College students' perception of electronic commerce and Internet purchasing.

Lee, Huei ; Mayer, Bradley ; Yang, Jiaqin 等

INTRODUCTION

Advances in microprocessor and communication technology during the last few years has made the Internet the most challenging area in the field of management information systems. Today, millions of people have become aware of the usefulness of e-mail and the Internet for accessing information through PC-modem and telephone lines. The Internet is a computer network connecting more than one hundred thousand individual networks all over the world (Laudon & Laudon, 1996; 1997). Using the Internet, people communicate through e-mail, Usenet Newsgroup, chatting, FTP, Telnet, and World Wide Web (WWW). Millions of web sites have been created for commercial and educational purposes (Lee, Osborne, & Chen, 1996).

The Internet has been used in defense and academic research for many years. The commercial use of the Internet, also referred to as electronic commerce or e-commerce, was not permitted until the early 1990s because the government subsidized the Internet (McKeown & Watson; 1997). Forrester Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts expects online sales to increase from $4.8 billion in 1998 to $17 billion in the year 2001 (Furger, 1998). Why is the Internet becoming a powerful tool for marketing and communication? There are many reasons, the main one being that the Internet connects more than 40 million people from 100 countries. Consumers can access information from a remote location through the Internet if they are connected to a telephone line or a network. Another reason that the Internet is becoming a powerful tool for marketing and communication is that it provides a variety of services. For example, e-mail provides communication between consumers and companies, and through electronic data interchange (EDI), buyers and sellers can exchange standard business transaction documents such as invoices or purchase orders. Finally, the ability to combine video clips into the Internet is a significant step in establishing Internet marketing as a powerful communication forum.

The purpose of this research paper is to investigate the perceptions of college students on the uses and successes/failures of Internet purchasing and the concept of electronic commerce. College students represent individuals who are more knowledgeable in technology than individuals in previous generations. This study provides information related to the following research questions:

1. What are the primary functions of college students in using the Internet for purchasing products or services?

2. What are the obstacles to consumer purchasing on the Internet? Is security a primary concern as suggested in the literature? Can different payments be used to avoid the security problems?

3. Which presentation format (hypertext, audio, or video form) in Internet marketing is the most persuasive to consumers?

4. How often do college students use the Internet? How long do college students use the Internet per week (e.g., checking product information)?

5. What products are popular in Internet purchasing and communications?

6. What are the characteristics of the students who use the Internet to purchase products and services?

LITERATURE REVIEW

Numerous studies have been written about the Internet. Many of these studies focus on technical topics, case studies., and the use of the Internet for educational purposes (Carroll, 1994; Kanuk, 1996; Vernon, 1996; Ullman, William & Emal, 1996; Mahmoon & Hirt, 1995). Knowledge about the Internet, however, is still in the early stages simply because the Internet has become popular only in the last few years. While a fair amount of case studies in e-commerce (e.g., Amazon.com) have been discussed, (Hitt, Ireland,& Hoskisson, 1998), few empirical studies have concentrated on the theoretical construction of using the Internet for consumer purchasing. Technical barriers such as speed, security and maintenance are the main concerns in using the Internet in marketing. With the continuous improvement of hardware and software in microcomputers and communication channels, use of the Internet for consumer purchasing is full of potential.

Jannet (1996) suggests that the Internet, as an interactive marketing tool, has the following three functions: 1) informing consumers about products, services, discounts; 2) creating brand awareness and preferences; and 3) selling products through on-line purchasing. Jannet (1996) further indicates that interactivity is one of the key characteristics why the Internet is so powerful in marketing. To purchase a product, consumers need to get information regarding the product, the price of competitors, as well as other facets of merchandising. The Internet does provide a low-cost, no-hassle, and convenient way to search for this type of information. Most Internet sites provide a full time service (24 hours and seven days a week) for consumers to purchase a product or service.

The present format of e-commerce may affect the consumer's perception about the information appearing on the Internet. Present forms of advertising information are limited primarily to hypertext and still pictures. Video clips have not been widely used because their implementation requires vast amounts of storage and faster transmission speed. In some cases, they are simply too slow to be accessed by every consumer. Fortunately, advances in computer communication technology (such as ISDN) during the last few years have made transmission of digital video information a viable method in Internet marketing.

A video-based marketing information system can be used in combination with traditional and/or existing marketing methods. There are three major approaches in using an Internet-based system for marketing: 1) hypertext, 2) audio, and 3) video forms. There are a number of examples in which organizations use an Internet-based system for marketing. First, real estate shows which are broadcast on the Internet enable consumers to view and browse housing information and video clips, eliminating the need for unnecessary travel. Second, a video clip system can be broadcast on the Internet by a movie rental store. Third, prospective travelers can use the Internet to find out information on rates, rooms, and nearby sightseeing attractions for hotels throughout the world. Finally, by analyzing the usage data from the World Wide Web site, hotels can learn more about consumer preferences (Bartolacci, 1996).

Obstacles of Internet Marketing and E-commerce

Previous literature has discussed the barriers and disadvantages to Internet marketing (Jannet, 1996). There remain some barriers and disadvantages that may lead managers to decide against the use of Internet marketing. The first barrier identified is the relatively small number of consumers reached over the Internet in comparison to other advertising media. The number of businesses and homes equipped for interactive marketing is still small. The second barrier is the impersonality of Internet business. Brand name recognition among consumers demands that the relationship between businesses and consumers exists long before and after the sale.

The third barrier is that security and privacy is a major concern. There are two security weaknesses inherent in the current infrastructure of the Internet (Everett, 1988). First, the Internet network of high-speed telecommunication lines (Internet backbone) may have problems with one or more of its telecommunication lines breaking, thus, Internet services can be disrupted. Second, because messages and information pass from host to host, they are susceptible to interception and being recorded. There is virtually no law that prevents any Internet service provider (ISPs) from observing, recording, selling, or giving away any information that passes through host computers.

There are various Internet security tools that can help organizations protect their information (Everett, 1998). The most common security technology for credit card transactions is a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) a type of encryption package that makes language passing through the Internet indecipherable. Unfortunately, according to Furger (1 998), half of all e-commerce sites don't use encryption to protect customers.

The Way of Payment in E-commerce

To protect the consumer's financial and security information, Internet sellers are using a variety of payment methods. Today, there are three ways a consumer can make a payment after purchasing a product from the Internet. First, a consumer can check product information and then enter the credit card information on the Internet. Although this is a simple and easy way to purchase products, many people hesitate to use this method for security reasons. Second, a consumer can check product information and then call the company directly and charge the product to a credit card. Third, a consumer can check product information on the Internet and then mail the company a check.

METHODOLOGY

The primary purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceptions of college students on the uses and successes/failures of Internet purchasing and the concept of electronic commerce. To answer research questions one, two and three, several null hypotheses have been derived:

H1: Students spend the same amount of time in a) purchasing products; b) checking product information, or c) checking a company's general information (such as company service information, warranty, or discounts) ([H.sub.o]: [[mu].sub.1] = [[mu].sub.2] = [[mu].sub.3]).

This hypothesis is used to answer research question one: what are the primary functions of college students in using Internet for purchasing products or services? Jannet (1996) suggests that Internet marketing has three different functions (as listed in hypothesis 1). Hypothesis one attempts to determine which function is the most influential to students in purchasing on the Internet.

H2: There is no difference in the type of payment method used by students when ordering products from the Internet ([H.sub.o]: [p.sub.1] = [p.sub.2] = [p.sub.3]). The three ways for consumers to purchase products on the Internet are: a) a consumer can check product information and then enter the credit card information on the Internet; b) a consumer can check product information and then call the company directly and charge the product to a credit card; or c) a consumer can check product information on the Internet and then mail the company a check.

Hypothesis two answers the research questions: What are the obstacles to consumer purchasing on the Internet? Is security a primary concern as suggested in the literature? Can different payments be used to avoid the security problems?

H3: The degree of enhancement of consumer perception from using different presentation format of Internet marketing (i.e., text descriptions, photos/pictures and video clip) are the same ([H.sub.o]: [p.sub.t] = [p.sub.h] = [p.sub.y]).

Hypothesis three is used to answer the research question: which presentation format (hypertext, audio, or video form) in Internet marketing is the most persuasive to consumers? The other research questions: how often do college students use the Internet? how long do college students use the Internet per week (e.g., checking product information)? what products are popular in Internet purchasing and communications? what are the characteristics of the students who use the Internet to purchase products and services? will be answered using a descriptive analysis from the survey.

A survey questionnaire was administered to test hypotheses Hl to H3. The survey was administered in various business classes. The Friedman test, a nonparametric test procedure was used for hypothesis Hl because ordinary data was collected from the survey. The chi-square ([X.sup.2]) test was also used to test hypotheses H2 and H3 for equal proportion. The data was coded and analyzed using SPSS/PC+.

RESULTS AND DATA ANALYSIS

Procedures

The subjects are business undergraduate students from three different universities in three different states: Texas (Central Area), Georgia (Eastern Area), and Washington (Western Area). From July to December 1998, two hundred and one students in eight different classes, from freshman to senior level, were randomly chosen for the survey. Two non-usable questionnaires reduced the sample size to one hundred and ninety-nine for a response rate of 99%. Seven-three percent of the students are from age 18 to 25. Twenty-six percent of the students are above age 25. Twenty-two percent of incomes are between $10,000 to $17,500, fifteen percent of incomes are between $17,500 to $35,000, and eleven percent of incomes are above $35,000. The income levels are fairly equally distributed. When asked about the knowledge level of computers, fifty-six percent of the participants ranked themselves 3 on a scale of 1 to 5. The remaining participants are evenly distributed throughout the (1-5) Likert scale.

Results

Research Question One

Various questions were asked concerning the purposes of using the Internet for purchasing products or services. Table 1 shows the percentage of students using the Internet for purchasing, checking product information, or company information.

The Friedman test was used to test the Hypothesis 1, which states that students spend the same amount of time in a) purchasing products; b) checking product information, or c) checking a company's general information ([H.sub.o]: [[mu].sub.1] = [[mu].sub.2] = [[mu].sub.3]). The assigned values 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 were used to code the data for never, rarely, sometimes, often, and very often, respectively. The Friedman test is used to compare two or more related samples. In Table 2, the mean ranks for the functions of the Internet are calculated and compared, resulting in a test statistic with an approximate chi-square distribution of 122.781. The critical value of the chi-square table at the probability level of .05 with 2 degree of freedom is 5.991. Thus, the null hypothesis is rejected because 122.781 is much greater than 5.991.

Research Question Two

Table 3 indicates that consumers (students) prefer to check the product information and then mail a check to the company. Table 3 also shows the chi square test results for different payment methods. To test the Hypothesis 2, which states that there is no difference in the type of payment method used by students when ordering products from the Internet ([H.sub.o]: [p.sub.1] = [P.sub.2] = [P.sub.3]), we have used the chi-square test for proportion. In the chi-square test, the observed frequency and expected frequency are compared. In Table 3, the chi-square is 7.824. The critical value of chi-square table at the probability level of .05 with 2 degree of freedom is 5.991. Thus, the null hypothesis is rejected because 7.824 is greater than 5.991.

Table 4 shows the major reasons people will not buy from the Internet. These findings support the literature which suggests that security is a major concern when purchasing products or services on the Internet. In the survey, students were then asked if they would buy from the Internet if security were improved. The results suggests that if security were improved on the Internet, nineteen percent of participants say they would definitely buy from the Internet and twenty-five percent of participants say they probably would buy from the Internet.

Research Question Three

The study indicates that thirty-five percent of the students do not purchase from the Internet because they can not see or feel the product. Thirty-nine percent of the students do not want to purchase a product from the Internet because of the inability to judge the product based on the information provided from the Internet. One way to improve this is to use a multimedia format in Internet marketing. Multimedia refers to using images, pictures, or video forms so consumers can see the product. Table 5 indicates the results of what form of product advertising on the Internet is most appealing to participants.

Table 5 also shows the chi-square test results for different presentation forms of on-line advertising. To test Hypothesis 3 which states that consumers don't perceive a difference in the form of presentation methods used by web sites ([H.sub.o]: [p.sub.t] = [p.sub.h] = [p.sub.v]), chi square was used to test whether there is an equal proportion among each method. In Table 5, the chi-square is 115.552. The critical value at the probability level of .05 with 2 degree of freedom is 5.991. Thus, the null hypothesis is rejected because 115.552 is much greater than 5.991.

Research Question Four

Table 6 shows how often the participants use the Internet. About twenty percent of participants use the Internet one or two times per week. About twenty-six percent of participants use the Internet three to five times per week and thirty-five percent of participants use the Internet more than five times per week.

Table 7 indicates the amount of time students use the Internet. About fifty percent of the students indicated that they use the Internet anywhere from one to five hours per day. Nineteen percent of students indicated that they use the Internet between six and ten hours, and nine percent of students indicated that they use the Internet for more than ten hours per day.

Research Question Five

Table 8 shows the products/services students actively seek information about on the Internet. Automobile information, books, and financial services are the product or service areas from which college students most actively seek information.

Research Question Six

Research question six investigates the characteristics of students who purchase products/services on the Internet. In this study, students have been divided into two different groups: a) the student who sometimes, often, and very often purchases products/services, and b) the student who never or rarely purchases products/service on the Internet.

Table 9 indicates the characteristics of these two different groups in terms of gender, age, marital status, income level, a computer at home, and computer knowledge. A multiple discriminant analysis was conducted to describe the relative weight of each characteristic of students who sometimes, often, and very often purchase on-line. The standardized discriminant function coefficients are shown in Table 10. We can clearly tell that income level, Internet access at home, computer knowledge, martial status, and employment are important characteristics to determine whether a person who will tend to use on-line purchasing. Age and gender may not have a strong relationship with on-line purchasing. By eliminating age and gender, a linear regression model can be used to calculate a standard weight:

Z = 0. 575 * [X.sub.1] + 0. 459 * [X.sub.2] + 0.326 * [X.sub.3] + 0.317 * [X.sub.4] + 0.225 x [X.sub.5]

Where

Z: Standard weight of on-line purchasing

[X.sub.1]: Income levels (five levels, 1-5)

[X.sub.2]: Internet Access at Home (yes=2 or no=l)

[X.sub.3]: Marital Status (single=l, married=2, or divorced=3)

[X.sub.4]: Computer Knowledge (five levels, 1-5)

[X.sub.5]: Employment (yes=2 or no=l)

We can use this model to calculate the probability of whether a student will purchase on-line. If the Z score of a student is zero, there is 50-50 probability that a student will purchase on-line. If Z is negative, there is less than a 50 percent probability that a student will purchase on-line (Zikmund, 1997). The related statistics of the model are shown on Table 11.

CONCLUSIONS

Eighty percent of the students responding to the survey use the Internet at least one time per week. Moreover, seventy-seven percent of the students spend at least one hour per week on the Internet. College students tend to use the Internet to check product information and check general information on a company more than to actually purchase a product. When purchasing a product, however, the students indicated that they prefer to check the product information and then mail a check to the company as opposed to using a credit card. This indicates that students are still concerned about giving their credit card number on the Internet. In fact, students indicated that they will not buy from the Internet because of a lack of security. Moreover, they do not buy from the Internet because of the inability to judge the product, and the inability to see or feel the product.

When seeking information about product and services, students most frequently seek information about automobiles, books, and financial services. When purchasing from the Internet, students believe that photos and pictures about the product are the most influential form of product advertising. Finally, students who make purchases on the Internet usually have more computer knowledge than those who never purchase from the Internet.

The main limitation in this study is that the subjects are students who may have limited income. Students, however, may spend more time on the Internet than other types of respondents. For future research, a study could be conducted on alumni, faculty or business men and women to see if their responses are similar to the sample used in this study.

APPENDIX C

THE QUESTIONNAIRE INTERNET USE SURVEY

This study is designed to obtain information about Internet use for a research project. This survey is completely confidential and is not used for any commercial purpose. You do not have to place your name on the questionnaire.

Thank you.

1. How often do you use the Internet (average)?

--None

--3-5 times a week

--Occasionally or l-2 times per month

--More than 5 times a week.

--1-2 times a week

2. How many hours do you use the Internet (average) per week?

--less than 1 hour

--1 hour to 5 hours

--6-10 hours

--more than 10 hours

3. Which application(s) do you use most on the Internet? (check one or more)

--E-mail

--Ftp

--World Wide Web

--IRC

--Newsgroups

--Other

--Gopher

--Telnet

4. For which purpose(s) do you use the Internet? (check one or more)

--Fun

--Non-commercial Information (Research)

--Job search

--Education

--Other

--Purchasing

--Commercial Information

--E-mail

5. Do you use the Internet to check product information?

--Never

--Rarely

--Sometimes

--Often

--Very Often

6. Do you use the Internet to check general information about a company (address, telephone, help line)?

--Never

--Rarely

--Sometimes

--Often

--Very Often

7. Have you purchased a product through the Internet?

--Never

--Rarely

--Sometimes

--Often

--Very Often

8. What kinds of products do you purchase from the Internet? (rank them if there are two or more)?

--computer products

--movie on the Internet)

--electronics

--Others

--books

--entertainment (rent a

9. What are the major reasons you would NOT buy through the Internet? (check one or more)

--Lack of security

--Do not have an Internet connection

--Frequent interruption of communication

--Can't see or feel the product

--Expensive

--Inability to judge the product

--The speed of the Internet is too slow

--Knocked/kicked off line

--Other

10. How would you rank the effectiveness of advertising in various media, using "l for ,'most effective," "2" for "second most effective," and so forth:

--TV

--Mail

--Radio

--Thrifty Nickel

--Internet

--Newspaper

--Other

--Magazine

11. If you purchase from the Internet, which way do you prefer?

--Check product information, then call them to charge it to a credit card

--Check product information, then mail them a check

--Check product information, then enter your credit card information on the Internet

12. If security were improved on the Internet, you: (check one)

--definitely would buy

--probably would not buy

--probably would buy

--definitely would not buy

--may or may not buy

13. What do you do when an advertisement comes on the Internet?

--read it

--quit/ press "no thanks" button

--ignore it

--leave the Internet

--change the screen

--Other

14. Does it irritate you that too much advertising comes over the Internet?

--Never

--Rarely

--Sometimes

--Often

--Very Often

15. What forms of product advertising on the Internet appeal to you most?

--text descriptions

--photos/pictures about the product

--video clips (i.e. movie shows about the product)

16. Which aspects of Internet advertising are most annoying to you? Use 1 for "most annoying," "2" for "second most annoying," and so forth:

--interrupts my search

--pop-up" ads

--ads having no "quit" buttons

--other:--

17. For what purpose do you use Internet advertising? Use "l" for "most frequent," "2" for "second most frequent," and so forth:

price comparison seasonal sales determine availability convenience/reduce travel size/color/style product information other:

18. For which products/services do you actively seek advertising on the Internet?

--financial services

--real estate

--books

--other:--

--automobile information

--housewares /groceries

--services--

19. What is your age?

-- Under 17

--18-25

--26-40

--41-55

--55 or more

20. What is your gender?

--Male

--Female

21. What is your marital status?

--Single

--Married

--Divorced

22. Are you presently employed?

--Yes

--No

23. What is your income level?

--Less than 10,000

--$17,500 to $27,000

--$35,000 to $50,000

--.$75,000 to $125,000

--$10,000 to $17,500

--$27,000 to $35,000

--$50,000 to $75,000

--$125,000 or more

24. What is your knowledge level of computers? (On a scale of 1 to 5 , with "5" being expert's level, "1" equivalent to a beginner's level) Please circle

Beginner's Level

1

2

3

4

5

Expert's Level

25. Where do you have Internet access?

--Home

--Work

--School

--Other:--

26. My class is:--

My major is:--

I sincerely appreciate your time and effort in completing this questionnaire. Thank you for your help.

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Everett, J. (1988). Internet Security, Employee Benefits Journal, 23(3), September.

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McKeown, P. G. & R. T. Watson. (1997). Metamorphosis: A guide to the world wide web & electronic commerce, New York: John Wiley.

Tetzeli, R. (1994). The INTERNET and your business, Fortune, March 7.

Ullman, D. A., S. Williams & J. Emal. (1996). Using technology to stimulate rural economic development activity: Nebraska's community internet navigator program, Economic Development Review, 14 (1), Winter, 14-15.

Verity, J. W. & R. D. Hof. (1994). The internet: How it will change the way you do business, Business Week, November 14.

Vernon, M. C. (1996). Web servers plus internet access plus UPS systems equals new profit opportunity, Computer Technology Review, Winter/Spring, 20-23.

Zikmund, W. G.(1997). Business Research Methods, 5th Edition, Fort Worth, TX: The Dryden Press, 662-668.

Huei Lee, Lamar University

Bradley Mayer, Lamar University

Jiaqin Yang, Georgia College & State University

Kuo-Lane Chen, University of Texas--Houston

Chris Lee, Central Washington University Table 1 The Frequency Information for the Use of Internet in Consumer Purchasing or Information Never Rarely Sometimes Check Product Information 45 54 69 22.6% 27.1% 34.7% Check a Company's General 54 40 71 Information 27.1% 20.1% 35.7% Purchase Products 143 19 28 71.9% 9.5% 14.1% Often Very Often Total Check Product Information 28 3 199 14.1% 1.5% 100% Check a Company's General 30 4 199 Information 15.1% 2.0% 100% Purchase Products 8 3 199 3% 1.5% 100% Table 2 Friedman Test in Comparison of Different Functions of Internet Use of the Internet Mean Rank N = 199 Check Product Information 2.29 Chi-Square = 122.781 Check General Information 2.22 df = 2 Purchase Products 1.49 Asymp. Sig. 0.00 Table 3 Chi-Square for the Preferred Payment Method for Purchasing from the Internet Method Observed Expected Frequency Frequency Check product information, 42 45.3 N = 136 then call them to charge it to a credit card Chi-Square = 7.824 Check product information, 60 45.3 df = 2 then mail them a check Asymp. Sig. = 0.020 Check product information, 34 45.3 then enter your credit card information on the Internet Total 136 Table 4 The Major Reasons People Will Not Buy From The Internet Reasons Frequency Percentage Lack of security 134 67.30% Inability to judge the product 77 38.70% Can't see or feel the product 70 35.20% Expensive 15 7.50% Do not have an Internet connection 12 6% Knocked/kicked off line 8 4% Frequent interrupt of communications 6 3% The speed of Internet is too slow 2 1% Table 5 What form of product advertising on the Internet appeal to you most? Presentation Form Observed Percentage Expected Frequency Frequency Text description 12 6% 58 Photos/pictures about the product 123 61% 58 Video clips 39 19.6% 58 Missing Data 25 12.6% Total 199 100.0% Presentation Form Text description Chi-Square = 115.552 Photos/pictures about the product Video clips df = 2 Missing Data Total Asymp. Sig. = 0 Table 6 How Often College Students Use the Internet Frequency Percentage None 6 3% Occasionally (1-2 times a month) 34 17.10% 1-2 times a week 39 19.60% 3-5 times a week 51 25.60% More than 5 times a week 69 34.70% Total 199 100.00% Table 7 How Long College Students Use the Internet Time Frequency Percentage Less than 1 hour 45 22.60% 1 hour to 5 hours 99 49.70% 6-1 0 hours 38 19.10% More than 10 hours 17 8.50% Total 199 100.00% Table 8 The Product/Services Students Actively Seek Information About On The Internet Product/Service Frequency Percentage Automobile Information 82 41.20% Books 61 30.70% Financial Service 60 30.20% Real Estate 37 18.60% Housewares/Groceries 24 12.10% Other 40 20.10% Table 9 Students Purchase Products/Service vs. Students Do Not Purchase on the Internet Factor Factor Level Never or At least rarely sometimes purchase on purchase on the Internet the Internet Gender Male 86 20 Female 72 17 Age 18-25 76 10 25-40 14 9 40-55 8 1 Marital Status Single 128 18 Married 26 17 Divorced 3 2 Employed Yes 107 27 No 50 10 Computer Knowledge 1 (Beginner) 2 2 25 2 3 94 18 4 32 14 5 (Expert) 4 3 Internet Access Yes 34 22 at Home No 93 3 Table 10 Standardized Discriminant Function Coefficients Factor Score Age -0.03579 Martial Status 0.318278 Income Level 0.594631 Computer Knowledge 0.331630 Internet Access at Home 0.458582 Gender 0.067267 Employed 0.232155 Table 11 The Summary of the Multiple Discriminant Model Analysis Case Processing Summary Analysis Case Processing Summary Unweighted Cases N Percent Valid 170 85.4 Excluded Missing or out-of-range group 0 .0 codes At least one missing 29 14.6 discriminating variable Both missing or out-of-range group 0 0 codes and at least one missing discriminating variable Total 29 14.6 Total 199 100.0 Wilks'Lambda Test of Function(s) Wilks' Lambda Chi-square df Significance 1 .784 40.319 5 .000 Standardized Canonical Discriminant Function Coefficients Factor Score Marital Status 0.317 Income Level 0.575 Computer Knowledge 0.326 Internet Access at Home 0.459 Employment 0.225 Structure Matrix Factor Score Marital Status 0.741 Income Level 0.581 Computer Knowledge 0.538 Internet Access at Home Employment 0.039 Pooled within-groups correlation's between discriminating variables and standardized canonical discriminant functions. Variables ordered by absolute size of correlation within function. Group Centroids Purchase: No -0.26106 Purchase: Yes 1.04425 (1.) Note: No = Never or rarely purchase; Yes = At least sometimes purchase on the Internet. (2.) Unstandarized canonical discriminant functions evaluated at group means