Internet consumer's perception of relative advantages and disadvantages of Internet group buying in comparison of Internet individual buying

Group buying is one of the most popular transaction patterns on the Internet at least in Korea. Nevertheless, it is hard to find academic researches for it in view of consumer behavior. In this paper, we analyze factors which determine consumer's attitude toward and intention of participation in Internet group buying by comparison of Internet individual one. For this purpose, we propose “lowering price”, “decreasing risk” and “reducing transaction cost” as relative advantages and “lack of product assortment” and “delay of time” as relative disadvantages over individual buying on the Internet. For empirical test, Internet users who have some experiences of individual buying but not group ones on the Internet are surveyed and analyzed. In result, a satisfying model fitness for structural equation model is derived and most hypotheses except the relationship between “decreasing risk” and “attitude toward Internet group buying” are accepted. Our results provide not only academic contribution by suggestion of a research framework but also practical insight by discussion of diverse features in Internet group buying.