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Introduction to Research (ITR)

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ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to find out the purchase decisions of educated people whether they
choose traditional retailing or e-commerce. In addition, the researcher finally tried to identify the
data needed in the study. The data was carefully analyzed in order to see whether educators'
purchasing decisions varied significantly depending on whether they shop at traditional retailers
or e-commerce.

The researcher used a structured questionnaire to collect data from the respondents.
Comparative design was employed in the study. Frequency distribution using SPSS and Excel;
the data collected from the conduct of the survey is processed and analyzed.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

NANYANG INSTITUDE OF MANAGEMENT (NIM) for providing knowledge for this research
study; I would like to express my gratitude. I also thank Sir DR SIA EK and the anonymous
reviewers of this article for their helpful comments.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

NO. TITLE PAGE

1. Introduction 1
1.1. Background 1
1.2. Problem Statement 2
1.3. Aims and Objectives 2
1.4. Scopes and Limitations 2
2. Literature Review 3
2.1. Gap Analysis 4
2.2. Theoretical Framework 5
3. Methodology 6
3.1. Research Design 6
3.2. Data Requirements 6
3.3. Data Collection 7
3.4. Ethical Consideration 7
3.5. Research Instrument 7
4. References 8
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LIST OF TABLES

TABLE PAGE

1: Gantt Chart 3
2: Gap Analysis 4
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1. Introduction

1.1 Background

In this challenging economy, many entrepreneurs are looking on how to promote and position
their businesses and the common question is that, should they establish an offline or online
business, or both? Currently, the development of e-commerce has altered the retail industry and
continues to have an effect on consumer purchasing behavior. Companies now have amazing
opportunity to engage customers more quickly, easily, and affordably thanks to technological
improvements. Thanks to e-commerce, customers can immediately buy goods and services
through an online store.

However, individuals still purchase things from conventional markets and retail establishments.
Retail refers to the sale of goods and services to consumers via a range of distribution
channels. Although they can range in size from small to large, department stores, supermarkets,
malls, and marts are examples of retail outlets that often employ the "buying to sale" business
model. The most basic type of company is retail, which has existed since the beginning of time.

Due to the vast majority of consumers shifting their purchase behavior to various online
platforms, traditional retail store revenues continue to decline in quantity. But some may go for
offline shopping, some for online and many go for both kind of shopping. Customers should
decide the channel for them which can best suit to their need and wants and which can satisfy
them.

Along the research, the purpose of this survey was to determine if educators preferred
traditional retail versus online shopping. Furthermore, the researcher will also investigate which
educators mostly prefer by weighing the cost and benefit of the traditional retail and e-
commerce. In this proposal, people also will learn about the differences between online
shopping and traditional shopping in term of the convenience, time saving, travelling expense
reduction.

1.2 Problem Statement

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The purpose of this research is to determine the purchasing decisions of educators in terms of
traditional retail and online shopping. The study aimed to provide answers to the following
questions in order to achieve the stated goal.

 How do educators decide what to buy when it comes to groceries, furniture, appliances,
books, clothes, accessories, and cosmetics?
 What is the frequency of purchasing in offline and online shopping of educators?
 Is there a significant difference in the purchasing decision of educators offline and
online?

1.3 Aims and Objectives

The following will greatly benefit from the study's objectives:

 To understand the concept of E-Shopping and Traditional Shopping

 To compare differentiating of E-Shopping and Traditional Shopping
 To describe the purchasing choices that educators make in traditional retail and online
commerce
 For business students to use this research as part of a related literature review related to
their field of study
 To understand the decisions of educators whether to shop at traditional retail or online
when purchasing products
 Also to understand the advantages and disadvantages of both traditional retail and
online shopping

1.4 Scopes and Limitations

This research study focused mainly on determining the purchasing decisions of educators in
terms of traditional retail and e-commerce. The Technological University - HMAWBI will serve
as the study's focus in this research, which will concentrate on educators. Meanwhile, this
respondent population will be 100% of the educated population in the Technological University -
HMAWBI (Civil Department).This equates to 25 educators. Also, the study will take a week to
get data through surveys.
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Table 1: Gantt chart

Month October

Sir
Duration Week-1 Week-2 Week-3 Week-4
No

Task 3 4 5 6 7 10 11 12 13 14 17 18 19 20 21 24 25 26 27 28

Research
1 Proposal
Approved

Identify the
2
Problem

3 Literature Review

4 Data Collection

5 Data Analysis

6 Proposal Writing

7 Proposal Draft

Report
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Submission

2. Literature Review

In order to learn more about the studies on traditional retail and e-commerce, a thorough
literature review was conducted. Whether the relevant respondent chose traditional or e-
commerce, the review clarifies and streamlines the purchasing selections. In relation to this, the
review has incorporated a thorough understanding of the vital elements important to the study.
The researcher will do a gap analysis. The theoretical frameworks are then presented in this
chapter.

2.1 Gap Analysis

This study was conducted among the online shoppers at Technological University - HMAWBI
which is in HMAWBI Township. It is to analyze the impact of consumer opinion and the attitude.
Questionnaire was made to collect the data from the population; these questionnaires were
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given to college going students. The total sample size is 25 respondents. The finding of this
study shows that improvement and accessibility influence the customer’s intention to shop
online. Choosing between Traditional Retail and through E-commerce became a difficult
decision to make.

Table 2: Gap Analysis

Company Name Strengths Weaknesses Gap Analysis

Traditional Retail Products and services can be used
immediately.
Customers can touch and feel the
products as well as take the items
home immediately. The layout of
the shop is also important when
customers are making purchasing
decisions. Traditional shopping is a
secure option to shop.
E-commerce Some customers find it convenient,
think that it saves their time, and
observe that it is easier to find a
particular item in online store.
Popular among young people. Easy
and fast online payment.
Customers lose a lot of time. Sometime, offline shops
Customers forget the prices should accept online orders
you have seen in the for the convenience of
previous shops, so they can’t customers.
compare them. Shop
opening and closing times
are limited.
Customers have to wait for As online shops, they should
the courier company to focus more on delivery and
deliver the products. online services.
High shipping cost.
Shopping websites
sometimes have errors.

The review of relevant literature has revealed that the purchasing decisions in regards whether
to choose traditional shopping or e-commerce are affected by different factors and still depends
on the consumer’s attitude, preferences and behavior. Review shows that there are significant
differences between the two variables and it is quite observable with the various studies related
to it. Review shows that there are significant differences between the two variables and it is
quite observable with the various studies related to it. The literatures reveal that those who are
aware of technology, knowledge, and high income level population, are specially engaged in the
online shopping and those who have the doubt and less literate technology settled in offline
shopping or traditional retail.

2.2 Theoretical Framework

The framework of the study mainly covers aspects on purchasing decision which affects a
person who decides whether to buy in traditional retail or e-commerce. The theories that have
been covered are related to factors which affect the consumers or customers’ decision-making
process to engage either traditional retail or e-commerce. This is where there searchers
anchored their study.
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In the study, it was stated that consumers follow a certain process before they come up with
their purchasing decisions. This theory can be connected to the consumers’ purchasing of
product in either traditional retail or e-commerce.

(Independent Variable)
Commodities (Cosmetics, Books, (Dependent Variables)

Groceries, Appliances, and Furniture) Purchasing Decision of Educators

Traditional Retail

Factors’ Considered (Pricing, quality, Vs

time, payment method, availability of E-commerce

product, delivery, sales and discount)

Finding out why educators purchase a product in a particular market and why they need to
determine their needs will be the first stage in the process. There are 2 types of these needs:
internal or external motivation. While exterior stimuli can include things like a smell that makes
you hungry or your admiration of an object, internal stimuli are related to the consumers' basic
requirements (such as hunger, thirst, etc.). This is because researcher can see the needs and
wants of the educators.

The second stage is searching for information about the product that the educators needs.
Personal, professional, public, and experiential sources can all be used to collect data. These
elements serve as the basis for the researchers' analysis of or identification with the
respondent's purchasing choice.

The third step is the purchase decisions which are mainly dependent on the result of the
evaluation process. The final stage is the purchase behavior, which entails additional activities
depending on whether the instructor is satisfied or dissatisfied with the product after purchasing
it from an offline or online store.

Through this step-by-step study, the researcher can identify how educators choose which things
to buy, how frequently they make purchases, and whether their decisions to make purchases
offline or online differ significantly.
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3. Methodology

This chapter presents the research design used by the researchers and the reasons for
choosing this design. It also includes research requirements and how data will be collected.

3.1 Research Design

The quantitative survey method was used in this research to collect data. In instance, a
comparative research design was used. The primary purpose of this research is to understand
or determine if educators prefer traditional retail or e-commerce. Essentially, comparative
research compares two groups in an effort to reach a conclusion.

Researcher analyzes the data in the similarities and differences between various phenomena or
groups. To conclude the difference between educators' perceptions of purchasing through
traditional retail and e-commerce, the researcher chose this design to identify the frequency of
items purchased in traditional shops and online, as well as the decisions made by educators at
the Technological University - HMAWBI.

3.2 Data Requirements

In the study, primary and secondary data will both be used. Primary data will be based on the
information collected from educators' answers to their purchase decisions. Secondary data will
be gathered through journals and similar studies that will be used to support the processes and
results of the study.

3.3 Data Collection

This chapter deals with research methodology, research design, study area, data requirements
as well as the size of the sample and its techniques, types of data, techniques of data collection,
variables to be measured, and ethical issues.
The respondents were surveyed using a prepared survey form or questionnaire by the
researcher. Using this method, the researcher was able to collect factual data, customer ratings,
buying behavior, and other information revealed by the survey forms that were prepared. As a
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result, the survey method increased the response rate while assuring respondents of the quality
of the information obtained.
The question was written in survey form and given directly to the respondents. Data collection
was conducted at the respondent's workplace at the University of Technology - HMAWBI (Civil
Department).

3.4 Ethical Issues

The questionnaire was given to the respondents with respect. There is no rude language or
discriminatory language in the questionnaire's terms or questions. In order to protect the rights
of the respondents, the responses were kept strictly confidential by the researchers.
Questionnaire is basically used as a research tool by the researcher. Modifications were made
to the questionnaire to make it a better instrument. And informants were told about the study
and objectives. The role of respondents is clarified.

3.5 Research Instrument

Questionnaire is basically used as a research tool by the researcher. Modifications were made
to the questionnaire to make it a better instrument. And informants were told about the study
and objectives. The role of respondents is clarified.
Descriptive analysis will use by the researcher to analyze the data using Statistical Package for
Social Sciences (SPSS) and Excel Software. Specifically, frequency use for all parts of the
survey questionnaire because it uses to represent the number of observations during a given
interval.

4. References

Edubirdie (2022). Traditional Shopping vs. Online Shopping. (Online) Available from:
https://edubirdie.com/examples/traditional-shopping-vs-online-shopping/
Chayapa, K. & Cheng, L.W. (2011), Online Shopper Behavior: Influence of Online Shopping
Decision - PDF Asian Journal of Business Research, 1, 5-6. (Online) Available from:
https://www.scirp.org/(S(oyulxb452alnt1aej1nfow45))/reference/ReferencesPapers.aspx?Refere
nceID=2173590
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PDFCOFFEE (2022), final-research-paper (Online) Available from:

https://pdfcoffee.com/final-research-paper-chapter-1-5docx-pdf-free.html
Course Hero (2022), a structured questionnaire was used as the instrument (Online) Available
from: https://www.coursehero.com/file/p4q3004b/A-structured-questionnaire-was-used-as-the-
instrument-to-gather-data/
K.Sree Latha Reddy and S.JayaLaxmi (2014), a comparative study of Traditional shopping Vs
Online shopping - PDF (Online) Available from:
http://stannsannquest.com/pdf/CURRENTISSUE%20VOL3/commerce%20paper5.pdf
Thi Mai Le 1and Shu-Yi Liaw (017) Effects of Pros and Cons of Applying Big Data Analytics to
Consumers’ Responses in an E-Commerce Context (Online) Available from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316868440_Effects_of_Pros_and_Cons_of_Applying_
Big_Data_Analytics_to_Consumers'_Responses_in_an_E-Commerce_Context
Statista (2022). Retail E-commerce Sales Worldwide from 2014 to 2021. (Online) Available
from: https://www.statista.com/topics/871/online-shopping/#topicHeader__wrapper