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ISSN 2063-5346
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A study on the Adoption Intention of Online Pharmacies in India using modified UTAUT Model

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Joy Chatterjee,Dr. Sanjeev Saraswat,Dr. Subhrendu Guha Neogi,
» doi: 10.48047/ecb/2023.12.10.245

Abstract

In recent years, the availability of low-cost, high-speed internet on mobile devices has encouraged people to conduct various activities online, including socializing, conducting business, and shopping. COVID-19 pandemic expedites the development of digital technologies and in the post-COVID era the use of online platforms are increasing day-by-day and in case of online purchase of medicines lots of companies started providing these services in India. Online pharmacies are e-commerce sites that sell medications online. They provide convenience and anonymity and are simple for customers to evaluate prices and product reviews before purchasing medicines. However, they have their limitations, for instance, customers' personal information may be collected, and the website may offer health goods with false claims and unapproved and illegal medicines. To understand the factors that affect consumers’ behavioral and purchase intention from online pharmacies by conducting a quantitative study in eastern India. Therefore, this study carried out the exploratory investigation of the factors influencing the adoption intention of consumers to adopt online purchases of Medicines from Online Pharmacies using the modified UTAUT (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology) framework. A modified UTAUT model was used to investigate five determinants related to adoption intention: perceived trust, perceived risk, perceived ease of use, performance expectancy, and social influence. A survey method was adopted, wherein a Google Docs questionnaire was distributed among people in West Bengal and 600 survey responses were collected. The responses were statistically analyzed. The adoption intention of online pharmacies was significantly influenced by performance expectancy, perceived ease of use, perceived risk, and perceived trust. Social influence, however, had no significant influence on adoption intention. Our study reveals that performance expectancy, perceived ease of use, and perceived trust motivate people to purchase medicines online, while the perceived risk is a negative influencer of adoption intention. Social influence does not affect people’s intention to use online pharmacies.

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