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Online Shopping Experience and Customer Perception of Online Retail Outlets in Port Harcourt

Teddy, Cameron Ferdinand, Professor Onuoha A. Onuoha

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between online shopping experience and customer perception of online retail outlets in Port Harcourt. Specifically, the study investigated the influence of online convenience, timeliness, and home delivery on customer perception. The study was anchored on Expectation-Confirmation Theory, which explains that customers develop favourable perceptions when actual service performance meets or exceeds prior expectations. A quasi-experimental research method using a cross-sectional survey design was adopted for the study. The population comprised customers of online retail outlets in Port Harcourt, while internet subscribers in Rivers State served as the accessible population. Using the Taro Yamane sampling formula, a sample size of 400 respondents was determined, out of which 363 valid copies of questionnaire were retrieved and analysed. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire designed on a five-point Likert scale. The instrument satisfied face and content validity requirements, while reliability was confirmed using Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients above the acceptable threshold of 0.70. Data analysis was conducted using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and Partial Correlation with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26.0. The findings revealed that online convenience has a significant positive relationship with customer perception of online retail outlets in Port Harcourt. The study further established that timeliness significantly and positively influences customer perception, while home delivery was also found to have a significant positive relationship with customer perception. The study concluded that online shopping experience is a critical determinant of customer perception in online retailing. The study recommended that online retail outlets should improve the convenience of their digital platforms, strengthen timely order processing and customer responsiveness, and enhance home delivery systems through reliable logistics partnerships and efficient last-mile delivery operations.

Keywords

Online Shopping Experience; Online Convenience; Timeliness; Home Delivery.

References

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