FACTORS INFLUENCING ONLINE PURCHASING BEHAVIOR OF GEN Y IN MALAYSIA

Generation Y are already the biggest group of consumers in the world, with 2 billion people or 25 per cent of the world’s population. There is therefore, a need to understand their spending habits. Most of the Gen Y live in Asia, with 400 million in Chine, more than five times the number in the United States. As such, they will shape the global economy in the years to come. In Malaysia, 29 per cent of the population are Gen Y and they spend 1.4 times more than other age groups and they buy mainly online. In this research, the impact of various factors on the online purchasing behavior of Gen Y in Malaysia is assessed. Perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, self-efficacy, perceived value, trust, price consciousness, flow and habit are included in our framework to explain online purchase intentions. Both direct and mediated relationships are examined using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Our framework satisfies convergent and discriminant validity, and has satisfactory R2, effect size and predictive ability. Article visualizations