A STUDY ON STUDENT’S PREFERENCES AND SATISFACTION TOWARDS SELECTED ONLINE WEBSITES WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE SCIENCES DHARWAD

The electronic commerce sector has seen unprecedented growth recent years. The growth was driven by rapid technology adoption led by the increasing use of devices such as smart phones and tablets, and access to the internet through broadband, 3G and 4G etc, which led to an increased online consumer base. Electronic commerce becomes one of the essential characteristics in the internet area. According to UCLA Center for communication policy (2001), online shopping has become the third most popular internet activity, immediately following e-mail Using/instant messaging and web browsing. It is even more popular than seeking out entertainment information and news, two commonly thought of activities when considering what internet users do when online. Online shopping in India saw 12.8 per cent growth in the period between 2011-12, compared to only 40 per cent growth the previous year and where students are more involved in the online shopping. Hence this study made to know the customer preference towards online shopping in University of Agricultural Science, Dharwad with sample respondents of 60. This research also aims to find out the key factors that influence online buying behaviour of consumers and to identify the determinants of online purchase intention among customers.