Qualitative Research Methods in Business Studies Shopping Study:

Customer motivations towards online shopping and factors influencing the perception of online shopping experiences

Maxime Graux
05/03/2012

Table of content
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 1. Aim of the joint study .................................................................................................................................... 3 2. Method .......................................................................................................................................................... 4 2.1 Philosophy of science ............................................................................................................................... 4 2.1.1 Presentation of core questions, key concepts and definitions ......................................... 4 2.1.2 Overview of the different paradigms and strategies/approaches in scientific research .. 6 2.2.3 Personal view on philosophy of science .........................................................................10 2.2. Sampling ................................................................................................................................................11 2.2.1 Theoretical framework on sampling ...............................................................................11 2.2.2 Sampling strategy ............................................................................................................14 2.2.3 Justification of this choice ...............................................................................................15 2.3 Observations ..........................................................................................................................................17 2.3.1 Observation method and structure ................................................................................17 2.3.2 Justification of this choice ...............................................................................................18 2.4. Interviews ..............................................................................................................................................21 2.4.1 Literature review on interviews as a method .................................................................21 2.4.2 Our interview strategy ....................................................................................................23 2.4.3 Justification of this choice ...............................................................................................25 2.4.4 Useful interview techniques and hints ...........................................................................26 2.5. Analyses .................................................................................................................................................27 2.5.1 Theoretical framework on qualitative data analysis........................................................27 2.5.2 Choice of the strategy of analysis and justification of this choice ...................................28 2.5.3 Data organization and data reduction: categorization, abstraction and dimensionalization ...................................................................................................................29 2.5.4 Exploration of the categories: comparisons and integration .........................................32 3. Results ..........................................................................................................................................................33 4. Quality of Research.......................................................................................................................................36 4.1. Theoretical framework on quality of research ......................................................................................36 4.2. Evaluation of the quality of the study ...................................................................................................38 Appendix 1 - Screenshots from the videos of shopping observations ............................................................41 Appendix 2 - Expanded field notes from the shopping observations .............................................................42 Appendix 3 - Interview guide............................................................................................................................44 Appendix 4 - Interview transcript .....................................................................................................................48 Appendix 5 - Contact summary sheet for video observation 1 ........................................................................60 Appendix 6 - Contact summary sheet for video observation 2 ........................................................................61 Appendix 7 - Contact summary sheet for video observation 3 ........................................................................62 References .......................................................................................................................................................63

Introduction
Over the last decade, the Internet revolution created a new type of shopping called online shopping (or e-shopping). It is a form of commerce where consumers directly buy products or services from a seller via the Internet without any other intermediary service. Because of the possibilities that Internet offers, it is now possible for consumers to order almost everything over the Internet, via an exponentially-increasing number of online shops and service providers. Thus, consumers have nowadays an easier access to more products and services, to lower prices and to cross-border shopping, that is why the emergence of e-shopping changed shopping behaviors on a global scale. For this study about shopping, we decided to focus on this new way of shopping which is currently building new shopping habits, behaviors and attitudes all over the world. We decided to investigate more precisely the various consumer motives of online shopping, and the different perceptions and behaviors related to this new type of shopping experience, aiming at finding the key factors influencing these perceptions and behaviors. 1. Aim of the joint study Our topic for this study involves two major questions on online shopping: what motivates consumers from the generation Y to use online shopping, and what are the factors influencing their perception of the experience? Via qualitative research, our aim is to provide an overview of nowadays experiences of online shopping, through the analysis of the reasons why generation Y consumers use this new shopping tool, and through the investigation of the specific factors influencing the perception of these e-shopping experiences. Explaining the consumers reactions to different online shopping situations and measuring the importance of several factors influencing e-shopping behaviors is also a major concern in our study. In this study, our goals include understanding the shoppers buying habits when he/she is shopping over the Internet, describing and understanding the overall e-shopping experience, and assessing to which degree consumers have adopted online shopping. We want to explore the perceived advantages and disadvantages of online shopping for consumers. We also want to use the qualitative data we will collect in order to build different categories of e-shoppers, different typical profiles in online shopping. We will analyze the qualitative data to reveal patterns, habits and behaviors which are characteristic to e-shopping. We will also try to determine if there are significant differences between male and female e-shopper, concerning their adoption of e-

shopping and their behaviors while shopping online. We will also compare the awareness of online shoppers, depending on their age, gender and their background. We will determine to which extent the e-shoppers path is influenced by the media and by social community. And finally we will evaluate the impact of the different factors which can motivate online shopping. We think that our findings will help recognizing the different factors which drive consumers to buy online and will help companies developing more successful e-marketing strategies.

2. Method
2.1. Philosophy of science 2.1.1 Presentation of core questions, key concepts and definitions The notion of paradigm is very important in philosophy of science. The most commonly accepted definition of paradigm is Thomas Kuhns definition: he describes it as a set of linked practices and assumptions about the world which is shared by a community of scientists. To him, a paradigm is a universally recognized scientific achievement that, for a time, provide model problems and solutions for a community of researchers (Kuhn, 1962). Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are strongly linked to their theoretical paradigms, and how researchers use these paradigms for their theoretical studies. So in this theoretical framework, I will build a typology of the major paradigms in scientific research, focusing on the available paradigms for qualitative research. But first, it is important to define precisely what kind of questions the paradigms in scientific research answer. According to Patton (2002, p134), the diversity in the paradigms used in qualitative research is distinguished by answering six core questions: -What do we believe about the nature of reality?: this question concerns ontological issues about the possibility of a verifiable reality/truth against the existence of several realities which are socially constructed. -How do we know what we do? : this question concerns epistemological issues, such as objectivity versus subjectivity, debates over the validity of data and the possibilities to generalize results.

-How should we study the world?: this question concerns methodological issues about the type of data and design that researchers need to fit the purpose of their study. -What is worth knowing?: this question is about philosophical issues on what really matters in the world. -What question should we ask?: this question concerns disciplinary issues about inquiry traditions and areas. -How do we personally engage in inquiry?: this question concerns praxis issues, questionning whether or not the researcher should use his personnal experience and values in the research process. The various available paradigms in the philosophy of science in qualitative research propose different views on these six main debates. Each paradigm tackles ontologogical, epistemological, methodological, philosophical, disciplinary and praxis issues, and I will do an overview of the paradigms in the next part, presenting each paradigm through their position towards the six main debates Patton evocated. Yet, for Patton the distinctions between paradigm, strategy and theoretical approach are arbitrary and arguable, so I will for example present ethnography in the next part of this paper, which is an overview of available paradigms, eventhough is can be considered a research strategy more than a paradigm (Patton, 2002). Concerning the other important issues related to phlisophy of science in qualitative research that will be discussed throughout the paper, Gummesson (2000) evocate among others: -The notions of pre-understanding, personal experience and access to data for the researcher: he considers pre-understanding as an attitude and commitment that should be used carefully, as it can strongly influence the study. For Gummesson, pre-understanding is precisely insights into a specific problem and social environment before starting a research program or consulting. -The types of theories which are produced: the substantive theory and the formal theory. Substantive thory is created by studying concrete social situations, or one particular context, and applies only to the setting of the situation which is studied. On the other hand, formal theory is developped from substantive theory, is adapted to many different setting, conceptual and reach higher generality (Daymon & Holloway, 2011).

-The choice between inductive, deductive and abductive research. Inductive reasoning starts with empirical data and then moves to theory, while deductive reasoning moves from theory to observation and findings. Abductive reasoning is a method where the idea is to choose the hypothesis which would best explain the available evidence. Gummesson (2000) considers that the three main challenges for researchers are the access to reality (how to find empirical data), the pre-understanding and understanding, and the quality, ie the choice of the various criteria which are used to evaluate the quality of research. Now that key concepts of philosophy of science in marketing research have been evocated, it is possible to start the overview of the available paradigms and research strategy for qualitative research.

2.1.2 Overview of the different paradigms and strategies/approaches in scientific research Positivism, Post-positivism and Functionalism versus Interpretivism, Radical Humanism and Radical Structuralism. Traditionally, the quantitative and the qualitative paradigms are associated with two major schools of thought, respectively positivism and idealism. In the past, quantitative methods were usually used to confirm theories, while qualitative methods were used to generate new creative theories. But philosophy of science in marketing research is nowadays far more complex than this initial opposition of two schools of thought. On the one hand we have the positivist, post-positivist and functionalist paradigms, which are objectivist, realist, determinist and which consider that the veracity of the topics of research can be studied. But on the other hand, many non-positivist paradigms emerged, focusing on subjectivity and considering that what we know is contextual, and that research requires getting an understanding at an individual level. Silverman states that while quantitative researchers are often described as being all positivists, there is actually no agreed paradigm underlying all qualitative research (Silverman, 2006). Hudson and Ozanne consider that the two predominant approaches in social science are positivism and interpretivism, and that both have strength and

weaknesses (Hudson & Ozanne, 1988). Interpretivism is socially constructed, contextdependent, interactive, time-bound and based on the cooperation between researchers and respondents. Interpretists consider that realities are evolving, and that the research design must constantly adapt. They think that researchers come to the research environment with preunderstanding and knowledge. As a logical consequence, critics of interpretivism advocate that results may be biased because of the relationship between the researcher and his interviewees, influencing answer and data interpretation. The two most used analytic methods in interpretive research are grounded theory and expansion analysis. Many other paradigms used in scientific research share this subjectivity and voluntarist attitude with interpretivism: for example radical humanism and radical structuralism, even though the latter is a bit closer to positivism. Constructivism/Conctructionism, Critical theory and Emotionalism. Yet, interpretivism is only one of the non-positivist paradigms, and some others are even more interesting for our study on philosophy of science in the specific field of qualitative research. First, we are going to mention constructivism, the constructionist paradigm and critical theory paradigm, as they emphasize the importance of using both quantitative and qualitative methods in scientific research. Interpretivism and constructivism are similar on some points, and in both paradigms the main concern is the subjectivity of meanings. That is why they are both searching patterns of meaning. But if on the one hand, interpretists consider essential features of shared meaning and shared understanding, on the other hand, constructivists extend this concept by considering that knowledge is interpreted to an anti-essentialist level. In Guba and Lincolns typology (1994), critical theory and constructivist paradigms are a solution to overcome the rigidity underlying the positivist approach. For them, the constructivist paradigm is characterized by relativism, with local constructed realities, and by subjectivity, with transactional created findings. Constructionists argue that knowledge and truth are a result of perspective, and that is why they are relative to a specific context. They focus their interest on subjectivity and inter-subjectivity, trying to understand how the features of society are made of subjective meanings and inter-subjective processes. Silverman (2006) mentions three versions of interview data through three paradigms: positivism, emotionalism and constructionism. Within emotionalism and constructionism, the idea is to get an in-depth knowledge of the mind of the respondent, especially with the use of open-ended interviews, or interviews treated as a topic (for constructionism).

Postmodernism and Feminism According to Crottys typology (1998), within the critical tradition emerged postmodernism and feminism, characterized by the refusal to accept things the way they are. The critical inquiry paradigm in general is largely different from the mostly uncritical interpretivist paradigm. Feminist concerns are at the center of the research questions and interpretations, but yet researchers use traditional research methods. Feminist empiricists tend to use both qualitative and quantitative methods, and are similar to interpretivists from an epistemological and ontological point of view. Feminist perspectives emphasize on the importance of gender in human relationships and society, and thus feminists orient the topics under study in that direction (Patton, 2002). Feminist approaches to scientific research use the womens way of knowing, with for example emotion, intuition, and analytic thought. And they also promote equality between the researcher and the respondents. Unlike interpretivists, who consider that experiential and survey methods impose a specific view of the world on subjects instead of capturing it, critical postmodernists argue that these imposed view are able to support a specific kind of scientific knowledge, which tend to reproduce the capitalists structures and the hierarchies of inequality. Postmodernism refutes the possibility of an ontological grounding, ie no absolute truth is possible, it can only be constructed. Postmodernism considers that sciences capacity to generate truth is limited, especially because science depends on socially constructed languages which in some way provide a distorted vision of reality. The key focus of postmodernism is to search for disguised contradictions underlying in the various ideologies, thus postmodernists are looking for structural and historical insight to reveal those contradictions, and they use field research, historical analysis and dialectical analysis to do so. Ethnography and Autoethnography Ethnography is considered by Patton as a research strategy among qualitative inquiry approaches, whose foundational question is: what is the culture of this group of people? (Patton, 2002: p81). The central notion in ethnography is the notion of culture, and the central assumption is that a culture evolves through the interactions between groups of people over time. Two questions are at the center of this approach: how do the participant sees things? and how does he do things?. Maynards description of ethnography is a good overview of this research strategy: The ethnographer, in general, is in the business of describing culture from

the members point of view (Maynard, 1989: 130). They use the observation of participants and immersive field work as primary methods. Understanding culture has become more and more central in organizational studies over the past few years. In autoethnography, the researcher uses his own experiences to have insights into other cultures or subcultures. So their analysis and their writing are very personal, that is why critics consider that the subjectivity is too present in this approach, and that is makes it difficult to assess the reliability of the study. The autoethnographist starts with his personal life, and use systematic sociological introspection in order to try understanding how would someone else react. Contrary to the classic ethnographic approach, autoethnography involves creative elements, and a subjective approach to social phenomenon. That is why it is considered as a very difficult way of writing, especially because self-questioning is extremely challenging and because finding an authentic voice is a real struggle. Heuristic inquiry According to Patton, the foundational question in heuristic inquiry is: what is my experience of this phenomenon and the essential experience of others who also experience this phenomenon intensely? (Patton, 2002: 107). This approach emphasizes on the personal experience of the researcher and his own insight. As a consequence, the researcher needs to be really interested in the phenomenon he studies and it requires personal experience in this domain. Furthermore, if the researcher works together with other researchers, they need to share the same interests. It is a strategy of research which focuses more on the quality of data than the quantity of data. The idea for the researcher is to discover the true essence of the studied phenomenon by sharing his own personal reflections with other researchers who do the same thing. Tacit understanding is at the core of this approach. According to Kleining and Witt, among the most important rules in heuristic inquiry, we find for example: the need for the researcher to be open to new concepts, his capacity to adapt and change his preconceptions, the fact that the topic under research might change during the research process, and also the fact that data have to be collected under structural variation of perspective, ie with an adapted sampling characterized by its diversity (Kleining & Witt, 2000).

2.1.3 Personal view on philosophy of science I consider myself as a constructivist, as I think that what we know is produced by the context, that it is subjective and that nothing is actually true or untrue. I believe that there is not one single reality, and that every study is subjective, especially because researchers are not separated from the research topic: their values influence the way they interpret data. I think that research requires transactional approaches, with interactions between the researcher and the respondents. I appreciate critical theory perspectives, which states that there is only a fake reality resulting from historical factors. , and which insists on the importance of a dialogue between researchers and interviewees. To me, the reality is not independent from peoples thoughts and beliefs, that is why studies should always be practical and applied, with the use of in-depth exploration methods to reveal as many perspectives as possible in the data interpretation. I agree with the post-positivist, interpretive and constructionist paradigms, because they focus on investigation with subjective experience and they use qualitative methods instead of the positivists quantitative methods. I especially appreciate the fact that in critical theory and constructivism, the importance of using both qualitative AND quantitative methods is emphasized. I think that the key to foster scientific research is the triangulation of procedures. Studying the same phenomenon with different techniques complementing each other provides the researcher with a wider view on the topic, deeper understanding, more accurate analysis and opens new perspectives. It is very common to conduct qualitative and quantitative methods at the same time in product marketing, and I believe that it is also interesting to do so in the field of marketing research and theory construction. Like Silverman says, there are different ways to combine qualitative and quantitative research: we can use qualitative research to explore a topic and then set up a quantitative study, we can use quantitative data to create a sample and then use qualitative research to go deeper on the topic, or we can do a qualitative study using quantitative data to expend the results and make them broader (Silverman, 2006). I think that qualitative methods are clearly relevant in the field of theory construction, because it is important to have a subjective point of view, an insiders perspective, and a work based on induction. However, I think that using quantitative methods is still compulsory to validate a theory and confirm its reliability. Qualitative methods provide rich and deep data, but I believe it needs to be confirmed afterwards by quantitative research. That is with I am a proponent of triangulation of

research methods, using both quantitative and qualitative methods to overcome the weaknesses of using only one method. I go with Silverman when he states that sometimes, using quantitative data in qualitative research is very interesting and that sometimes, qualitative methods might be inappropriate for a particular research question. That is why, like Patton (2002), I consider the approach and method you choose depend on the topic of your study. Yet, in my opinion mixed methods globally offer relevant results, whether it is in scientific research in general, in marketing research or in marketing for companies. I believe that it is an interesting idea to use qualitative research to try to explain the results of a prior quantitative study, or on the contrary to explore and get an understanding of a topic with qualitative research, and then confirm it or generalize it through quantitative research. Like Deshpande (1983), I am a strong advocate of the triangulation of procedure, and I also think that Tadajewskis idea of using multiple paradigms in research is a major issue: through the confrontation of the different paradigms, researchers can create meaning and creative theories which will improve the biased aspect and narrow representation that research studies relying on one single paradigm sometimes generate (Tadajewski, 2004).

2.2. Sampling 2.2.1 Theoretical framework on sampling Sampling consists in the choice of respondents or/and cases in a research process. This selection of the different cases is a major issue when researchers attempt at building theories from case studies (Eisenhardt, 1989). A relevant selection of the population (ie the group of respondents/cases among which the sample is drawn) allows researchers to control inappropriate variations and to define the limits of the findings in terms of generalization (Eisenhardt, 1989). According to Silverman, sampling is a statistical procedure for finding cases to study. It has two functions: it allows you to estimate the representativeness of the study, and thereby the degree of confidence in any interface you draw from them. (Silverman, 2006: p404). Silverman puts the emphasis on the differences between sampling in quantitative research and sampling in qualitative research. He considers that statistical sampling procedures allow quantitative researchers to achieve their aim which consists in generalization. These statistical sampling procedures are based on a representative section of the population, so that assumptions

about the whole population can be done. Yet, these procedures are irrelevant in qualitative study (Silverman, 2006). In opposition to these probability sampling procedures focused on the selection of a random population which is statistically representative of the whole population (Patton, 1990), authors propose purposeful sampling (Patton, 1990) and theoretical sampling (Eisenhardt, 1998; Patton, 2002; Silverman, 2006). Researchers who aim at building theory rely on theoretical sampling, which consists in choosing the cases for theoretical reasons instead of statistical reasons. In theoretical sampling, cases are chosen carefully, either to extend emerging theories, or to fill some theoretical categories and give examples of different polar types (Eisenhardt, 1989). Gummesson defines theoretical sampling as an ongoing sampling process in which the researchers simultaneously collect, code, and analyze their data and decide along this journey what to collect next and where it may be found (Gummesson, 2000: p95). For Silverman, theoretical sampling is an issue at the start of the study, but also during the research process, because qualitative research provides the researcher with a greater flexibility and the possibility to modify the sampling strategy during the study (Silverman, 2006). This flexibility offered by theoretical sampling has many advantages: you can adapt your samples if new unexpected factors emerge, you can start with small samples and then use bigger samples to generalize emerging theories, or you can look for even more deviant cases if necessary (Silverman, 2006). Silverman states that theoretical sampling is based on deviant-case analysis and the constant comparative method, and that it is a very efficient tool to avoid some of the danger linked to random quantitative research (Silverman, 2006). Patton prefers the term of purposeful sampling to describe this sampling procedure consisting in seeking cases which are rich in information and can be studied in depth. The aim is to select specific cases from which the researcher will learn a lot about the central issues fitting the purpose of the study (Patton, 1990). Patton identifies 16 different types of purposeful sampling focused on in-depth analysis, which he opposes to the two types of random probability sampling (simple random sample and stratified random and cluster sample) aimed at generalization. He describes deviant-case sampling, consisting in a selection of unusual cases showing notable successes or failures, or involving special events. Silverman also promotes this sampling strategy, stating that it offers a crucial test for theory, and pointing the fact that seeking out negative instances is as important as selecting cases which support your argument (Silverman, 2006). Maximum variation sampling is quite similar, but is focused on the analysis of a wide range of variation on dimensions of interest, and is used to explore the common pattern

emerging accross these variation. According to Cuba & Lincoln (1985), maximum variation sampling is the most efficient strategy to determine and describe the central themes which cut across a great deal of participants/cases. This method can provides detailed descriptions of the cases while allowing the identification of shared patterns cutting across the studied cases. It is the opposite strategy in homogeneous sampling, which consists in reducing the sample variations in order to simplify the analysis, and to make group interviews easier to organize. Intensity sampling is based on the selection of information-rich cases which show intense interest in the studied phenomenon, but which are not as extreme as in deviant-case sampling. Patton also describes one hand critical case sampling, aimed at producing logical generalization through the study of a single critical case, and on the other hand typical case sampling which is based on the analysis of various normal/average cases. Stratified purposeful sampling combines typical case sampling with a less extreme type of maximum variation sampling, in order to capture major variations instead of focusing on the identification of a common core. It means that there are different strata which propose variations, but within these strata the sample is quite homogeneous. Snowball sampling (or chain sampling) is a bit different from the other strategies, as it is an approach to identify critical cases and cases which will provide rich information for the study. Criterion sampling consists in picking cases which meet some specific criterion, to be sure to get information rich data. Theory-based sampling is a formal version of criterion sampling, where the sample is representative of the theory which is studied. Patton also mentions other strategies, like the one consisting in confirming or disconfirming cases, opportunistic sampling, random purposeful sampling, the sampling of politically important cases. And he finishes with a warning about convenience sampling, which is easy and fast but should be the last option to be considered by researchers, and also put the emphasis on the possibility of mixed purposeful sampling through the triangulation of methods, in order to meet multiple needs and interests (Patton, 1990). One of the importance choices in sampling is the choice of the sample size. Patton considers that there are no rules concerning the sample size in qualitative research (Patton, 1990: p184). Every study is unique, and the researcher needs to adapt the sample size to the specific purpose of the study, depending on what he wants to know, and on credibility, time and resources issues. Basically, the choice is between a small sample allowing in-depth analysis, and a large sample seeking breadth. In-depth analysis of small sample can be very valuable if the sample provides the researcher with rich data, while large samples allow exploring a phenomenon and show diversity. According to Gummesson, the sample size is determined by saturation: the researcher

has to stop enlarging the sample size when the utility of adding a new case is close to zero. He talks about the diminishing marginal contribution of each additional case (Gummesson, 2000: p96). For Silverman, there is a quality issue: a small sample is enough if the researcher is perfectly aware of its limitation and can provide a sufficient quality of analysis (Silverman, 2005, p. 39). He also states that the researcher has always the possibility to change the sample size at any time during the research process. No matter what the size of sample is, the main idea is always to maximize information and to adapt constantly the sample to the final purpose of the study.

2.2.2 Sampling strategy Based on Pattons typology of purposeful sampling (Patton, 1990), and the specific purposes of our study, we have decided to rely on a mixed purposeful sampling strategy for our piece of research on online shopping. Our sampling strategy is a combination of three types of purposeful sampling which are: intensity sampling, stratified purposeful sampling and chain sampling. This triangulation of the three aforementioned strategies allows us to capture major variations concerning online shopping motivations and behaviors, through the analysis of a sample consisting of various information-rich cases manifesting an interest in online shopping. Concretely, our sample is composed of people belonging to the Generation Y, who have already experienced online shopping and show interest in this new way of shopping. Yet, in order to get a more complete overview, to facilitate comparisons and to explore a wider range of online shopping patterns, we include some variations in the sample: on the one hand, some respondents will be occasional online shoppers, and on the other hand, some informants will be regular online shoppers. With these two different strata of cases, we will obtain a wider insight, instead of only focusing on a common core. Moreover, our sample is made of a mix of male and female respondents, and shows some age variations, in order to facilitate comparisons and to provide a larger overview on the topic of our qualitative study. Last important point: we added other types of variation, concerning other units of analysis. First, the types of products in the observations will be different (high-tech products, clothes etc). Second, will observe two types of shopping: first, free shopping, ie when somebody want to do shopping but has no particular idea about what he/she wants to buy; and second, purposeful shopping, ie when the buyer

already knows exactly what type of product he wants. And finally, different nationalities will be represented in the sample (Finnish, French, and German).

2.2.3 Justification of this choice We have decided to favor a qualitative approach based on purposeful sampling, by conducting an in-depth study based on information-rich cases, and determine central issues and emerging patterns related to online shopping. In this logic, intensity sampling is a strategy that allows us to determine a sample which is information-rich, and have an obvious interest in the main subject of our study. In our case study, we are trying to determine a sample consisting of young people, who are familiar with online shopping on a regular basis. This way, we are more likely to meet people who can share several interesting online shopping experiences and feelings, and thus it will help us determine motivations and perceptions about the online shopping process. Using this method also allows us to put aside any deviant or unusual case which reflects unique behaviors: studying extreme behaviors towards online shopping would be irrelevant for the specific purpose of our study, and would be time-consuming, as we would only come up with limited and non-representative conclusions about the phenomenon. On the contrary, a sample strategy based on intensity sampling will certainly be information-rich concerning common motivations towards online shopping and average behaviors in the new type of shopping, allowing us to come up with several conclusions to help with our analysis. This kind of sampling requires some exploratory work in order to get information about what kind of sample we wish to come up with, this is the reason why we need to resort to some other complementary approaches. Another approach seems very interesting for our sampling strategy, and is in accordance with the purpose of our study: stratified purposeful sampling approach. By adding above and below average cases of online-shoppers to our sample (ie regular e-shoppers versus occasional e-shoppers), we can then proceed to comparisons and identify major variations in online shopping experiences, in addition to common patterns. In order to locate information-rich cases which will compose our sample, our preliminary approach is to resort to snowball sampling (also called chain sampling). This particular process starts with a phase of inquiring among the population from which our sample will be drawn. So

we will start by asking other people among our acquaintances, who will then provide us with information and recommendation about the various reliable sources for our study, ie people who are regular or occasional e-shoppers meeting our criteria. We can then afterwards narrow down our sources to contacts those who have been mentioned frequently. With this snowball sampling strategy, we are sure to obtain information-rich respondents. We excluded random probability strategies and purposeful random sampling strategies because for the purpose of our study, we are focusing on the particular subgroup of young online shoppers, excluding all people who have never shopped online. The purpose of probability sampling is to facilitate generalization, it is also more adapted for large samples, thus this kind of approach does not match the requirements for our study, since we need to find informationrich cases to constitute a small and relevant sample. Among all the possible strategies included in purposeful sampling, we have excluded all those which dont match with our study requirements. For instance, extreme case sampling focuses on cases which are unusual, and it is important for our specific study to avoid extreme and deviant cases, because they might lead to false conclusions about the reality of the phenomenon studied, while we prefer studying normal e-shopping behaviors and attitudes. Maximum variation sampling strategy could have been an interesting approach for our study, however we will be observing a very small sample and this method requires a higher number of participants in order to determine central themes and behaviors. Typical sampling on the other hand focuses on determining what is the typical or average in a particular phenomenon, whereas we wish to come up with a large range of conclusions. Criterion and theory-based sampling are two particular strategies that require to have predetermined parameters before proceeding to sampling. One of the main purposes of our study is to observe the motivations behind the act of online shopping, without having any preconceived ideas about the outcomes and conclusions. We tried also to avoid establishing one particular criterion for our sample, and chose informants with different backgrounds who can share diverse experiences. Critical case sampling strategy and sampling politically important cases focus on studying a very limited number of critical cases. We didnt choose these methods because of the difficulty to find relevant critical cases/unit of analysis without previous research work to determine what

could be the criteria characterizing a critical case in online shopping. Second, we consider that these methods dont permit to generalize and get a wide overview on a subject, and we feared that relying on only one or two critical cases wouldnt give us credible and reliable findings. Confirming and disconfirming cases are useful to test ideas and patterns which emerge during a study or an observation and opportunistic sampling permits to take advantage of unforeseen cases which can emerge during fieldwork. Those are interesting approaches to conduct in-depth analysis when there is a sufficient number of relevant informants who can be included afterwards in the sample, it is however difficult to apply this method in the context of our study, because the period of observation and analysis is limited. The specific structure of the assignments makes it difficult for us to change the sample between the different parts of the study. So we excluded these methods.

2.3 Observations We decided to use videographic methods in order to collect data. Because it is now really easy to record digital media in good quality with modern smartphones, we considered that recording videos of the various observations would an efficient, convenient and reliable method to collect data and analyze these observational data concerning online shopping. We used video as a purposeful way to watch AND listen to our studied phenomenon as it takes place (Kumar, 2005), in order to capture at the same time what our informants do, and the perception they have on what they do.

2.3.1 Observation method and structure Our videographic method presents these characteristics: -Type of data: video records (+ expanded field notes and contact summary sheet). -Record device: the observations were recorded with an iPhone 4. -Respondent information: before each observation, we fully explained to the informant the aim of our study, the structure of the upcoming observation, and the fact that we might ask questions during the observation, in order to get further explanations about the informants behaviors.

-Initial question: we decided to ask the informants about the reasons why they chose e-shopping over traditional shopping before starting the actual shopping observation. -What is recorded: we decided to videotape directly the respondent while he/she was answering the first question about his/her motivation in online shopping, and then we videotaped the computer screen during the actual shopping act, to see exactly how the respondent was using Internet in a context e-shopping. -Type of observation: we chose to conduct a participant observation. As researchers, we had a role during the observations: we were involved in the activities through the different questions we asked during the shopping act, in order to get additional data and to get a deeper insight about the respondents shopping behaviors. Our aim was to experience the e-shopping event in the exact manner the respondent experience it (Kumar, 2005). -Role of the observer: we had an overt level of agreement with the people under study. We asked the observed for agreement, and conducted an open observation, ie the respondents were all aware that we were filming, and we would use this footage for analysis in the context of our study. -Level of involvement of the observer: we were complete observers, detached from the eshopping activities being observed (Kumar, 2005). We didnt comment on the respondents choice, we didnt give advice and we observed objectively the respondents e-shopping behaviors, only asking questions from time to time to get explanations from the respondents about their choices. -Data Collection: we decided to use an unstructured method, so that the respondents feel free and act naturally, as if they were not observed. -Field notes: after each observation, we watched the footage and wrote expanded field notes about the various interesting points that we saw or heard in the video. -Contact summary sheet: after writing the expanded field notes and summarizing them a little bit, we filled the contact summary sheet for each respondent.

2.3.2 Justification of this choice First, we agreed on our global data collection strategy. Our data collection approach was mostly consisting of market-oriented ethnography, as we tried to establish context and subjective

significance of e-shopping experiences, also comparing and interpreting cultural difference and socially-influenced shopping behaviors, in order to understand the different patterns of action in e-shopping (Arnould & Wallendorf, 1994). Thus, we followed the four main features that Arnould & Wallendorf consider to be typical of ethnographers research practices to achieve the abovementioned goals: data collection based on recording human actions in natural setting, participation by the researcher (participant observation) with real-time interpretive insights, interpretations that the observed person finds credible, and the incorporation of multiple sources of data (Arnould & Wallendorf, 1994). Then we decided to use video recording to capture the observations. The use of video presents many advantages, which motivated us to prefer this method for our observations of e-shopping situations. First, it engages the respondent with a multi-sensory set of materials, which allows us to get both emotional and cognitive knowledge on the topic of our study (Belk & Kozinets, 2005). Second, and maybe our main reason to use video footage, it allows the capture the respondents explanations of his/her behavior at the same time that she is performing online shopping actions, and we can ask the respondent about his/view on what he/she is doing. All in all, the use of video was for us the best way to capture at the same time what customers do, what they think they do, and why they do it. Thus, we got a more complete view about the eshoppers behaviors and shopping pattern than with basic field notes or with photographs analysis. With this observation method, we gained data on what people do, on what they say that they do, we gained a context-specific understanding on e-shopping and we got an insight about the online shopping processes (Silverman, 2006). The topic of our study is online shopping, so it is easy to obtain video footage, because we didnt need specific authorization from shop managers for example. That is the first reason why we decided to videotape three different e-shopping situations: it was convenient, and videos provide more information than pictures. As Belk & Kozinets noticed, it is nowadays really easy and cheap to record video footage in good quality, whether it is with a camera or with a smartphone, that is why is has become common for companies and researchers to use the power of video-based research (Belk & Kozinets, 2005). As we possess iPhones allowing us to videotape observations in good quality, it was again really convenient and efficient to conduct videographic observations.

We decided to conduct overt and open observation. Thus we tried to create trust, informality and confidentiality, to improve the quality of the relationship with the informant, the confidence of the informant, and the quality/reliability of our study. We chose overt observation because we wanted to be able to interact with the informants during the observations, whether it is to have their perception on what they do, or to try investigating during the observation why they have specific behaviors or show interesting patterns in their shopping experience. This choice of open observation was logically followed by the choice of an unstructured way of collective data: we wanted the observed customers to feel free to act as they wanted, and we wanted to feel free to ask them questions at any time during the observations. We are aware that videotaping has some drawbacks. First, some people may act slightly differently when they notice the presence of a camera. It is true that the presence of a camera alters the interviewer-interviewee relationship (Belk & Kozinets, 2005). We tried to find some solutions to this problem: first, we explained clearly to the informant the structure of the observation, what we were going to observe and what we were expecting from him, before filming the observation, so that the informant feels confident and to help discharge negative emotions that the respondent could have (Belk & Kozinets, 2005). We tried to create a good atmosphere for the observation, and we allowed the respondents to do their e-shopping in their mother tongue (ie on websites using languages they are perfectly confident with), again in order to help the respondent feel confident and so that he acts naturally. And because we were filming the computer screen most of the time, the camera was only semi-obtrusive and the respondents acted naturally. In the end of the observation, they were not even noticing that the camera was still filming because they were focused on the screen and on their shopping activity. It is possible that the observed persons sometimes forget about the recording and start engaging various intimate behaviors on-camera, even though they previously gave their consent to be videotaped (Belk & Kozinets, 2005). Belk, Sherry & Wallendorf insisted on the fact that the presence of the camera was only a problem in the first moments in the interview, and that respondents usually become habituated to this presence (Belk, Sherry & Wallendorf, 1988). But to be more certain that the e-shoppers we observed would act naturally and to improve the quality of our research, we decided to film mostly what was happening on the screen, so that the respondent feels less pressure, acts more freely, and to be able to analyze the customer path and his choices afterwards. Moreover, if body language is often considered to be as important as oral language in communication (Belk & Kozinets, 2005), the body language is limited in the specific case of e-shopping, which almost exclusively consists in clicking; thus, it was a better

option to film the computer screen to get more information about the respondents shopping behaviors.

2.4. Interviews 2.4.1 Literature review on interviews as a method In a way, interviews in qualitative research simply consist in asking open-ended questions, recording the answers and listening to them, and then adding relevant questions (Patton, 1987). Silverman considers that doing an interview is maybe the most natural thing in the world (Silverman, 2010). But depth interviewing is actually far more complex than this, and requires many different skills from the interviewer. Patton even consider interviewing as an mix between art and science, requiring sensitivity, understanding, mental acuity, insight, and concentration among other skills (Patton, 1987). Yet, it doesnt require extraordinary skills (everyone can become a good skilled interviewer) and no one interviewing style is considered the best (Silverman, 2006). Depth interviewing is one of the most important sources when you want to evaluate qualitative data. It is a way to enter another persons perspective, in order to understand his opinions, thoughts and feelings (Patton, 2002). The aim of an interview is to find out what are the respondents views on the topic of your study. It is a way to learn about things which are difficult (or even impossible) to observe: for example feelings, some specific behaviors or intentions (Patton, 1987). According to Patton, the job of the interviewer is to provide a framework within which people can respond comfortably, accurately, and honestly to open-ended questions (Patton, 1987, p109). The fundamental principle of depth interviewing is to create a framework where respondents can express their understanding with their own words. And the key to achieve rich data is active listening, ie giving the interviewee the freedom to talk and express himself while keeping in mind the objective of your project and trying to understand the respondent from his viewpoint (Silverman, 2006). Silverman consider that there are three different interview perspectives, three version of interview data, depending if you are positivist, emotionalist or constructionist (Silverman,

2006). In the positivist paradigm, the emphasis is put on the accumulation of reliable and valid knowledge. The collected data is made of facts about attitudes and behaviors, and positivists tend to use random samples with standardized questions (Silverman, 2006). In opposition, emotionalists are looking for authentic experiences of reality from the point of view of their respondents, and try to elicit them. They tend to use unstructured and open-ended interviews (Silverman, 2006). So they avoid manipulating the respondents, and use their own experiences to build a good rapport with the interviewee. Basically, positivists try to capture facts from their interviewees, while emotionalists try to capture emotions (Doudon & Ryan, 2010). Both approaches have in common the fact that they consider interviewees as objects, while constructionists think that they are subjects. For constructionists, the goal of an interview is to elicit how the respondents talk, and what their vision of reality really is (Doudon & Ryan, 2010). They consider that the data is mutually constructed by both the interviewer and the interviewee, and treat interviews as a topic (Silverman, 2006). Patton considers that there are three main types of interview in qualitative research. First, there is the informal conversational interview, in which questions are not prepared and simply emerge from the context, following the natural flow of the interview. This method increases the relevance and the naturalness of the responses, and such interviews can be matched to specific circumstances and individuals. It enables in-depth communication with the respondent, and the interview can be highly responsive, so that he can adapt his questions to the situation and to the informants responses. Yet, problems appear if certain important questions dont arise naturally, and the analysis and data comparison are difficult, because these interview are context-specific (Patton, 2002). There is also the interview guide approach, where issues and topics to be covered during the interview are determined in advance, but where the interviewer is still free to choose the order of the questions and the wording during the interview. It makes the data collection easier and systematic, and it enables the anticipation of logical gaps in data. Yet, some important topic can be inadvertently omitted, and it is sometimes difficult to compare data which are collected by different interviewers, because the questions themselves and their sequencing can vary a lot (Patton, 2002). And finally, there is the standardized open-ended interview approach. In this method, the sequencing and the wording of the question are decided before the interview, so that all the interviewers ask exactly the same questions in the same order. Thus, it is easy to compare the collected data, it reduces variations in interviews due to interviewer effects and bias, and it facilitates the analysis of your data. However, there is almost no flexibility in this method, and it can limit the naturalness and the relevance of the

respondents answers (Patton, 2002). The interview is limited to the answers of the questions which have been determined before the interview. Silverman proposes slightly different options in his typology of interview strategies. He first considers structured interviews, where no improvisation is possible. Then he mentions semistructured interviews, characterized by a deeper rapport with the interviewee, and in which understanding perfectly the aim of your research project is critical. Then he talks about openended interviews, which are flexible and especially require active listening. And finally, the last possibility is the focus group interview, where you can use the dynamic of the group to make deep data and new interesting topics emerge (Silverman, 2006). According to Silverman, conducting a focus group before individual interviews can also be an interesting strategy in order to clarify the issues that the researcher wishes to raise (Silverman, 2010). Dundon and Ryan think that there is not one interview type which is superior to the others in terms of knowledge generation and data collection (Dundon & Ryan, 2010). They consider that their common point, and also the most important part in depth interviewing, is the respondent rapport. Building a nice relationship with the interviewee during the interview, some conversational bonds, is of paramount importance for every interview approach. For Patton, the common characteristic between the different qualitative approaches to depth interviewing is that the interviewee responds in his own words to express his personal perspectives (Patton, 1987, p115). There are different interview strategies, where the wording and the sequencing of the questions are not the same, but in the end, the format of the response is always open-ended. All in all, what really distinguishes the qualitative approach in depth interviewing from the closed interviews and questionnaires used in quantitative research, is the fact depth interviewing doesnt force the respondent to fit his knowledge, his experiences and feeling into the categories that the researcher constructed before the interview (Patton, 1987).

2.4.2 Our interview strategy We decided to use mostly Pattons standardized open-ended interview method for our two interviews. This approach consists in a set of questions carefully worded and arranged with the intention of taking each respondent through the same sequence and asking each respondent the same questions with essentially the same words (Patton, 2002, p342). So we carefully wrote

the different questions, in a specific order to reduce the variations in data due to the fact that two different interviewers conducted interviews. We paid attention to write real open-ended question as often as possible, so that our informants use their own words, thoughts and insights while answering these questions. To build the interview guide, ie the question that we planned to ask and their specific order, we used Pattons 6 kinds of questions: experience/behavior questions, opinion/belief questions, feeling questions, knowledge questions, sensory questions and background questions (Patton, 2002). We used different time frames, and sequenced the questions following Pattons suggestions about the order in which these 6 types of question should be asked to get better results. Yet, in the strict standardized open-ended interview approach that Patton defines, flexibility is limited and this approach restricts the pursuit of topics which were not anticipated when the interview was written. So we took three steps to improve the flexibility of this method and get a wider view on the interviewees thoughts. -First, we added a second part in the interview, based on narratives and storytelling. We think that it was important to ask the respondents to describe in details of particularly good online shopping experience, and one particularly bad, in order to analyze in-depth their behaviors and their expectancies in an e-shopping situation. So we asked two specific questions to the respondents, so that they describe two memorable online shopping experiences that they had. -Second, following one of Pattons suggestions on style combinations, we decided to allow the interviewer to pursue any interesting subject evocated during the first part of the interview, in a third part consisting of an informal conversation about some topics which caught the attention of the interviewer during the interview. -Third, we decided to give the interviewer the possibility to use probes and some basic followup questions in order to increase the richness of the data that we would obtain (Patton, 2002). These probes, like the basic who, where, what, when, and how, would be used only to get more details on a specific answer, not to talk about a topic not directly related to the original question. Of course, we didnt restrict the use of clarification probes, in case the interviewer would need more information, more context, or a re-statement of an answer. NB: our interviews were recorded simultaneously with two different tape-recorders, in order to avoid problems in case there were technical problems with one of the devices.

2.4.3 Justification of this choice We decided to rely on the standardized open-ended interview approach for different reasons. First, we wanted to minimize the variations in the questions because we are two different interviewers with different skills, and the two interviews were going to be conducted individually. To compare the answers, it was easier to have the same questions asked the same way in both interviews. Our aim was to minimize the effects/bias of the interviewer and to reduce the need for interviewer judgments and opinions during the interview (Patton, 2002). Thus, the most efficient method to avoid variation in the data was to carefully word the questions in advance, using the standardized open-ended interview approach. Moreover, this method facilitates the analysis because responses are easy to find out compare (Patton, 2002). Yet, this method is not really flexible, so we decided to adapt it a little for the purpose of our study. We combined this rigid approach with two other methods, in order to find new areas of inquiry and to obtain a globally wider (and better) data collection. So first, we decided to use a narrative-based approach in the second part in the interview. This narrative perspective allows analyzing the subjective constructions of reality from the respondents point of view and it captures the informants interpretations of reality (Dundon & Ryan, 2010). Thus, this method was, in our opinion, a good way to liberate the respondent after a rigid standardized open-ended interview approach in the first part of the interview, so that we may discover unexpected topics and new areas in our research. The in-depth analysis of the respondents experiences through a narrative method is a relevant option to generate in-depth knowledge and accentuate the processes though which consumers go while purchasing online, and also a way to find out how the respondent interprets reality (Dundon & Ryan, 2010). Then, we also decided to keep some time at the end of the standardized open-ended interview to talk about subjects of interest that were evocated during the interview, but that we had to avoid on purpose to stay in the guidelines of our method. So we followed Pattons suggestion in his paragraph about style combinations in interviews (Patton, 1987, p114). We wanted to keep this opportunity to go deeper on some unexpected subjects with the use of informal conversations in the end of the interview, in order to be able to discuss about some topics/issues that we could have forgotten while we were writing the interview guide.

2.4.4 Useful interview techniques and hints The literature provides us with many techniques to conduct interviews, and also some hints in case the interview is difficult to conduct, because for example of a reluctant respondent. Hopefully, we didnt really have reluctant or resisting respondents in the end, but we were aware of these techniques. First, we paid attention to the different pieces of advice that Patton gives about interviews. For example, we used what he calls sensitivity question. It means that we worded a question so that the interviewee really cares about the question and provides high quality information (Patton, 2002). The question provides a context, and tells the respondent that the choices he has to make in his answer concern one of his close friends. So we are sure that his answer will be relevant and carefully thought. We also followed Pattons suggestions on how to maintain the control of an interview. We tried to control efficiently the interviews by knowing exactly what we wanted to find out with each question, and by giving appropriate feedback to the interviewee before, during, and after the interview (for example head nodding, notes and silent probes). Our aim was to facilitate the desired responses (Patton, 2002). Sometimes, it is necessary to interrupt the interviewee, but we followed Pattons suggestions on how to tell politely the interviewee that we have to interrupt his response because we need the interview to keep moving along in order to cover all the questions (Patton, 2002). Among the other important guidelines/techniques that we followed, you can also find: the neutrality of the interviewer regarding the content of the interviewees answers, the importance of asking only one question at a time, and the use of clear questions, explanations and reformulation if the respondent is puzzled by a specific question. Then we also took into consideration the hints that Dundon and Ryan give in their article about how to deal with reluctant respondents (Dundon & Ryan, 2010). We found really interesting their idea of finding a switch, a diversion of off-topic talk to facilitate the flow of dialogue, in case the respondent doesnt feel at his ease and doesnt give interesting and relevant answers. With reluctant respondents, promoting conversation and finding a diversion (proposing a coffee is an option, for example in Dundon & Ryans narrative) are some things that can improve the quality of the data embedded in the interview. Dundon and Ryan also insist on the importance of developing early bonds with the interviewee, in order to help achieving the purpose of your qualitative research (Dundon & Ryan, 2010). That is why we decided to talk with the respondents before their interview, to create a good atmosphere and know them better before actually starting the interview process.

2.5. Analyses 2.5.1 Theoretical framework on qualitative data analysis The first challenge in qualitative data analysis is to reduce the volume of information coming from the raw data (films, photos, field notes, interview transcripts etc). The aim is to find patterns, to look for common behaviors within the respondents, and to put the collected data into relevant and meaningful categories (Silverman, 2006). The final goal of the analysis is to summarize the essence of your findings and to construct a framework that you will be able to communicate to others. According to Silverman, there several questions that you need to ask yourself when you are planning to analyze qualitative data: what are the different element which emerge from the raw data? Are these element linked to each other? Is it possible to create some categories? To what kinds of settings, circumstances and consequences are these categories related? Do some new possible research questions emerge from the data? (Silverman, 2006) Spiggle distinguishes seven operations in qualitative analysis, divided in two main steps. First, there is the organization of the data, through categorization/coding and then abstraction. And then, there is a second step consisting in the exploration of the categories which were developed, through comparison, dimensionalization, integration, iteration and refutation. These seven operations form the analytic part of the study (Spiggle, 1994). Categorization consists in classifying different units of data, during a process that Spiggle all coding. The aim of coding is to create rich theoretical categories that the researcher will use to identify the main themes and constructs related to the study. Categorization can use deductive reasoning or inductive reasoning (Spiggle, 1994). Abstraction comes just after categorization, and elevate the concepts which emerged during the categorization phase to a higher analytical level, by grouping the previously found categories into general conceptual classes, in order to develop clear and useful theoretical constructs. The aim is to obtain fewer more general categories (Spiggle, 1994). Comparison focuses on identifying the similarities across incidents within the collected data (Spiggle, 1994). Dimensionalization consists in identifying the various properties, dimensions and variations of the categories and constructs which emerged from the categorization and abstraction phases (Spiggle, 1994). Integration aims at building a theoretical framework from the data, by exploring the relationships between categories and/or developing a paradigm model (Spiggle, 1994). The coding of categories can be axial, by specifying the

conditions, context, strategies and outcomes related to the categories, in order to integrate the theory in a paradigm model. Or the coding can be selective, based on finding relationships between the developed constructs (Strauss and Corbin, 1990). The purpose of iteration is to improve the analysis, by repeating the different steps (categorization, abstraction, dimensionalization etc) and the different movement between the steps. And finally, the aim of refutation is to try to find data that contradicts the results in order to deepen the analysis. It is also possible to test the results in other settings and under other conditions to get a wider view (Spiggle, 1994).

2.5.2 Choice of the strategy of analysis and justification of this choice When I started the analysis part of this study, my aim was first to find out what elements were the most important in the data I collected, including the video observations and the interviews. I followed Silvermans suggestions concerning the main questions to ask yourself when analyzing qualitative data: can I find relations between these elements? Can I code/categorize in order to cover and describe the data? What are the different settings and circumstances within these categories? (Silverman, 2006). Then, another critical issue was to find out how to interpret these categories, by identifying the main concepts and dimensions within these categories, finding common traits between the categories and eventually different stages in global online shopping experiences (Spiggle, 1994). My strategy of analysis included two main phases: first, I organized and reduced the data (the 3 video observations + the 2 interviews) into categories, and then I tried to explore the meaning of these categories, by using various analytical operations, which were suggested by Spiggle (1994). I mostly used the 4 qualitative data manipulation operation that Spiggle considers to be fundamental: categorization, abstraction, comparison and integration. These four basic analytical operations enabled me to construct a coherent conceptual framework (Spiggle, 1994). I used categorization and abstraction in order to reduce the data and organize it into different relevant categories. And I used comparison and integration to explore the significance of these categories (Spiggle, 1994). Concerning the integration phase, I mostly used an axial coding of categories approach, by considering circumstances, settings and strategies to integrate categories and constructs. Yet, I also used selective coding of categories at some specific

moments, when strong relationships between categories naturally appeared during the analysis. During the whole analysis process, I favored what Spiggle calls iteration to move through the collected data: I moved back and forth between the different stages of the analysis, reviewing the observations and interviews after having developed main themes and categories from analyzing the interviews separately (Spiggle, 1994). I used this back-and-forth procedure on the entire data set, reading the expanded field notes from the observations and the transcripts of the interview a first time to make categories emerge, and then re-reading the material to go deeper in the analysis of these categories and comparing the various informants attitudes towards these categories. I also used dimensionalization to stimulate the development of constructs and categories, by identifying the various dimensions and variations in them. It helped me in the theory construction by enriching the conceptual meaning behind each construct which emerged during the categorization and abstraction phases, and it helped me define the relationships accros categories/constructs (Spiggle, 1994). I moved through the data horizontally, trying to group indicators of categories and fragmenting cases, and I tried to make relevant and fruitful comparisons between the different interviews and observations, and between the categories which emerged. Concerning the coding approach during the categorization phase, I favored inductive reasoning, by trying to identify the different categories emerging from the data collected through the interview and the observations, and without using any specific theoretical model.

2.5.3 Data organization and data reduction: categorization, abstraction and dimensionalization Step 1: coding and categorizing
Category / Construct Price sensitivity Examples Observation 1 : price helped the final decision between the two favorite products Observation 2: highly price sensitive, took the cheapest product that the product comparison website showed Observation 1 : the final comparison is between the products in the basket Observation 1 : the respondent insisted on how easy it is to compare product in e-shopping Interview 1: you can get lost online (), and you have so many options that you dont know what to do anymore or, it can be confusing sometimes Interview 1 on product comparison websites: I use them every time for plane tickets, every time

Product comparison

Time spent

Online baskets

Trust / Security

Search engines

Type of shopping

Observation 1 : the respondent switched products really fast and was skimming quickly the webpages Observation 2: the search phase was very fast, thanks to the product comparison website. Interview 1: If you really know what youre looking for, then its no waste of time to go to the (physical) place, its less time consuming, if Im looking for something specific then no, its should be quite fast Interview 2: Online shopping is a way for me to avoid crowded shops and also to manage my time better and you can access to a lot of online stores in a short delay but also When youre online you hesitate a lot because you cant see the real product Observation 1: the final choice between the favorite products is done in the basket > putting a product in the basket doesnt necessarily means buying it. Observation 2 : complete trust in product comparison websites for cheap products/services Observation 2: the respondent doesnt completely trust E-shopping security when she has to pay big amount by credit card. Interview 1: the respondent just checks if there is the secure website logo when she pays, but overall she completely trust the websites when she pays online. Interview 2: I will never buy products that comes from not secured websites, I use the most famous websites () They are all famous websites with secured payment and shipping, I never pay on online stores I dont know, it has to be famous. and you are never sure until you get it delivered, and sometimes you have to ship it back. Google was used in every observation, Amazon was mentioned in both interviews, product comparison websites were used in one observation. Google is even used as a product comparison website actually. Interview 1: Im a Google addict Observation 1 : not purposeful shopping, the respondent doesnt know exactly what she wants Observation 2 and 3, Interview 1: purposeful shopping, looking for a specific product. Interview 2: I go directly to the product I need Observation 2 and Interview 1: evocation of mixed shopping, with prior research and product comparison on the Internet, but final purchase in a physical store, or at least trying or seing the product in real life. Interviewee 1: Maybe you can check before online, but you wouldnt purchase it online. In all the observations, no attention was paid to the ads which appeared on the websites. Observation 1 : its hard to know your size in online shopping, so its better if you already visited the physical shop before, to try the different sizes Interview 1: trying the product is compulsory for specific types of products, and that make eshopping impossible: not clothes, because I like to try them before, not shoes for the same reason. Observation 1 : the respondent used the websites option to rank the products by size and price Observation 2: easy to specify the product/service characteristics that you demand. Interview 1: I would try to go on forums and see if people bought it already, and their impressions. > perceived advantage in comparison to shopping in physical stores: the consumers are not biased, when the salesmen in stores are almost never impartial. Interview 1: on the advantages of real life shopping > because you have the sales person advice and that could make sense too. If you dont know exactly what youre looking for I think it makes sense if you have someone to help you. Interview 1: Im thinking about, Amazon, when you write the name of a book, then down the page you have other purchases made by those who have purchased this one, then sometimes Im like: yeah, I like this one too, maybe. I think its really clever to do that. Observation 3: the respondent favored e-shopping over physical shopping because he had special prices and benefits if he ordered via the website of a specific company. Interview 1 : I was supposed to get it 10 days later

Online advertising Trying the product

Product information

Impulsive shopping Special deals Delivery /

shipment

Website quality Perceived risks

Customer path

Product availability Product selection Shopping conditions Payment Price Emotional attachement

Interview 2: the products where the shipping is from Hong Kong or somewhere else really far, because there is for me a risk of buying counterfeit products, the shipping delay is important, you can ship the product to the places you are going, I was expecting 3 days of shipping delay, and it took like 3 weeks Observation 2: the website was not clear, the informant had trouble finding the correct section for the product she wanted. Interview 1: Amazon seems to be a good website > because I really know the website and usually there is no problems with it, and, because, mostly when I buy its books, so, I would say Amazon Interview 1: you order online and then you have to wait and eventually, it will never come because of some problem on the way. In all the observations and interviews, Google was mentioned or used. Interview 1: first, the respondent try to find the desired product by looking at the pictures, then she checks the price, and then she takes a look at what other customers who bought this product purchased. Interview 1: price comparison website, then forums, then final purchase Interview 2: , I will first go to the real store to see the real product () and then I will go online and compare all the website to see which one propose this product for a cheap price Observation 1: on Internet they dont have all sizes Interview 2: large choice of products. Observation 1: 3 stages > products seen on the global product page, products seen on individual pages to take a closer look, products put in the basket for the final selection Observation 2: e-shopping allows to buy products or services at unconventional hours Interview 1: you could do it at night or day or wherever you want you just do it. Interview: I bought a book on Amazon.com and the book never came Credit card mentioned and used in all the interviews and observations. Interview 1 and Observation 2: reluctant to buy expensive products/services online. Interview 1: Like jewelry, I dont think anyone would ever buy his engagement ring online for instance, it means something and you need to see it for real before you buy it. Its the same with cars., you want to have the feeling, you want to go inside, feel like its yours

Step 2: abstraction and dimensionalization

Concepts The shopper Properties / Dimensions Personality: impulsive shopper vs not impulsive shopper Needs and intentions of the consumer: Clear, unclear or none ; hesitate vs dont hesitate to purchase Experience: regular e-shopper vs occasional shopper Price sensitivity Nature of the shopping : not purposeful vs purposeful, public vs private Setting/location : home, public computer, portable computer, borrowed computer etc Quality Price Services Product information Search engine Company websites

Shopping type

The product

Customer path

Time perception

Security / Trust Environment and route perception

Price comparison websites Forums and product reviews Trying the product Bank websites Basket Time spent for product search Time spent for product information and product reviews Time spent for product comparison Delivery issues Payment issues Complex vs easy ; organized vs disorganized ; clear vs unclear ; relax vs stressful ; lots of choices ; availability

2.5.4 Exploration of the categories: comparisons and integration In every observation and interview, I noticed that most reasons to favor e-shopping over traditional shopping were linked to three constructs: price, time and variety of choices. Price sensitivity seems to offer a good motivation to try online shopping, as e-shoppers have access to tools like price comparison websites, and can make the most of special deals reserved for online shopping. Most informants agreed on the fact online shopping is less time-consuming than traditional shopping, and that you can do it whenever you want. While analyzing the different constructs and the relationships between categories, I realized the customer path is mostly affected by time, trust/security, by the needs and intentions of the consumer, by his experience, and by the shopping type ie if the consumer already knows exactly what he wants, or not. One idea was common to all the informants: the fact that they are reluctant to buy online some specific product, for reasons which are linked to price, trust, security and emotional attachment issues. Basically, consumers seem to avoid buying very expensive products online, mostly because of security and trust issues. They also avoid buying products to which they are emotionally attached, or products that they need to try, like clothe or cars. Product comparison and price comparison are two other topics which emerged during the interviews and observations. Online shopping enables to compare quickly a lot of products, and to find easily the best prices, thanks to price comparison websites for example.

The informants agreed that online shopping gives you access to more information than traditional shopping, because consumers can read many product review, visits forums, and they have easy access to all the product characteristics.

3. Results
After the analysis part comes the interpretation part, in which I will explain the themes and relationships between categories that emerged from the analysis. In this part, I will study the meaning that my respondent attached to their experiences, opinions, attitudes and behaviors. I will also study the relationships between these various meanings and patterns. I will compare the concepts and move through the different levels of analysis which emerged during the data collection and the analysis. All in all, in this results part, I will make sense of the analysis and provide a summary of the most interesting findings of the study, a synthetic grasp of the meaning of this piece of research. To conduct the interpretation, I followed Spiggles approach suggestions to arrive at a relevant interpretation (Spiggle, 1994). This is the summary of the most interesting results of the study, followed by a flowchart summarizing the customer path of an e-shopper: The most important reasons why people do shopping over the Internet are related to time, money and choice: e-shopping is time saving, can be done anywhere at any time, offers many possibilities to find cheaper products or services, with price comparison options and special deals, and offers a wider choice of products than physical stores do. Yet, consumers are still sometime reluctant to buy online for several reasons. Buying expensive objects over the Internet is not yet a common thing, and it seems that consumers still prefer real stores when they need to do important purchase. This comes mostly from security and trust issues about e-shopping: most people are still not totally comfortable with the idea of spending a lot of money in e-shopping, by fear of having problems with their credit card or

delivery issues. Another reason is that for some products, people consider that it is compulsory to try them, for example when buying a car, clothe or jewelry. We also saw that there were different e-shopper profiles and different ways to do e-shopping: online shopping can be purposeful, when people already know exactly the product they want; it can be free, when they have no particular idea about what to buy (yet, this situation seems to be rare); or consumers might just know the type of product they want, but have no idea about a specific brand. It also seems that impulsive shopping online is rarer than in physical stores, because you dont actually have the product in your hand and because there are no salesmen urging you buy the product. This put the emphasis on the fact that we noticed in this study that online advertising seems to have a limited impact. Impulsive purchases are often related to the propositions of products similar to the one you are currently purchasing on a website, or product that you might like propositions. One of the most important topics in this study was product comparison. Internet gives access to a lot of product information, whether it is on merchant websites, on forums, in product reviews etc Thus, comparing the products is really easy and fast in e-shopping, and it is also facilitated by the existence of price comparison websites. We also found out than Google can actually be considered as a shopping tool, as it seems that most e-shoppers use it to find websites, products, product information, prices etc And finally, an unexpected type of shopping emerged during the study: mixed shopping, in the sense that some consumers do prior research about a product in physical stores before ordering online, for example when they want to see the actual product, or try it (for clothe for example). The other possibility which appeared is that some consumers use online tools to get product information, product reviews, product comparisons and price comparison, before purchasing the desired product in a physical store.

To finish, I identified different customer paths and choices that e-shoppers have to go through:

Customer paths and decisions in online shopping

4. Quality of the research

4.1 Theoretical framework on quality of research The central concept in the assessment of the quality of a piece of research is the credibility, ie the internal validity of a study, the trustworthiness of the findings, and the fact that they come from a critical investigation of the data (Silverman, 2006; Gummesson, 2000; Wallendorf & Belk, 1989). Silverman insists on the fact that qualitative research is judged on its valid knowledge production, and that is why researchers need to ask highly critical questions about their piece of research, just as they would do in quantitative research (Silverman, 2006). Credibility is what every good piece of research need to possess (Silverman, 2006; Gummesson, 2000; Wallendorf & Belk, 1989), and Silverman proposes a set of criteria on which qualitative researchers need to focus their attention if they want their study to be credible. These are the questions that Silverman suggests in order to evaluate a qualitative research: Are the research methods appropriate to the specific nature of the topic which is studied? Are the criteria used for the selection of cases, the data collection and the data analysis clear? Is the sensitivity of the methods matching the need of the research topic? Were there systematic data collection and recording? Are there references to relevant and accepted procedures of analysis? Was the analysis systematic? Is there a relevant discussion about how the concepts, categories and constructs were derived from the data? Is there a good discussion about the pros and cons towards the researchers findings? Is there a clear distinction between the data and the interpretation of the data?

(Silverman, 2006, p276) Silverman focuses on two central concepts concerning the quality of research and the credibility of a qualitative study: reliability and validity (Silverman, 2006, p 281). Reliability refers to the degree of consistency in the findings, the degree to which the results of the study are independent of the circumstances. Basically, reliability is reached when the findings dont depend on the observer or the conditions of the observation, and it deals with replicability, ie the fact that another researcher could do the same research project and come up with the same

interpretation (Silverman, 2006, p282). According to Silverman, you can reach reliability by making the research process transparent, with a crystal-clear description of the research strategy and the data analysis methods, and by having an explicit theoretical stance showing how the interpretations are done (Silverman 2006, p282). The other major concept in research credibility is the validity of the findings (Silverman, 2006; Gummesson, 2000). Validity involves three criteria according to Silverman: the impact of the researcher on the setting, the values of the researcher, and the truth status of a respondents account (Silverman, 2006, p290). Silverman proposes also two methods to assess the validity of the study: first, the comparison of different types of data and different methods (quantitative vs qualitative, observations vs interviews etc) to see if the results corroborate. This method is called triangulation, and is also promoted by Wallendorf and Belk to improve the trustworthiness of a qualitative study (Wallendorf & Belk, 1989). The other method consists in respondent validation or member checks ie asking the respondent what they think about your findings (Silverman, 2006, p291; Wallendorf & Belk, 1989). At last, Silverman evocates the concept of generalizability, which is usually considered problematic in qualitative research, because of the small size of the sample. Yet, Silverman, Wallendorf and Belk propose different answers to increase the generalizability of a piece of qualitative research, especially with purposive sampling and theoretical sampling (Silverman, 2006; Wallendorf & Belk, 1989). On the other hand, Wallendorf and Belk propose a set of five criteria to assess the trustworthiness of a study (Wallendorf & Belk, 1989), with slightly different names than what Silverman proposes, but with the same global idea about what characterizes quality in research: -Credibility, which has already been defined above, and which can be enhanced through prolonged engagement, persistent observation, triangulation of methods and resources, negativecase analysis, debriefing by peers, member checks and audits (Wallendorf & Belk, 1989). -Transferability, which is the external validity of the study, and focuses on the extent to which to results of the study can be generalized or applied to other contexts. It can be enhanced by having clear descriptions of the research strategy and of the methods which were used, by a triangulation of the data, with purposive sampling, and by seeking exceptions (Wallendorf & Belk, 1989). -Dependability, which is what Silverman calls replicability (Silverman, 2006) and means that if someone else do the same study, and will come to the same results (Wallendorf & Belk, 1989).

-Confirmability, which is the objectivity of the study. It puts the emphasis on the fact that the data is neutral and that the results are not biased by the motivations and interests of the researcher (Wallendorf & Belk, 1989). -Integrity, which means that respondents were not lying, or trying to show a more attractive image of them than in reality. Researchers can enhance integrity by having prolonged engagements with the respondents, by establishing a trust bond with them, and by having good interview skills (Wallendorf & Belk, 1989).

4.2 Evaluation of the quality of the study In order to assess the credibility of the study, several methods suggested by Silverman, Wallendorf and Belk were used (Silverman, 2006; Wallendorf & Belk, 1989). First, we used purposeful sampling. Then, we used triangulation methods, especially data triangulation, investigator triangulation, theory triangulation and methodological methods. I also personally tried to get respondent validation / member check, even if it was a little bit difficult because respondents were living in different countries. In the end, I only got a mail feedback from one of the respondent (Catherina Hofmann) about my findings, in which she said that she totally agreed with my interpretation of the data I collected from her. Thus, in this case the respondent validation was limited, and only confirmed partially the credibility of the study. On the other hand, the credibility of this study could have been improved by having prolonged engagement with the respondents, by conducting persistent observations, and by analyzing deviant-cases, but the conditions of this specific assignment made it impossible, as time is limited and rules are strict concerning the structure and content of the assignment. Yet, it could perfectly be possible to conduct a 6th assignment, which would include the aforementioned methods, in order to improve the overall quality of the study. Concerning the transferability of the study, we did our best to enhance it, by using data triangulation through purposive sampling: the observations were made at different times (during the day vs in the night), in different places (public place in Helsinki, private apartments

in France and Germany), with informants presenting different characteristics and variety of angles on e-shopping: we had 3 informants from 3 different countries for the observations (France, Finland, Germany), different gender (2 girls and 1 guy), different status (students vs employees), different attitudes towards e-shopping (regular vs occasional e-shoppers) and different types of products they are interested in (clothe, plane tickets, high-tech devices). The transferability could again have been improved if we had done some emergent sampling and deeper data triangulation, but the structure of this assignment made it difficult, because we had to choose our sampling strategy before the data collection. To improve the replicability of the study, we followed Silvermans suggestions, with a clear description of our data collection methods and of our data analysis approach (Silverman, 2006). Concerning the dependability, it was difficult to conduct observation over time and to return to the respondents, due to the structure of the assignment. So the dependability criteria is not easy to assess for this specific study. Concerning the confirmability of this piece of research, we tried to be as objective as possible in the observations and interviews in order to obtain neutral data. Yet, we cant deny that the fact that we knew the respondents personally, and that we had some pre-conceived ideas on eshopping, didnt influenced the data collection and analysis. We tried not to be biased during all the phases of the study, but it is possible that we were influenced by our background without actually realizing it. However, we did our best to provide detailed transcripts/recordings and we used different triangulation methods (of methods and of researchers) in order to assess the confirmability. It would just have been better to have external auditors to analyze the audio tapes and video recordings too. Assessing integrity is a thorny issue, because it is almost impossible to be 100% sure that the respondents were not lying, or giving the answers they think that were going to please the researchers. To tackle this issue, we clearly tried to create good bonds and trust with the respondent before, during, and after the observations/interviews. We were clear about the goal of our study, what we were observing and what was filmed or recorded, and we practiced our interviewing techniques before the actual interviews. The triangulation of methods and researchers also helped improve the integrity of this study. All in all, we tried to choose methods and samples which fit the issues of our study, and are appropriate given our theoretical framework, tried to collect good, relevant and rich data, we

tried to provide a deep and clear analysis of our data with clear methodological explanations, and finally we tried to give meaningful interpretations and conclusions. Future research could involve a deeper verification of the credibility of this study, through other triangulations, external audit and news observations/interview. Or it could also possibly involve a quantitative study to test the findings of this study, and try to improve the generalizability of the results of this piece of research.

APPENDIX 1 Screenshots from the videos of shopping observations

Emilie:

Catherina:

Clment:

APPENDIX 2 field notes from the shopping observations

Expanded field notes from observation 1 Emilie - The respondent doesnt know exactly what she wants, she just knows that she wants a dress. - The respondent knows which website she wants to use, she goes directly to this website and doesnt use the Google search engine to look for other brands/e-shops - On Internet they dont have all sizes - Its hard to know exactly your clothe size in online-shopping, so its better if you already visited the physical shop before, to try the different sizes > what if the shop only exists online? - The respondents put the different products she could be interested in first in her basket, before making the final choice between the products she put in her basket - The respondent skips fast from one product to another, and changes the colors of the dresses every time. - At first, the respondents didnt focus on the price, but then she realized it and chose only the most affordable dresses. - The respondent thinks it is really easy to take a look at all the available products in e-shopping, in comparison to online shopping. - The respondent quickly used the search engine of the website to rank the products according to their prices and sizes. - The final choice is made between the 2 products in the basket, and she decided to choose the cheaper dress. - During this observation, the respondent saw nearly 50 different dresses, but only clicked on 4 dresses to take a closer look at them, and selected 2 of them for the final decision in the basket.

Expanded field notes from observation 2 Catherina - Online shopping allows customers to buy products or services at unconventional hours -The respondent knows exactly what she wants: a flight ticket to Paris in March, so she directly uses the websites she usually uses to book plane tickets.

- Usually the respondent first uses Google as a search engine to find the desired product/service. - Yet, she has a favorite site when she is buying flight tickets: a price comparison website called Swoodoo. The respondent seems to be highly price sensitive. - The respondent had trouble finding the correct search engine inside Swoodoo.com. The website was not so clear, because it happens that she was not automatically in the flight booking section, when she thought she was in the right section. - Then, the search was quite fast: she only indicated the date and the hours when she is available, and then started to look at the flights that the website proposed. - The informant seems to trust the price comparison website, because she did spend time trying to find other possibilities, and she only took a look at the first 4 offers that the website proposed. - The booking was extremely fast: the informant just bought the cheapest flight available for the specific hours when she would like to travel, among the various offers that the price comparison website showed. She didnt even care about the name of the company, or the name of the travel agency website where she was re-directed. Thats typically a price-sensitive attitude. - The informant didnt care at the various ads which were displayed on the websites. - Surprisingly, the respondent evocates the fact that she uses sometimes mixed shopping, in the sense that she first do an Internet research, and then she goes to a specific travel agency to book flights. It seems that she only buys short-distance flights (ie not expensive ones) on the Internet > do people really trust Internet, especially in terms of security? Do some people sometimes avoid eshopping just by fear of possible problems with the booking or the fact that they have to pay by credit card?

Expanded field notes from observation 3 Clment - The respondent knows exactly what product he wants before going online. - The respondent knows which website he wants to use, he uses the Google search engine to access his mobile phone operators website. - The respondent relies on the website search engine to access directly to the specific product he wants, instead of searching for it in the different sections and sub sections.

- The respondent have a choice of different kinds of iPhone with various prices ranges, however he doesnt hesitate long before making his final choice. He seems to be perfectly aware of the different versions of the product. - Price doesnt seem to be a factor in the respondent decision since he goes for the highest memory capacity for his phone with the color he prefers among the two available. Yet, for this specific product, he tries to find the cheapest one over the Internet, comparing with other websites offers. - While visiting the iPhone 4S page on the website, the respondent looks quickly at the product characteristics. - Before going to the purchase page, he selects the phone with a mobile phone engagement, since he already is a client and benefits from other advantages as an employee of the company. - Before finishing his purchase, he selects another additional option (3G broadband capacity) which is an important feature when using his iPhone.

APPENDIX 3 interview guide

1st part: standardized open-ended interview approach
Introduction: Hello [name of the interviewee]. I will ask you some questions about online shopping, and we will talk about your e-shopping experiences, your opinions, and your feelings towards this specific way of shopping. The aim of my study is to know better the reasons why people do online shopping, what they buy, what purchasing behaviors they have etc There are no right or wrong answers, I am not judging, I am just here to listen to your answer, understand your view, and discuss about eshopping. So express yourself in your own terms, and dont hesitate to give me details in your answers. First, lets start with a few general questions about e-shopping: -What is online shopping for you? -Do you often purchase products or services online? -Do you shop online in addition to, or in place of your normal purchases? Now, we are going to talk more in depth about your online shopping behaviors and about your opinions on the topic. 1) Behavior and experience questions: -If I watch you during a typical online shopping act, what would I see you doing, what type of experiences would I see you having? -What kind of products or services do you usually buy online? -And what kind of products or services you will never buy online? Why? -What are the websites that you use the most when you do online shopping, and why? -How do you pay when you are purchasing online?

-Imagine that one of your close friends tells you that he plans to buy an expensive product online, and asks you to help him finding the best product, meaning the best price-performance ratio. What would you do? -Do you consider that you have different shopping behaviors when you are shopping online, in comparison to your traditional shopping behaviors in physical stores? 2) Opinion and value questions: -What do you believe are the best advantages of online shopping in comparison to normal shopping? -And what do you believe are the drawbacks of online shopping? -What are, to you, the most useful tools that e-shopping offers in product comparison, and that you dont have in physical shopping. -What would you like to be improved in your general e-shopping experiences in the future? -What do you think about price comparisons websites? 3) Feeling questions: -What do you feel when you are looking for a product or service to buy online? -How do you feel about paying by credit card online? -How would you describe the satisfaction of buying something online, in comparison to buying this same thing in a physical store? 4) Knowledge questions: -What kind of product and services do you think people purchase online, in general? -What do you think are the main reasons why people shop online? 5) Sensory questions: -When you are shopping online, what do you see on the websites pages?

-On what is your attention focused when you are navigating online to buy something? What are the first things you are looking at? 6) Background and demographic questions: -Can you tell me more about yourself please? About your age, where you live, your education and about your occupations?

2nd part: narratives

-Can you tell me about a particularly good e-shopping experience that you had? Please try to give me as many details as possible about this experience, from the moment when you decided to purchase online, until the moment when you received the product at home. -And now can you tell me about a particularly bad e-shopping experience that you had? Again, please try to give me as many details as possible.

3rd part: possibility to pursue interesting subjects which were evocated during part 1 or 2, and which were not anticipated when the interview was written.

APPENDIX 4 interview transcripts Interview 1: Delphine

Interviewer: Hello Delphine. I will ask you some questions about online shopping, and we will talk about your e-shopping experiences, your opinion, and your feelings towards this specific way of shopping. The aim of my study is to know better the reasons why people do online shopping, what they buy, what purchasing behaviors they have etc There are no right or wrong answers, I am not judging, I am just here to listen to your answer, understand your view, and discuss about eshopping. So express yourself in your own terms, and dont hesitate to give me details in your answers. First, lets start with a few general questions about e-shopping: -What is online shopping for you? For me online shopping is the fact to buy anything online via the Internet, or anyway the Internet, I think It could be either products or services. Its like a way to buy something on the Internet, I suppose. -Do you often purchase products or services online? Not that often but it happens. Quite lets say regularly. I dont know if you want me to be more specific? Interviewer: We will be more into details after so, just to stop, just to get a few, little overview about this online shopping, and your view about it. -Do you shop online in addition to, or in place of your normal purchases (In physical stores)? ?? Now, we are going to talk more in depth about your online shopping behaviors and about your opinions on the topic. -If I watch you during a typical online shopping act, what would I see you doing, what type of experiences would I see you having?

I think, usually when I shop online, its for specific product, and then, Im looking for something, a book or music. But its usually very specific, Im not like: yeah what if I could see online and stuff, I would go straight to, for instance Amazon.com and then type the name of a book and then Im looking for it. Usually -What kind of products or services do you usually buy online? Really books, its the first thing that comes to my mind. And then, not clothes, because I like to try them before, not shoes for the same reason. Maybe jewelry, but, mostly I usually buy books -And what kind of products or services you will never buy online? Why? I usually really never buy any clothes, for that reason, I like to try them before, because its really important. And for shoes its the same. -What are the websites that you use the most when you do online shopping, and why? Amazon.com, because I really know the website and usually there is no problems with it, and, because, mostly when I buy its books, so, I would say Amazon -How do you pay when you are purchasing online? Visa Card. -Imagine that one of your close friends tells you that he plans to buy an expensive product (Interrupts interviewer) I have a new idea, I purchase every time my plane tickets, or train tickets, or transport tickets. -Imagine that one of your close friends tells you that he plans to buy an expensive product online, and asks you to help him finding the best product, meaning the best priceperformance ratio. What would you do? I really think it depends on what kind of product. I think I would start writing the name of the product. If I dont have the brand in mind, then, if I do its easier, just write the name of the brand and then, lets see, but then, I dont have a brand in mind maybe I would just write, I dont know, jewelry, or something. Interviewer: but, just when you mean write, you mean, online, On Google most of the time?

Im a Google addict, when it changes to something else, I go back to Google. I suppose, I would write that on Google and find out, and if its a product and not a service I would try to find a shop to check, how it looks for real; because, sometimes it could be disappointing. If its expensive it makes more sense to check for if you can, and then if its a service, maybe I would try to go on forums and see if people bought it already, and their impressions. Interviewer: Because you often read customer reviews? When its for something expensive I do. -Do you consider that you have different shopping behaviors when you are shopping online, in comparison to your traditional shopping behaviors in physical stores? Probably not, because, well (hesitation), I dont know. The thing is when youre in physical shopping, youre always tempted by products that are around, and I would say that its different when its online, but then sometimes it happens when you something see that you hadnt thought about, Im thinking about, Amazon, when you write the name of a book, then down the page you have other purchases made by those who have purchased this one, then sometimes Im like: yeah, I like this one too, maybe. I think its really clever to do that. -What do you believe are the best advantages of online shopping in comparison to normal shopping? If you really know what youre looking for, then its no waste of time to go to the (physical) place, and also for instance, for all the transport tickets, lets say, in France, to go to buy a train ticket, you got to do the line, you got to wait, and every time in SNCF (Railways company in France), theres a huge line, its a lot better when you can do that online. Mostly for the time, its less time consuming, and its also easier, you could do it at night or day or wherever you want you just do it. -And what do you believe are the drawbacks of online shopping? Well, also for the time, I suppose, you can get lost online, like, you try you try you try, and you have so many options that you dont know what to do anymore or, it can be confusing sometimes. -What are, to you, the most useful tools that e-shopping offers in product comparison, and that you dont have in physical shopping. (Hesitation)

Interviewer: for example, when I say tools, it means, like the options that you can have to compare the products that you are interested in.. I think what you dont have for real and you have online, is the forums where people can say what they think about it. It can be really dangerous for the brands I know, but its really useful for the consumer, so I use that quite often. For instance when I buy plane tickets, every time I check the company, I check what people think about the destination, everything, so really thats what you dont have for real, I mean you do have the sales persons but theyre not really impartial. -What would you like to be improved in your general e-shopping experiences in the future? (Hesitation) Interviewer: you never think that sometimes you wish you have this specific option or the possibility to do something, but for the moment, youve never seen that? Im not thinking about anything specific for now, if it comes I will tell you. -What do you think about price comparisons website? I use them every time for plane tickets, every time. Because once more its something expensive, so if you can pay 20 less then you do it. But then when its for instance, maybe a book, its always 15, if its 16 (on another website) it doesnt matter that much. -What do you feel when you are looking for a product or service to buy online? If Im looking for something specific, at first I suppose, when Im really interested in it, and then I can be really annoyed when I dont find what I want. And if I do that Im really glad. I feel happiness. Interviewer: so its really a matter of time for you? You dont like to spend too much time on the Internet? No really, I mean if Im looking for something specific then no, its should be quite fast. -How do you feel about paying by credit card online?

I suppose its the easiest way, because then, I could (?) a Mac (?) and then, two days later, if everything went okay, and then if I was not charged more or not charged and then it comes later, you dont think about it anymore, so I think its the easiest way for me. Interview: so you dont fear about security issues? I always check if there is the UPS (?) but I dont know how it really works, but yeah I check. -How would you describe the satisfaction of buying something online, in comparison to buying this same thing in a physical store? Then for the same thing I suppose I would rather have it for real because you have the satisfaction to open it or to use it right away and actually you can be sure also right away that youll have it. Its not like something you order online and then you have to wait and eventually, it will never come because of some problem on the way. So at least youre sure. -What do you think people purchase online in general? I dont know if theyre like me or not, I suppose for transport tickets. And then (silence), what they dont, maybe I know what they do. Interviewer: If you feel its easier about what they dont, just.. Probably not like cars, or like big things Interviewer: A question of money. You think that people dont buy expensive things on the Internet. It could be expensive, a plane ticket could be really expensive, but then not something physical, I suppose. Like jewelry, I dont think anyone would ever buy his engagement ring online for instance, it means something and you need to see it for real before you buy it. Its the same with cars. Maybe you can check before online, but you wouldnt purchase it online. -When you are shopping online, what do you see on the websites pages? What I see is what Im looking for, Im thinking about Amazon again. I dont remember if there are ads because I never look at them. So I would say, Im trying to find the product and the price, and then, I know for instance for Amazon I very often check what the other purchased, if its related if

makes sense, then I would For instance for my masters thesis, I was looking online for a book, and then I was like maybe someone bought something that is close and I could use it too. Interviewer: And if you focus on the content, what you can see actually, not what you are focused on, but what is present on a typical website page. Probably the colors, it could be very aggressive, so I dont like too many colors. I like to see what Im looking for with a specific color, and then (Long silence). Interviewer: And when choose the product, what are the first things you are focused on? -On what is your attention focused when you are navigating online to buy something? What are the first things you are looking at? Im looking on what Im looking for, or Im trying to look at it and then what I do see, I suppose its the same for me. Interview : For example when you choose a product, what are the first things that youre focused on. If I see an image of the product, that is my first impression. (Confusion and interruption because of a door bell ringing). -Can you tell me more about yourself please? About your age, where you live, your education and about your occupations? Im a student, Im 23, in my last year semester, Im a student from France but Im living in Helsinki for my last year, and thats pretty much it. -Can you tell me about a particularly good e-shopping experience that you had? Please try to give me as many details as possible about this experience, from the moment when you decided to purchase online, until the moment when you received the product at home. The last experience that I have in mind is, I bought plane tickets, and Im always looking for plane tickets via Skyscanner.com, so I went on the website, and I was looking for a specific country (France Paris to Bangkok), and its like a website comparison website, in this website you have the prices offered by other websites, and then you go on the cheapest one. So I went there and I found the cheapest ticket that had the right schedule for me, and then I went on forums to check if the

company was OK, and if the website was OK because you never know, so I went of forums. And from that I waited, maybe one or two days, and I bought the ticket, and I had no problem, everything was perfect. And I went to Bangkok and everything was good. -And now can you tell me about a particularly bad e-shopping experience that you had? Again, please try to give me as many details as possible. It was in the first semester here, I bought a book on Amazon.com and the book never came. Its really not that often with Amazon because I bought many books there already and I never had any trouble with them, but the difference is that this time I bought the book via someone who was selling it. So I asked them then I sent e-mails because I was supposed to get it 10 days later and I didnt get, and I was not charged for it, Ive never been charged. I sent e-mails to Amazon, to the person, and I never got an answer, so it was a bad experience.

Interviewer: I would like to come back on something that interested during one your answers, you were talking about the fact that people dont buy on the internet for example cars or jewelry, and I felt that it maybe linked to emotional attachment. So do you think that the reason people dont buy online some products is just because there are products they could be attached to emotionally and they need a physical store to buy it? Respondent: I think so, I was talking about engagement rings and its like full of meaning, it doesnt have to be that expensive its just engaging and it make all sense that you want to be clearly focused on what you want, and also because you have the sales person advice and that could make sense too. If you dont know exactly what youre looking for I think it makes sense if you have someone to help you. And also you go with a friend or family. For that I think its so important that you have to see it. And for cars, I dont know for a girl, I am not that much into cars, I dont really mind, but then I still think you want to have the feeling, you want to go inside, feel like its yours, because usually a car is something you keep for quite a long time so you want to make sure everything is the way you want it to be.

Interview 2: Hoyam
Interviewer: Hello Hoyam. I will ask you some questions about online shopping, and we will talk about your e-shopping experiences, your opinion, and your feelings towards this specific way of shopping. The aim of my study is to know better the reasons why people do online shopping, what they buy, what purchasing behaviors they have etc There are no right or wrong answers, I am not judging, I am just here to listen to your answer, understand your view, and discuss about eshopping. So express yourself in your own terms, and dont hesitate to give me details in your answers. First, lets start with a few general questions about e-shopping: -What is online shopping for you? Online shopping is a way for me to avoid crowded shops and also to manage my time better. I spend a lot of time at work, and a lot of time for week end activities, so online Shopping is the best way for me to buy the products I need. -Do you often purchase products or services online? Yes -Do you shop online in addition to, or in place of your normal purchases? Yes Now, we are going to talk more in depth about your online shopping behaviors and about your opinions on the topic. -If I watch you during a typical online shopping act, what would I see you doing, what type of experiences would I see you having? I usually start by looking on my favorite online shopping websites, for example my favorite brands, then I go directly to the product I need. Sometimes, I can see a product on a regular store in the malls first, and then go to the internet for example to compare this product with others, and read the consumers reviews before eventually taking the decision of buying these products or not. I also pay attention to the prices, its really important as you can have some promotions sometimes, and

compare all the website that sells this product, and I also the shipping delay, because its important for me. -What kind of products or services do you usually buy online? A lot of products: Clothes, shoes, Electronic devices, sometimes I also pay my bills online for the telephone for example, or the internet, I buy all my flight tickets online, sometimes make up, and also special deals when you have promotions for weekends or hotels, etc. -And what kind of products or services you will never buy online? Why? I will never buy products that comes from not secured websites, or products that the origin is not reliable, like the products where the shipping is from hong kong or somewhere else really far, because there is for me a risk of buying counterfeit products, or they can take my credit card to use it for other buyings. -What are the websites that you use the most when you do online shopping, and why? I use the most famous website, for example here in France, Fnac.com, Booking, Opodo, Laredoute for clothers, Sephora for make-up and perfumes, Mango, ventesprivees, SFR, Cdiscount, Abercrombie etc. They are all famous websites with secured payment and shipping. -How do you pay when you are purchasing online? Always with my credit card. -Imagine that one of your close friends tells you that he plans to buy an expensive product online, and asks you to help him finding the best product, meaning the best priceperformance ratio. What would you do? If I was him, I will first go to the real store to see the real product and ask the opinion of a seller to tell me all about the characteristics of this product, it would really help me to make the decision, and then I will go online and compare all the website to see which one propose this product for a cheap price, I will also see the consumer reviews, the forums, the shipping delay is important, and also the secured payment, before taking the decision of buying it. -Do you consider that you have different shopping behaviors when you are shopping online, in comparison to your traditional shopping behaviors in physical stores?

Of course, there is a big difference. When youre online you hesitate a lot because you cant see the real product. Sometimes when you are on the real stores you can buy the product because its in your hands and its a good one so you can take it with no hesitation. -What do you believe are the best advantages of online shopping in comparison to normal shopping? First, time saving, and the fact that you can access to a lot of online stores in a short delay, you dont have to go to all the physical stores and it takes a lot of time. -And what do you believe are the drawbacks of online shopping? You cant try the product, so you are never sure until you get it delivered, and sometimes you have to ship it back. -What are, to you, the most useful tools that e-shopping offers in product comparison, and that you dont have in physical shopping. Im thinking of the example of Christmas, you can ship the product to the places you are going, I dont live in the same city than my parents, Id rather ship my presents to their address so I dont have to take it with me on the train or in my car. And also if you dont like the product, you can reship it easily. -What would you like to be improved in your general e-shopping experiences in the future? For clothes, I need to find a website that groups all the online stores that sells the product I want, so I dont have to go to every website for it. This already exists for flight tickets for example, Opodo, where you can check all the airline companies. -What do you think about price comparisons website? Its really important kind of websites, and also you can get some promotions on the products you want. -What do you feel when you are looking for a product or service to buy online? Im really curious, excited, maybe sometimes hesitating -How do you feel about paying by credit card online?

Not a 100% comfortable with this, for example I never pay on online stores I dont know, it has to be famous. -How would you describe the satisfaction of buying something online, in comparison to buying this same thing in a physical store? Buying in physical store is really better, because you can get the product on the same time and have it with you, you dont have to wait for the shipping delay. -What do you think people purchase online in general? Flight tickets, electronic devices also, and maybe for cities like Paris, they can buy food on online supermarkets because its really time saving, they deliver everything to your apartment. -What do you think are the main reasons why people shop online? Time saving, and avoiding crowded stores. -When you are shopping online, what do you see on the websites pages? I think the most important thing is the products diversity, the website has to propose a large choice of products. -On what is your attention focused when you are navigating online to buy something? What are the first things you are looking at? The product diversity, the wide range of products, and the prices. Can you tell me more about yourself please? About your age, where you live, your education and about your occupations? Im 29, I work on advertisement, I live in Paris, and I have a master degree. -Can you tell me about a particularly good e-shopping experience that you had? Please try to give me as many details as possible about this experience, from the moment when you decided to purchase online, until the moment when you received the product at home. The best experience I have with online shopping is when you on private sales to get the products you want on half the price sometimes, you have the website ventesprivees.com, that proposes some famous brands, but you have to wake up really early to get on your computer, and then you have to

be really quick, and when you choose your product you immediately purchase it. Sometimes the shipping delays are long, but its not a problem because you get the product at half the price. So its an e-shopping experience I really like, and I usually do it because I receive the e-mails like a week before the sales and I know that day that I will wake up and buy the product I want. And also sometimes I have the time to go to the store, and check for this product to be sure that I really want it, maybe try it also. -And now can you tell me about a particularly bad e-shopping experience that you had? Again, please try to give me as many details as possible. The worst experience I had was buying a computer on an online store, Cdiscout.com, it was Christmas so I was expecting 3 days of shipping delay, and it took like 3 weeks later for them to ship it, I spent everyday calling the customer service, it was because they had a lot of deliveries planned and they couldnt deliver the product at the time expected.

APPENDIX 5 contact summary sheet for video observation 1

1. 2. 3. 4. Date: 15/02/2012 Time: 4:15 pm Place: Hanken, third floor Person or Persons (if possible): a. Name: Emilie b. Age: 21 c. Place of living: Espoo d. Occupation: student e. Education: Hanken f. Income per month: -

5. What main themes / issues emerged? -The wide range of products that Internet offers -The language used on websites > English/Finnish/Swedish version -The choice of the right size for clothe in online shopping -Comparisons between products in online shopping -What kind of products do customers put in their e-basket? Products that they will surely buy, or products they just want to compare? -Price sensitivity -The influence of weather on shopping - Product variety differences between the online shop and the physical shop 6. What research questions/themes/ emerged? -Motivations towards online shopping versus traditional shopping -The specific advantages that e-shopping enables in product comparison -The differences in shopping behaviours between shopping with a specific goal, and free shopping/impulsive shopping -What exactly means trying a product in online shopping? 7. What new speculations were suggested by the event? -The notion of time, including the length of a shopping act and the time spent on each product: it seems that online shopping is time saving because you can compare quickly between different products, and you dont actually try the different items. 8. Where/how should I put emphasis/do different the next time or what sorts of information should I search for in the upcoming interview? -Insist more on the product comparison, and how customers analyze products.

APPENDIX 6 contact summary sheet for video observation 2

1. 2. 3. 4. Date: 19/02/2012 Time: 8:15pm Place: Munich (Germany), in the apartment of the respondent Person or Persons (if possible): a. Name: Catherina b. Age: 24 c. Place of living: Munich, Germany d. Occupation: Employee at BMW e. Education: University of Regensburg f. Income per month: -

5. What main themes / issues emerged? -Motivations towards e-booking, instead of classic travel agency booking. -What is the best search engine on the Internet? Is Google enough accurate? -Price sensitivity, the importance of online price comparison websites -Lack of trust in online security, fear of using credit card in e-shopping -Online shopping only used for small amounts 6. What research questions/themes/ emerged? -Prices comparisons and product comparisons: the advantages of e-shopping -The prices of products bought on the Internet: are customers ready to buy expensive object via e-shopping? 7. What new speculations were suggested by the event? -There were many advertisements on the websites that the respondent visited, but she didnt pay attention at all to them: is online advertising really efficient? -The existence of mixed shopping: combining prior online search, and then a final purchase act in a physical store. 8. Where/how should I put emphasis/do different the next time or what sorts of information should I search for in the upcoming interview? -Ask about the impact of advertising banners and pop-ups on the respondent.

APPENDIX 7 contact summary sheet for video observation 3

1. 2. 3. 4. Date: 19/02/2012 Time: 9:30pm Place: Paris (France), in the apartment of the respondent Person or Persons (if possible): a. Name: Clment b. Age: 26 c. Place of living: Paris, France d. Occupation: Employee at SFR e. Education: Reims Management school f. Income per month: -

5. What main themes / issues emerged? -The influence of service providers when buying a mobile phone, especially for a product which requires an additional purchase (SIM card). -The time of delivery when ordering online. -Price reduction or multiple payments option for expensive products. -Advantages of buying a high tech product online instead of going through a seller in a shop. -Quick price comparison via Google search engine 6. What research questions/themes/ emerged? -The difference in shopping behaviour when buying a technical and expensive product online. -Is there always a need for salesman advice in a shop when buying a mobile phone? 7. What new speculations were suggested by the event? -The respondent went straight to the website and the product that he wanted. He already had knowledge of the product before going online to purchase it. How did he get this knowledge? What was the role of Internet in his product knowledge before the actual purchase? -The respondent was confident when purchasing his iPhone at SFR website because he was an employee for this company: he had apparently a strong attachment to this specific provider, it would be interesting to know if he would have done the same choice if he hadnt been working for this company before. 8. Where/how should I put emphasis/do different the next time or what sorts of information should I search for in the upcoming interview? - Insist more on the advantages of buying a product in ones favourite website. - Ask the respondent about how he got the knowledge he has on the product he wants to buy, and try to know what kind of research he did prior to the final purchasing act. - Ask about the preference for one particular product version instead of others (in the specific case of an iPhone: the color, the memory size etc...).

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