Abstract:

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the online buying behavior of Somali consumers Specifically, it has aimed to 1) identify the magnitude of online shopping adoption of Somali consumers; 2) investigate the factors that affect online buying behavior of Somalia consumers. Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative research approach was adopted in this study and total of 300 questionnaire samples have been distributed to the respondents. The relationship and data reliability of the influencing factors are significantly reliable and has significant relationships which justify the study hypothesis. Findings – The findings of the study indicated that 88% of the respondents have used the internet for more than 5 years. This shows that Somali consumers use the internet intensively. Results showed that clothing and accessories (41.3%), food and drink (36.0%), computer products and software (12.7%), were the commodities respondents usually bought online. Another interesting result was found when respondent were asked about the frequency of online shopping. It was found that 48.7% of the respondents indicated that “sometimes” they used the internet for shopping purpose. While 43.7% of the respondents indicated that they rarely or never used the internet for shopping purpose. About 7.6% of the respondents use ‘’often’’ the internet for shopping purpose. Among factors influencing online buying behavior of the consumers, convenience was ranked with highest mean value of (4.13), followed by reputation , Perceived ease of use, while trust ranked with lowest mean value of (Mean= 3.493). Discussion – The findings of the study indicated that Trust is ranked with lowest mean value of (Mean= 3.493) which means that Somali consumers do not feel safe on doing online shopping. They do not feel comfortable while shopping online. The results also shows that convenience was ranked with highest mean value of (4.13), which means that Somali students see online shopping is more convenient than traditional shopping.

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