and marketing campaigns.