Understanding consumer online shopping behaviour from the perspective of transaction costs

Table 4.5 Perceived Internet Expertise Measurement Items 
 
EXP1. I could easily use the web to find product information on a product/service.
EXP2. I can get to a specific website with a browser.
EXP3. I feel comfortable searching the World Wide Web on my own.
EXP4. I would be able to use web on my own to locate retail sites.

 
4.6.4 Online Buying Frequency 
Online buying frequency was operationalized as the number of purchasing times. It may be 
difficult for consumers to remember the exact number of their online transaction times, 
instead, the researcher asked the respondents to circle the frequency that best describes their 
situation, such as less than once per month, about once a month, a few times a month, a few 
times a week, about once a day and several times a day. These six measurement items (see 
table 4.6) were adapted from a scale developed by Teo et al. (1997). 

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Table 4.6 Online Buying Frequency Measurement Items 
 
On average, how often do you buy online?
FRE1. Less than once per month 
FRE2. About once a month 
FRE3. A few times a month 
FRE4. A few times a week 
FRE5. About once a day 
FRE6. Several times a day 
 
 
4.6.5 Product Quality Concern 
Product quality concern refers to the difficulties in ascertaining the quality of products. It was 
measured via the five-item scale based on the work of Wolfinbarger and Gilly (2003), Shimp 
and Bearden (1982) and Liang and Huang (1998). The researcher adapted items that capture 
concerns respondents displayed in response to the quality and performance of products 
purchased from the online store. A seven-point scale anchored by 1 ‘strongly disagree’ and 7 
‘strongly agree’ was used in the current study. A high score was considered indicative of 
great product quality concern. As shown below, table 4.7 addresses the items of product 
quality concern.