INTERNET PURCHASES IN PUERTO RICO

Internet Purchases in Puerto Rico

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July 2017

INTERNET PURCHASES IN PUERTO RICO

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Submitted to

Professor Norma I. Rivera

Inco. 4006

English Department

Submitted by

Caroline Rodríguez López (16)

Lemuel Zayas Viera (25)

Juan Pablo Sáez Rivera (22)

Christopher Mercado Ortiz (13)

July 24, 2017

Table of Contents

Transmittal Letter

Authorization Message

Executive Summary

Introduction

Discussion of Findings

Conclusions and Recommendations

References

Glossary

Appendixes  

Transmittal Letter

July 24, 2017

Professor Norma I. Rivera

Inco 4006

English Department

Internet Purchases in Puerto Rico

The research group respectfully submits the investigative report entitled “Internet Purchases in Puerto Rico.” The purpose of the investigation is to develop strategies that help consumers to make internet purchases according to their needs and preferences in a safety way. The research was approved by Professor Norma I. Rivera through the Authorization Letter dated on March 13, 2017.    

The scope of the project focuses on the students of the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce, based in the products with the highest demand, the most popular pages and their consumers’ preferences. The researchers will acquire information to complete this project by an interview, the distribution of 50 questionnaires to the students of the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce. The secondary sources will consist on articles and information from the Internet and newspapers. Also, previous investigations or publications about the online purchases.

As a relevant result, the research group found the 4% of respondents said they have never shopped online but among the options provided the guarantee was not selected as an impediment to enter the cyber world. The research group approved one of their conclusions, the best-selling products online are electronics and clothes with a 36% and 27% respectively.

The research group thank the opportunity to perform this task.  The researches chose this theme because in one of the trending topics nowadays where technology is all over the world. The group are willing to serve as a liaison for further work on this subject and contribute to society expanding this study with another scope.

Caroline Rodríguez López – Secretary

Christopher Mercado Ortiz – Accounting

Juan Pablo Sáez Rivera – Group leader

Lemuel Zayas Viera – Facilitator

Authorization Message

To:        Professor Norma I. Rivera

             Inco. 4006

        English Department

From:        Students, L06: Caroline Rodríguez López
                         Lemuel Zayas Viera

                         Juan Pablo Sáez Rivera

                         Christopher Mercado Ortiz

Date: April 3, 2017

SUBJECT: INTERNET PURCHASES IN PUERTO RICO

The group responds to your request for an investigation as requisite of the Inco 4006 course. The investigation will focus on how Puerto Rico’s consumers behave on cyber shopping.

The purpose of the research is to develop strategies that help consumers to make internet purchases according to their needs and preferences. The research objectives are the following:

• Explain the steps that consumers need to follow when providing personal information on web pages.
• Identify the information that consumers must know when buying on web pages: owners of web, places, communication available, guarantees, and risks to make a safe purchase.
• Identify with whom or who the company or pages share customers’ information and if they protect the identity of the consumers.
• Define what is more cost-effective to buy at a physically established store or online.
• Identify a list of products and websites that are the most recommended to buy online and vice versa.

The investigation will use statistics on gender, ages, buying habits, advantages and disadvantages of cyber shopping and the risks and the security steps used. Likewise, our scope, it focuses on the students of the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce based in the products with the highest demand, the most popular pages and their consumer’s characteristics. Limitations foreseen are the disponibility of the group to meet, the English language barriers, and the lack of time that the group has to conduct the research.

Executive Summary

The online shopping provides consumer more information and choices to compare product and price, convenience, easier to find anything online. E-commerce seems to provide more satisfaction to younger people that seek convenience and speed. (Wang, 2011) But some others still uncomfortable to buy online because of security, poor product quality and shipping costs.

The researcher acquired the necessary information to conduct the research by the distribution of 50 questionnaires to the students of the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce.  The objective of this study is to know the behavior of the consumers over the online shopping by identifying the pages they buy most like eBay with a 25.40% and Amazon with a 18.29% of the responses of the surveyed. It was found that 31% of the surveyed buy clothes and accessories and a 24% of them buy electronics.

After knowing the results, the researchers conclude the students of the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce, prefer Internet shopping because as young people are used to stay in their commodities and don’t leave their house, look for parking and wait in a long and bored line.

Introduction

The investigation is conducted to know how Puerto Rico’s consumers behave on cyber shopping. Through this research, is intended to identify the advantages and disadvantages the consumers suffer once they decide to buy online instead in a physical store. The results obtained from this research, should provide tools to the customers to facilitate their online purchases and to develop strategies to make these purchases smarter in a safety way.

As tentative conclusion, the researchers hypothesize that in Puerto Rico the young people specifically the students of the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce, prefer Internet shopping because have more advantages than disadvantages. Also, the best-selling product online are electronics and clothes and the consumers in Puerto Rico are compulsive buyers.

Discussion of Findings

1. Related research and literature review

Online shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser. The internet purchases have been on the rise with customers increasingly using their mobile devices for various online shopping activities. It is especially popular during the holiday season as consumers wish to avoid crowded stores when shopping. Online shopping offers more discounts on products and these deals are generally offered by retailers. Shopping online is much more convenient than dealing with the crowds in the store. For those who are concerned using their credit card at multiple different sites regarding security can get prepaid gift cards to spend on the online store. Shopping online offers a wide range and variety of advantages for consumers. It is often most of the time fast, cheaper and more convenient and the product range which is now available online is virtually infinite. This includes clothes, books, toys, movies and music, groceries and the list of things goes on and on. (Verma, 2014) The internet sales worldwide are forecast to nearly double between 2016 and 2020.  Around 42 percent of U.S. consumers had searched and purchased products or services online, while 14 percent prefer searching online and buying in store. (Online shopping behavior in the United States - Statistics & Facts, n.d.)

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