Exploratory Insights into Cross-Cultural On-line Shopping Differences between U.S. and French Millennials and Generation Zs
Steven Cox received his Ph.D. in business from the University of Nebraska. After teaching for two years at Virginia Tech, he left teaching to pursue a career in industry. During his career, he worked for AT&T, GE, EOSAT, and Orbital Sciences in various domestic and international marketing and sales positions. While at EOSAT and Orbital Sciences he was responsible for the international marketing of satellite remote sensing data products. He was also the owner and CEO of Laser Scan Inc., a GIS software and production company. He is currently a professor of marketing at Queens University of Charlotte where he has written and published numerous articles and cases on marketing and ethics.
Bradley W. Brooks received his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina. Currently a professor of marketing at Queens University of Charlotte, Dr. Brooks has published marketing cases in a variety of case journals. He has also published academic articles in journals such as Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice and Industrial Marketing Management and has published articles in practitioner journals such as Risk Management Association Journal.
Abstract
Online retail sales have shown double-digit growth in the U.S. for the last decade lead by millennials and more recently generation Z. While extensive research has been done exploring U.S. online shopping behaviors of these generations, little cross-cultural work has been done. This paper explores the differences between the U.S. and French millennial and gen z online shoppers. The research focused on four questions; was there a difference in the number of times per week that individuals shopped online, the percentage of shopping funds spent online versus in store, the types of products purchased online, and the percentage of low priced products (below $25 or €25. Results showed significant differences between the online shopping and purchasing behaviors between French and U.S. online shoppers.
