A Study on Internet Usage Pattern with Special Reference to B2C E-Commerce in Rajasthan

Internet shopping in a developing nation such as India is still a nascent activity, hence analyzing the usage pattern of Internet is extremely important to understand the present status of Internet usage as a buying medium; particularly in state like Rajasthan, where this phenomenon has yet to gain momentum. It can be emphasized that the Internet usage pattern holds great significance for e-marketers in order to plan online interactions with potential customers. The place of access of Internet or the number of hours spent on Internet can determine the likelihood of an individual for online transaction. It also helps the marketers to devise a marketing strategy that suits the requirements of Internet users who are the ultimate prospects as online buyers. The online shopping process involves several activities ranging from information search to making payments. However in case of Internet shopping the nature of all these activities differs from offline buying, since availability of information sources is vast and free or at a very low cost. Thus, an attempt has been made in this study to understand the behavior and preferences of Internet buyers in terms of their Internet usage