The buying behavior of students was to a significant extent positively influenced by the concept of price regarding discounts, best price and special offers. • The buying behavior of students was to a significant extent positively influenced by the convenience of the buying process regarding time savings and effectiveness. • The buying behavior of students was to a significant extent positively influenced by social influences from friends/classmates and social media, however, the significance level was not within the same strong range as price and convenience. • The buying behavior of students was to a significant extent positively influenced by the brand awareness of brands within the product category. The brand awareness increases the possibility of students to purchase textbooks online. However the significance level was not within the same strong range as price and convenience. • The students buying decision was not to an significant extent influenced by perceived risk. Risk was not seen as a barrier to purchase textbooks online