Incentives and Disincentives of Using Internet as an In-home Shopping Tool: an Empirical Study on French Customers

This paper is based on a qualitative study carried out among French Internet users with a view to determining the incentives and disincentives of using the Internet as an in-home shopping tool. Six incentives are examined: the Internet as an outstanding pre-selection tool, as a means for finding the best prices worldwide, the possibility of browsing without being pressurized into buying, a way to find new, fashionable or rare products, a time-effective tool and access to a constantly up-dated offer. Nine contrasting disincentives are also studied: payment security problems, the lack of interactivity, telephone costs, the loneliness of Internet users, the poverty of sense stimuli, delivery prices and delay, foreign exchange risks, legal guarantees and fiscal misunderstandings. In each case, recommendations and/or suggestions are made for taking advantage of perceived incentives or for dealing with perceived disincentives.