Transaction phase
For online transactions, the essential characteristics for respondents are accurate information on the web site regarding the payment process, secure payment, and the discounts sometimes offered:
H5a. “The main characteristics of the channel are payment security, price, available information, and web site design” is accepted.
There is no pronounced difference by region or gender.
Respondents favor the use of stores to properly complete their transactions, with an
average importance of 5.88 out of 7. The internet comes in third with only 3.38 out of 7, preceded by catalog transactions (probably by mail), with an average importance of 3.45:
H5b. “The main communication channel for transactions is the store” is accepted.
Over the entire buying process, the internet plays a non-neglectable role and is expected to gain importance in the future. However, consumers do not consider the internet as the second most important communication channel:
H6. “The internet is the second most important channel all through the buying process” is rejected.