International Journal of Marketing and Business Communication

8 (4) 2019, 01-06

http://publishingindia.com/ijmbc/

A Comparative Study of Online and Offline

Shopping in Haryana
Devender Kumar*, Kirti Khurana**

Abstract
E-commerce refers to the trading of goods and services through digital mode. B2C (Business-to-consumer) or online shopping
is a major part of E-commerce. It is found that there is an increasing trend in online shopping. Increase in online shopping is
because of time-saving element, easy payment methods and availability of varieties of products. Increasing use of smartphones
has made it easy for customers to shop online in a developing nation like India. In India, however, people consider offline shopping
more satisfactory yet have started using the Internet to buy goods and services online. That’s why, there is a need to analyse
the reasons behind this contradictory behaviour of customers. The present study is based on primary and secondary information
which shows the status of online shopping in Haryana (India). It also compares both shopping methods: online and offline. It was
found, in this study, that people in Haryana use both methods of shopping but still prefer offline shopping.
Keywords: E-commerce, Online Shopping, Consumer Satisfaction

Introduction Why Online Shopping?

E-commerce or mobile commerce is the purchase and Online shopping is comfortable and time-saving than
sale of goods and services on the Internet. With the offline or traditional shopping. Here, various reasons are
growing prevalence of ICT, more specifically the Internet, given for the increasing trend of online shopping:
the global business community is increasingly moving ●● No need of the physical presence of buyer and seller.
towards Business-to-Business (B2B) E-commerce.
●● Less time-consuming.
E-commerce is wider concept whereas online shopping or
B2C (Business-to-customer) commerce is a part of it. In ●● Easy access from anywhere (24x7).
online shopping, customers can shop online using a range ●● Convenient and less costly.
of different devices like desktop computers, laptops, tablet
●● Varieties of products available on the fingertips.
and  smartphones. The establishment of a shop on the
Internet allows sellers to increase their market and reach ●● Customers can compare prices of products easily.
consumers who can’t go to traditional shops. Online
shopping has become a new trend of shopping nowadays Objectives
and is becoming an important part of lifestyle soon.
●● To analyse the trend of online shopping.
Easy access to online shopping is the main attraction for
consumers. The benefits of online shopping also come ●● To identify the major products categories selected
with potential risks and threats about which consumers by consumers through online shopping.
should be aware of.

* Research Scholar, Department of Economics, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, India.
Email: devender2288@gmail.com
** Research Scholar, Department of Economics, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, India.
Email: jk98027@gmail.com
 2   International Journal of Marketing and Business Communication Volume 8 Issue 4 October 2019

●● To compare the satisfaction level of consumer to- Secondary Sources

wards online and offline shopping
●● To analyse various problems regarding online and Secondary information was collected through different
offline shopping
web pages, newspapers, research articles and different
reports.
Research Methodology
The whole study is based on both primary and secondary Global Trends in Online Shopping
data sources. The study compares the behaviour of cus-
tomers towards online and offline/ traditional shopping. The most famous form of E-commerce for private
consumers across the world comes in the B2C category,
Primary Sources which includes online retail or online shopping. It refers
to online purchases from Walmart, as well as online
To get the current attitude of peoples towards online retailing corporations such as Amazon.com (biggest
shopping, “Questionnaire Survey” method of data online retailer), Flipkart, etc. In 2014, the number of
collection was implemented. As questionnaire method digital buyers was 132 crore and online retail sales were
is easy to use and less costly to reach a wide range of
USD 1,316 trillion and it was 5.9% of total retail sales.
populations. Questions related to important findings were
included in this study. In this study, the social media In 2017, the number of digital buyers was 166 crore and
platform was used to reach the diversified population. online retail sales increased up to USD 2,197 trillion and
Primary data was analysed and the results were based it was 8.2% of total retail sales. All this shows that online
on “Percent Method”. Responses were received from shopping has an increasing trend. In future, online retail
different districts; but due to the time constraint, the
will be higher than offline retail sales.
sample size was limited to 150.

250
214
of digital buyers (in crore)

205
192
200 179
166
146 152
150 132

100

50
No. Of

0
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019* 2020* 2021*
of digital buyers (in
No. Of
132 146 152 166 179 192 205 214
crore)

Source:
Source: Statista 2018
Statista 2018
*Estimated
*Estimated number ofof
number digital
digital buyers
buyers

Fig. 1: shows
The above figure Numbertheofnumber
Digital Buyers Worldwide
of digital from 2014 from
buyers worldwide to 2021 (in crore)
2014 to 2021. In 2014,
there were 132 crores digital buyers across the world. At present, this number has increased to
179 crores (in 2018) and 214 crore people are expected to be digital buyers in 2021.

National Trends in Online Shopping

In 2020, the number of digital buyers is expected to reach 32.91 crore, which means 70% of
the Internet users will buy products online. The increasing trend of online shopping shows a
positive impact on the customers because heterogeneous products are available. Retail E-
commerce in 2016 was $16 billion, which is expected to grow over $45 billion in 2021.
Amazon is the biggest online retailer followed by Flipkart and Snapdeal in India.

35 32.91
)
 0
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019* 2020* 2021*
No. Of digital buyers (in
132 146 152 166 179 192 205 214
crore)

Source: Statista 2018

*Estimated number of digital buyers

A Comparative Study of Online and Offline Shopping in Haryana  

The above figure shows the number of digital buyers worldwide from 2014 to 2021. In 2014, 3
The Fig.there were
1 shows the132 crores
number of digital buyersworldwide
digital buyers across the world.
reach At present,
32.91 crore,this number
which has 70%
means increased
of theto Internet
179 crores (in 2018) and 214 crore people are
from 2014 to 2021. In 2014, there were 132 crores digital expected to be digital buyers in 2021.
users will buy products online. The increasing trend
buyers across the world. At present, this number has of online shopping shows a positive impact on the
National
increased Trends
to 179 crores (inin Online
2018) and Shopping
214 crore people customers because heterogeneous products are available.
are expected to be digital buyers in 2021.
In 2020, the number of digital buyers is expectedRetail E-commerce
to reach in 2016
32.91 crore, wasmeans
which $16 billion,
70% ofwhich is
theTrends
National Internetinusers willShopping
Online buy products online. The expected
increasing trendover
to grow of online shopping
$45 billion shows
in 2021. a is the
Amazon
positive impact on the customers because heterogeneous products
biggest online are available.
retailer followed Retail
by Flipkart andE-Snapdeal
In 2020,commerce
the number in of
2016 wasbuyers
digital $16 billion, which
is expected to is expected
in India. to grow over $45 billion in 2021.
Amazon is the biggest online retailer followed by Flipkart and Snapdeal in India.

35 32.91
of digital buyers (in crore)

30 27.36

25 22.41
18.01
20
13.04
15
9.34
10 5.4
5
No. Of

0
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019* 2020*
of digital buyers (in
No. Of
5.4 9.34 13.04 18.01 22.41 27.36 32.91
crore)

Source:
Source: Statista 2018
Statista 2018
*Estimated number of digital buyers
*Estimated number of digital buyers
<FIGURE HEAD>Fig. 2: Number of Digital Buyers in India from 2014 to 2020 (in
Fig. 2: Number of Digital Buyers in India from 2014 to 2020 (in crore)
millions)

The Fig.The
2 shows
abovethe number
figure showsof the
digital buyersofindigital
number India buyers
The in IndiaTable
above from12014 to 2020.
presents In 2014, thereprofile of
the demographical
from 2014 to 2020. In 2014, there were 5.4 crore digital
were 5.4 crore digital buyers across the nation. the At respondents.
present, thisAge
number has increased
distribution up to
of the respondents’ plot
buyers across the nation.
22.41 crore At present,
(in 2018) and 32.91thiscrore
number has are skewed
people expected to bewith
graph digital buyers
73.33% in 2020.belonging to the
population
increased up to 22.41 crore (in 2018) and 32.91 crore age group 20-40 years. In this survey, only 18.66% of
Data
people are Analysis
expected and buyers
to be digital Interpretation
in 2020. people below age 20 and 8% people above 40 years are
included. From these skewed results, it can be concluded
Data Analysis and Interpretation that the major part of the population using the internet
belongs to 20-40 years.
This section shows the feedback of respondents which are
based on a primary survey collected by the author. Table 2: Diversification of Respondents (Haryana)

District No. of Respondents Percentage

Demographic Profile of Respondents
Rohtak 70 46.66%
Table 1: Age Group Jind 26 17.33%
Age No. of Respondents Percentage Charkhi Dadri 12 8%
0-20 28 18.66% Sonipat 11 7.33%
20-40 110 73.33% Bhiwani 8 5.33%
40 and above 12 8% Jhajjar 7 4.66%
Total 150 100%
Hissar 4 2.66%
Source: Primary Survey by Author’s
 4   International Journal of Marketing and Business Communication Volume 8 Issue 4 October 2019

District No. of Respondents Percentage The Table 4 represents the payment method preferred
Kaithal 4 2.66% by respondents. Around 30.66% prefer Credit/Debit
Panipat 3 2% card, 62.66% prefer cash on delivery, 4.66% prefer
Chandigarh 3 2% E-Wallet for payment and 2% prefer other methods of
Rewari 2 1.33% payment. After so many efforts for digitalization in India,
Total 150 100%
people prefer cash on the delivery method for payment.
Source: Primary Survey by Author’s Only 35% of people use digital mode of payments in
Haryana.
The respondents are taken from all over the state, which
are geographically diversified as shown in Table 2. The Table 5: Satisfaction Level of Online Shopping
responses are received from 10 districts and the capital
of the state. All samples belong to various economic Response No. of Respondents Percentage
and social backgrounds, which means that the survey is Very Satisfied 21 14%
not based on a specific part of the state. But due to time Satisfied 64 42.7%
constraint, the collected sample size was limited in the Neutral 56 37.3%
survey. Dissatisfied 9 6%
Very Dissatisfied - -
Analysis of Data Collected Total 150 100%

Table 3: Main Items Preferred by Respondents to Source: Primary Survey by Author’s

Buy Online
The Table 5 represents the satisfaction level of respondents
Response No. of Percentage from online shopping. Only 14% are very satisfied and
Respondents 42.7% are just satisfied. On the other hand, 6% are
Clothes 68 45.3% dissatisfied and 37.3% are neutral about satisfaction
Gadgets 57 38% from online shopping.
Food Items 22 14.7%
Sports Equipment 19 12.7%
Table 6: Do you Think Online Shopping is
Footwear 33 22%
Trustable and Secure?
Others 27 18%
Source: Primary Survey by Author’s Response No. of Respondents Percentage
Yes 57 38%
The Table 3 represents main items preferred by
No 38 25.3%
respondents to buy online. 45.3% prefer to buy clothes
Can’t say 55 36.7%
online, around 38% prefer to buy gadgets online, whereas
Total 150 100%
14.7% use online platform to buy food items. 12.7%
prefer sports equipment and 22% prefer to buy footwear Source: Primary Survey by Author’s
online. However, 18% prefer other things to buy online.
Table 7: Reasons for not Trustability and Security
Survey shows that people prefer mainly cloths, gadgets
(out of 93)
and footwear.
Table 4: Method Preferred by Respondents to Response No. of Respondents Percentage
Payments Security 13 13.97%
Delivery of product 19 20.43%
Response No. of Respondents Percentage
Quality of the product 65 69.89%
Credit/Debit Card 46 30.66%
Internet access problems 7 7.52%
Cash on Delivery 94 62.66%
Others 16 17.20%
E-wallets 7 4.66%
Total 93 100%
Others 3 2%
Source: Primary Survey by Author’s Source: Primary Survey by Author’s
 A Comparative Study of Online and Offline Shopping in Haryana   5
The Table 6 shows what respondents feel about whether The Table 10 explains the main drawbacks of online
online shopping is trustable and secure. Out of 150 shopping. 29.33% respondents consider trust as the main
respondents, 57 accept online shopping is trustable and drawback, 24% security, 21.33% accessibility and 6%
secure whereas 38 consider it not trustable and secure consider cost as drawbacks of online shopping.
and 55 were not able to decide trustability and security
of online shopping. Table 7 shows that 93 respondents Analysis of Offline Shopping
disagreed with use of online shopping due to different
reasons. A major part of respondents consider that quality
(69.89%) and delivery of the product (20.43%) are main Table 11: Satisfaction Level of Offline Shopping
reasons for not trust on online shopping. 13.97% answered
security as a reason and 7.52% accept internet access as Response No. of Respondents Percentage
a problem. Very Satisfied 66 44%
Table 8: Have You Faced Any Problem in Online Satisfied 55 36.66%
Shopping in Past?
Neutral 26 17.33%
Response No. of Respondents Percentage Dissatisfied 3 2%
Yes 94 62.7%
Very Dissatisfied - -
No 56 37.3%
Total 150 100%
Total 150 100%

Source: Primary Survey by Author’s Source: Primary Survey by Author’s

Table 9: Solution of the Problems (out of 94) The Table 11 shows the satisfaction level of respondents
from offline shopping. 44% are very satisfied and 36.66%
Response No. of Respondents Percentage are just satisfied. On the other hand, 2% are dissatisfied
Replacement of Product 48 51.06% and 17.33% are neutral about satisfaction from offline
Refunding of Payment 35 37.23% shopping.
Service Centres 11 11.70%
Total 94 100%
Table 12: Drawbacks of Offline Shopping
Source: Primary Survey by Author’s
The Table 8 shows the problems faced by respondents Response No. of Respondents Percentage
in online shopping. Out of 150 respondents, 94 (62.7%) Time Consuming 47 31.33%
accepted that they have faced problem but 56 respondents
(37.3%) refused about any problem in past. Table 9 Cost of Access 21 14%
shows different solutions to their problems given by 94 Price of Products 32 21.33%
respondents. The replacement of the product solved more Less Variety of Products 19 12.66%
than 50% of respondents’ problems, 37.23% respondents’
problems were solved by refunding of payment and Ill Behaviour of the Seller 18 12%
11.70% respondents’ problems were solved by service Others 13 8.66%
centres.
Source: Primary Survey by Author’s
Table 10: Drawbacks of Online Shopping
Response No. of Respondents Percentage
Above Table 12 explains the main drawbacks of
Trust 44 29.33%
offline shopping. 31.33% of respondents consider time
Security 36 24%
consumption as the main drawback of offline shopping.
Costly 9 6% 21.33% consider price, 14% consider the cost of access,
Not Accessible 32 21.33% 12.66% consider less variety of products and 12%
Others 29 19.33% of respondents consider ill behaviour of the seller as
Source: Primary Survey by Author’s drawbacks of offline shopping.
 6   International Journal of Marketing and Business Communication Volume 8 Issue 4 October 2019

Comparison of Both Online and Offline offline shopping more satisfactory. They can check
Shopping the quality of products physically and buy locally
manufactured products easily through offline shopping.
Online shopping has an increasing trend due to less time
Table 13: What You Think Which Method Better consumption, varieties of products available easily and
for Shopping? the customer can compare prices of products without
any problem. But, there are some issues regarding
Response No. of Respondents Percentage online shopping such as security, quality of products and
Online 71 47.3% delivery of products that must be sorted out. To improve
Offline 79 52.7% the satisfaction level of online shopping, it must be more
Total 150 100% secure and more products should be added by sellers to
fulfil the needs of customers.
Source: Primary Survey by Author’s

The Table 13 shows that out of 150 respondents 52.7% References

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