CHARACTERISTICS AND FACTORS OF SHOPPING BEHAVIOR SHIFTING TO CYBERSPACE

Abstract

The e-commerce (EC) market is expanding steadily: shopping behavior in real space is shifting to online shopping. That change is regarded as a problem because it reduces the number of visitors who come to cities and towns for shopping. Consequently, the prosperity of such areas diminishes. That trend is expected to influence real space strongly, but the actual conditions and results have not been fully clarified. From the perspective of urban revitalization, it is of great importance to grasp the shift in shopping behavior toward online shopping quickly. This study first clarifies (1) what kind of people are shifting their shopping behavior to cyberspace through online shopping. Furthermore, by particularly addressing the actually shifted shopping behavior, results will reveal (2) factors causing the shift according to product characteristics, as well as clarify (3) the actual conditions of shopping behavior shifted to cyberspace and (4) the possibility of progress.