Millennials' online perceptions: the role of cultural characteristics in creating e-loyalty
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-09-2021-0262 |
| Published date | 11 March 2022 |
| Date | 11 March 2022 |
| Pages | 1031-1047 |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information management |
| Author | Jie Li,Junaid Ul Haq,Sajjad Hussain |
Millennials’online perceptions:
the role of cultural characteristics
in creating e-loyalty
Jie Li
The College of Literature and Journalism, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China and
School of Foreign Languages, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, China
Junaid Ul Haq
Riphah International University, Faisalabad, Pakistan, and
Sajjad Hussain
Foundation University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan
Abstract
Purpose –Millennials, a cohort of young consumers, are the primary group of shoppers via e-commerce. This
study aims to identify Chinese individual cultural values in millennials and examine the role of perceived
shopping (hedonic and utilitarian) values in creating e-loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach –Data were collected from 296 Chinese millennials who use online
shopping websites and apps. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the validity and reliability of
the methodology. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed hypotheses.
Findings –All hypotheses were supported except one: the respondents rejected the impact of the face value on
utilitarianism. The findings confirmed that Chinese individual cultural characteristics (face and Yuan) impact
perceived shopping values (hedonic and utilitarian). Furthermore, these shopping values significantly
influence e-loyalty.
Research limitations/implications –The study’s findings suggest some implications that academicians
and market practitioners should consider. Additional implications for business managers focus on cultural
characteristics, strong local teams, market-based approaches and long-term strategies.
Originality/value –The present work highlights the online shopping behavior of Chinese millennials by
exploring e-loyalty, considering its two dimensions.
Keywords Millennial, Online perceptions, Cultural values, Hedonic, Utilitarian, Loyalty
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Millennials(also known as GenerationY) are aged between 20–29 yearsold (Ul Haq and Bonn,
2018;McCormick,2016). They are trendsetters who easily acceptchanges in technology, and
they spendmore money than other cohorts.Furthermore, a studyrevealed that more than 60%
of Chinese online consumers are 30 years old and under (Ziaullah et al.,2016). Therefore,
understanding thebehavior of this cohort is crucial for any business organization.
Chinese millennials frequently use technology and check their mobile phones once every
15 min on average. Moreover, they report that engaging with social media is their favorite
activity. According to Info Graphic (2018), millennials make up 91% of social media users,
66% of online consumers and 60% of all viewers of online videos. Although a few studies
have observed the online shopping behavior of Chinese consumers, they have overlooked the
significance of Chinese millennial behavior in particular (e.g. Zheng et al., 2017;Jiang et al.,
2013;Jaiswal and Niraj, 2011;Kim and Chao, 2019;Luo et al., 2020). The current study is the
first to focus on Chinese millennial online shopping behavior, which is the most critical age
group in terms of profit-generation in any society.
Online shopping offers unprecedented convenience to consumers. Millennials prefer
online shopping because it saves them time and allows them to research products and
Millennials’
online
perception
1031
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/2050-3806.htm
Received 17 September 2021
Revised 7 January 2022
Accepted 3 February 2022
Aslib Journal of Information
Management
Vol. 74 No. 6, 2022
pp. 1031-1047
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2050-3806
DOI 10.1108/AJIM-09-2021-0262
services they are thinking about buying (e.g. Jiang et al., 2013;Rao et al., 2021). They also
consider the reviews of experienced consumers when shopping online. Of particular
convenience is the ease with which payments can be made, especially in China. The two most
commonly used payment modes for online shopping in China are Alipay and WeChat (Fang
and Zhu, 2019). In recent years, online stores have created apps, which further increase
convenience while offering special discounts to customers who use the app. The rapid
increase in online stores’sales motivated the current investigation into Chinese millennials’
online shopping behavior on websites and apps (Chu et al., 2019a,b).
This study discusses which Chinese cultural characteristics impact millennials’loyalty.
Chinese millennials are considered more individualistic, novelty-seeking and technologically
savvy than previous generations (Gong and Li, 2008). This study analyzes whether Chinese
millennials still possess basic Chinese characteristics like Yuan and face.
Chinese are popular because they still adhere to the strong Chinese culture. While
researchers have discussed different Chinese cultural values, a recent study highlighted face
as an important Chinese individual characteristic (Lee and Workman, 2020;Lin and Zhao,
2016). These researchers asked the respondents, who were residents of Mainland China, to
rank different Chinese cultural values; they ranked face as the most significant value.
Researchers (Lee and Workman, 2020;Keh and Sun, 2008;Hoare and Butcher, 2008) have
also studied the marketing domain’s face to observe Chinese consumers’behavior. Face is a
cultural value that refers to the outer part of the individual and is related to respect and self-
esteem. The Chinese prioritize saving face (Faure and Fang, 2008). Yuan is another cultural
value, which deals with one’s beliefs and is related to the fate of consumers. A few studies
have emphasized this belief of Chinese people (Qian et al., 2007;Chan et al., 2009). However,
the present study is the first to analyze the Chinese cultural values of face and Yuan among
millennials as variables affecting the loyalty of millennial online shoppers.
This study is significant because Chinese millennials form emotional attachments to their
culture and the cultural characteristics (face and Yuan) embedded in them (e.g. Hoare and
Butcher, 2008;Qian et al., 2007). Therefore, studying the impact of cultural characteristics on
this group’s perceived shopping values is a worthwhile endeavor. Perceived shopping values
can be categorized as hedonic or utilitarian. Hedonic products or services are related to
pleasure and emotions (Ponsignon et al., 2020), whereas utilitarian value is related to how well
a product or service meets one’s needs or a practical objective (Babin et al., 1994).
The impact of Chinese individual cultural characteristics has been discussed in marketing
domains (Qian et al., 2007;Chan et al., 2009;Keh and Sun, 2008;Hoare and Butcher, 2008).
However, the impact of these cultural characteristics on perceived shopping values, including
hedonic and utilitarian values, has not been mentioned in the literature. This study is unique
in that it explores and empirically analyzes Chinese individual cultural characteristics on
perceived hedonic and utilitarian shopping values.
Social cognitive theory explains the logical reasoning and perceptions behind people’s
actions. This theory is based on three step-wise stages: self-efficacy, the expected outcome
and the goal (Bandura, 1997). Self-efficacy refers to actions based on the individual’s analysis
of a situation and learned from their society or culture. The expected outcome (e.g. Bandura,
1997;Lin and Zhao, 2016) relates to a customer’s decision to purchase a product or service.
Social cognitive theory also suggests there is a link between individual cultural
characteristics and perceived shopping values.
This study is intended to achieve three core objectives related to Chinese millennials’
online shopping convenience experiences. The first objective is to observe whether Chinese
millennials’individual characteristics significantly contribute to perceived shopping values.
The second objective is to show whether Chinese millennials are loyal customers when
shopping online. The third objective is to explore the extent to which social cognitive theory
explains the link within the proposed model regarding the impact of individual cultural
AJIM
74,6
1032
To continue reading
Request your trial