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Globalization

SUMMARY
Relatively little research has been done about consumer behaviour online. In this essay I will compare whether a traditional model, the Five-Stage Model of the Consumer Buying Process, will still apply in an online perspective. The finding is that the traditional model can still be applied online but with consideration that different parts of the steps have changed and become more or less important. The main changes are that personal sources for information online have more or less completely been replaced by consumer rating pages, discussion forums and other faceless sources. The step of information search and evaluation of alternatives have become much easier for the consumers, which results in more searches being made prior to purchase, even for products that are regarded to have a lower risk. On the Internet the purchase decision step still remains the same but a couple of new reasons why consumers do not fulfill their purchase have arisen. These are the perceived risk of buying online and the attitude and education about computers and towards the Internet. Due to the ease of finding and spreading information online, the post-purchase behaviour has become increasingly important online compared to off-line since word of mouth can spread quickly and can influence a huge number of consumers. This combined with a fierce competition causes an increasing importance for the companies to keep customers satisfied

INTRODUCTION
When the Internet started to expand and there became a larger public interest in it, companies realised the opportunity and the importance of being seen online. Many companies put up a webpage without really know what to use it for apart from presenting company information. Today, a few years after the big Internet-hype in the late 1990's has calmed down, companies have discovered that the Internet can be a very useful tool for conducting business as well as displaying information about the company and its...

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