CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.0 Introduction
This chapter will provide an overview of how the research is conducted to achieve the stated objectives. In more detail, it discusses every component involved in conducting the research from research design, research approach, procedures for sampling, target population, data collection techniques and methods, measurement of variables, and data analysis technique.
3.1 Research Design
In this study, it employed a quantitative method on the factors influencing usage behaviour, experience response, and cross-category usage of fashion goods among mobile users in Malaysia. The quantitative method provides the fundamental link between empirical investigation of phenomena and mathematical expression of quantitative relations through statistics and the processing of numerical data ( Basias, N., Pollalis, Y., 2018). Moreover, it utilizes correlational study which is used to clarify the cause and effect relationship(correlations) between variables and test the theory that includes independent variables (IV), dependent variables (DV) as well as mediator variables (transmitters) (Kothari, 2004). This research also is deemed to be a cross-sectional study which allows researchers to collect data and evaluate various variable at a single point in time (Setia, 2016). It enables researchers to examine the correlation that influences the purchase decision of present mobile users on fashion goods via mobile devices at the present moment. Besides, this method of study brings several advantages as being relatively inexpensive and taking less amount of time to conduct data collection. It was being done through survey questionnaires to collect the data from a sample of the target population who are the mobile users that have a purchasing experience on fashion goods through mobile devices. The rationale for using the survey questionnaire method is to understand what mobile users think about fashion goods when purchasing through mobile devices and how does it affect them psychologically.
3.2 Population, Sample and Sampling Procedures
In this study, Malaysian mobile device users are selected as the target population. Wong, Tan, Ooi, and Lin (2015) commented that consumers in Malaysia had adopted smartphones to purchase products and services (Wong et al., 2015). With a fair balance major ethics of Malaysian such as Malay, Chinese and Indians, this would give balanced characteristics presentational of the gender, age and ethnicity of the general population in Malaysia which are relevant to this context of the study (Ooi, K.-B., & Tan, G. W.-H., 2016). The population chosen must have prior knowledge of the functionality of mobile technology as well as having experiences of mobile shopping.
In view of the broad population base, there is a lack of census or readily available data of appropriate respondents’ name list for this study. Thus, an accurate sampling frame for the population is challenging to obtain. On this account, sampling methods are ideal to be utilized in this study with the time and budget constraints as well as the impracticability to survey the large population size (Fowler, 2014). Therefore, a non- probability sampling method is applied in this study. As such, a convenience-sampling procedure is adopted to control the potential data quality issues (Turan, M., & Kara, A. , 2018). This is further backed by the recognition that convenience sampling is widely used in m-commerce-based studies such as mobile entertainment (Leong, L.Y., Ooi, K.B., Chong, A.Y.L. and Lin, B., 2013), mobile music (Sim, J.J., Tan, G.W.H., Wong, J.C.J., Ooi, K.B. and Hew, T.S. , 2014), mobile applications (Mahatanankoon, P., Wen, H.J. and Lim, B.B. , 2006), and mobile commerce (Yang, 2005). Convenience sampling tends to overcome many of the limitations associated with research as selecting the participants who often readily and easily available (Taherdoost, 2016).
Questionnaires distribution was targeted to the consumers in the shopping malls whereby, every participant who set foot in the shopping malls were approached and inquired to complete the questionnaires voluntarily. The whole 400 questionnaires were handed out to the respondents. Prior to answering the surveys, prospective respondents were first queried if they have any experience using mobile devices for online shopping. Upon agreement, respondents were voluntarily complete the questionnaire given. A short briefing was given to participants on the purpose of this study and guaranteed anonymity. As such, personal information such as name, age, gender, and phone number was excluded to avoid response bias. Subsequently, respondents were briefed on the terminology and definitions adopted in the questionnaires whereby, all the definitions were clearly stated on the cover letter for respondents’ reference. Throughout the whole session, researchers were always ready to give respondents instant clarifications once respondents queried regarding the questionnaires. Therefore, this would help to eliminate the possibility of respondents’ filling out the questions without accurately understanding the content of the questionnaire. There is no specific limit of time durations required to complete the entire surveys, whereas, it ought to collect back as soon as the respondents completed every session.
In line with the Department of Statistics Malaysia in Official Portal (2020), Malaysian’s population is estimated up to 32.7 million by taking accounts into births (fertility), deaths (mortality) and migration components. According toInvalid source specified., there is a formula created for determining the sample size in the form of a table which shown in Table 3.1. Thus, this study’s appropriate sample size is 384 respondents which serves as the maximum sample size in the table.
Table 3.1: Table for Determining Sample Size from a Given Population
Source: Krejcie and Morgan 1970
3.3 Data Collection Method
This research aims to investigate the factors that influencing usage behaviour, experience response and cross-category usage of fashion goods among mobile users in Malaysia. Hence, a structured response format is utilized in constructing survey questionnaires. A series of closed-ended types of questions with single- and multi-option variables, in relation to the content of study, were included in the questionnaires. The advantage of applying structured survey is to reach a large number of respondents within a short period, assure a high response rate as well as allowing respondents to be anonymous (Mitchell & Jolley, 2012).
An online-based survey was conducted between June and July 2020 in Klang Valley areas to validate the research model. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia of Official Portal (2019), 97.9 per cent of Malaysian were using mobile phones in 2018 compared to 97.7 per cent in 2017 meanwhile, Malaysia 62 per cent of mobile users utilize their devices to shop online. Thus, being the capital city of Malaysia, Klang Valley was chosen as this area encompasses a high population density with about 1/5 of Malaysian’s total population (Pan, V. Q., Chew, P. Q., Cheah, A. S. G., Wong, C. H., &Tan, G. W. H., 2015). Klang Valley’s residents are selected due to the university’s population comprises of diverse ethnics, cultures, and religions background to reflect the context of Malaysia.
Though online survey questionnaires, a significant number of responses can be obtained in a short period without any geographical barrier and yet, more flexibility and accuracy for the data collected. With the access of the Internet, prospective respondents can be reached virtually anywhere and at any time (Evans, J. R., & Mathur, A., 2018). In addition, the use of virtual sampling and online questionnaire increased the response rate better than traditional snowball techniques as it could expedite the identification of hard–to–reach individuals (Akbulut, 2015).
This research was carried out through sending the online-based survey questionnaires to the researcher’s family and peers who live in Klang Valley based on the convenience sampling. A Google Form was set up as the online survey questionnaire, which consists of a collection of questions to investigate Malaysian’s usage intention of purchasing fashion goods using mobile devices. Several online platforms such as WhatsApp, WeChat, Facebook Messenger, and emails are served as tools to collect the data of survey questionnaire upon the consent of respondents. This survey was mainly targeted on active mobile users among Klang Valley’s residents to increase the relevancy of the study.
3.4 Variables and Measurement
The definitions of every construct used in this study were adapted from various sources, as shown in Table 3.2.
Table 3.2 Definitions and Sources of Variables Used
| Constructs | Definitions | Sources |
| Time- oriented | The degree of an individual’s time consumed on purchasing fashion goods online by utilizing mobile devices. | Adapted from Mohamed, Hussein, Hidayah, and Haghshenas (2014); Kim, Cho, and Rao (2000) |
| Net- oriented | The degree of an individual’s time spent online towards fashion goods by utilizing mobile devices. | Adapted from Mohamed, Hussein, Hidayah, and Haghshenas (2014); Kim, Cho, and Rao (2000) |
| Price- oriented | The degree of an individual’s price sensitivity towards fashion goods by utilizing mobile devices. | Adapted from Mohamed, Hussein, Hidayah, and Haghshenas (2014); Kim, Cho, and Rao (2000) |
| Mobile Usefulness | The degree of performance enhancement perceived by an individual in utilizing mobile devices. | Adapted from Ooi and Tan (2016); Davis (1989) |
| Mobile Ease of Use | The degree of effortlessness perceived by an individual in learning and utilizing mobile devices. | Adapted from Ooi and Tan (2016); Davis (1989) |
| Usage Intention | The degree of an individual’s readiness in accepting and utilizing mobile devices to purchase fashion goods online. | Adapted from Hubert, Blut, Brock, Backhaus, and Eberhardt, T. (2017); Sim, Tan, Wong, Ooi, and Hew (2014) |
| Usage Behaviour | The degree of performance in a specific mobile shopping situation on fashion goods. | Adapted from Hubert, Blut, Brock, Backhaus, and Eberhardt, T. (2017) |
| Experience Response | The degree of an individual’s favourability to purchase fashion goods online by utilizing mobile devices. | Adapted from Hubert, Blut, Brock, Backhaus, and Eberhardt, T. (2017); Kim, Malhotra (2005) |
| Cross- category usage | The degree of an individual’s intention to purchase other product categories online by utilizing mobile devices. | Adapted from Hubert, Blut, Brock, Backhaus, and Eberhardt, T. (2017) |
Source: Developed for the research
This study’s survey comprises of thirty- six items with four items for each construct. Items for all constructs were adapted from various sources as shown in Table 3.3.
Table 3.3: Sources of Questionnaire Items
| Variables | No. of items | Sources |
| Exogenous Variables | ||
| Time- oriented | 4 | Adapted from Mohamed, Hussein, Hidayah, and Haghshenas (2014); Kim, Cho, and Rao (2000) |
| Net- oriented | 4 | Adapted from Mohamed, Hussein, Hidayah, and Haghshenas (2014); Kim, Cho, and Rao (2000) |
| Price- oriented | 4 | Adapted from Mohamed, Hussein, Hidayah, and Haghshenas (2014); Kim, Cho, and Rao (2000) |
| Mobile Usefulness | 4 | Adapted from Ooi and Tan (2016) |
| Mobile Ease of Use | 4 | Adapted from Ooi and Tan (2016); Liébana-Cabanillas, Marinkovic, Ramos-de-Luna and Kalinic (2017) |
| Usage Intention | 4 | Adapted from Escobar-Rodríguez, T., & Bonsón-Fernández, R. (2016); Hur, H. J., Lee, H. K., & Choo, H. J. (2017) |
| Usage Behaviour | 4 | Adapted from Groß, M. (2014) |
| Experience response | 4 | Adapted from Hubert, M., Blut, M., Brock, C., Backhaus, C., & Eberhardt, T. (2017) |
| Cross- category usage | 4 | Adapted from Hubert, M., Blut, M., Brock, C., Backhaus, C., & Eberhardt, T. (2017) |
References
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Appendix B
Variables & Measurement
| Variables | No. of items | Description of items | Measurement | Sources |
| Independent Variables | ||||
| Time- oriented | 4 | I prefer an efficient way by using mobile devices to make a purchase of fashion goods on the Internet. | Interval 7-point Likert scale (1) = strongly disagree; (2) = disagree; (3) = slightly disagree (4) = neutral; (5) = slightly agree (6) = agree (7) = strongly agree | Adapted from Mohamed, Hussein, Hidayah, and Haghshenas (2014); Kim, Cho, and Rao (2000) |
| I like to purchase fashion goods on the Internet for time- saving purpose. | ||||
| I will spend lots of time in searching for favourable fashion goods or online retailers. | ||||
| I used to shop online on my own schedule. | ||||
| Net- oriented | 4 | I use the Internet frequently. | Interval 7-point Likert scale (1) = strongly disagree; (2) = disagree; (3) = slightly disagree (4) = neutral; (5) = slightly agree (6) = agree (7) = strongly agree | Adapted from Mohamed, Hussein, Hidayah, and Haghshenas (2014); Kim, Cho, and Rao (2000) |
| I spend lots of time using Internet which becomes part of my life. | ||||
| I am equipped with advanced Internet- related skill. | ||||
| It is a must for me to access the Internet every day in performing my work/ studies. | ||||
| Price- oriented | 4 | I purchase fashion goods from online retailers due to the cheaper prices. | Interval 7-point Likert scale (1) = strongly disagree; (2) = disagree; (3) = slightly disagree (4) = neutral; (5) = slightly agree (6) = agree (7) = strongly agree | Adapted from Mohamed, Hussein, Hidayah, and Haghshenas (2014); Kim, Cho, and Rao (2000) |
| I will purchase more than usual when special rewards or discounts are offered on fashion goods. | ||||
| I tend to buy fashion goods with the online retailer who offers free shipping fees. | ||||
| Overall, I am satisfied with the online retailer’s price towards fashion goods. | ||||
| Mobile Usefulness | 4 | Using a mobile device to purchase fashion goods online will increase my productivity/ performance. | Interval 7-point Likert scale (1) = strongly disagree; (2) = disagree; (3) = slightly disagree (4) = neutral; (5) = slightly agree (6) = agree (7) = strongly agree | Adapted from Ooi and Tan (2016); |
| Using a mobile device to purchase fashion goods will enhance my effectiveness when online shopping. | ||||
| Using a mobile device easier the process of searching fashion goods that I want to. | ||||
| Using mobile devices to shop online is much advantageous for me. | ||||
| Mobile Ease of Use | 4 | Learning to use mobile devices to shop online fashion goods will be easy for me. | Interval 7-point Likert scale (1) = strongly disagree; (2) = disagree; (3) = slightly disagree (4) = neutral; (5) = slightly agree (6) = agree (7) = strongly agree | Adapted from Ooi and Tan (2016); Liébana-Cabanillas, Marinkovic, Ramos-de-Luna and Kalinic (2017) |
| Using a mobile device to shop online will not require a lot of mental effort. | ||||
| It will be easy for me to become skilful for mobile shopping. | ||||
| I find it is easy for me to follow all the steps to use a mobile device for online shopping. | ||||
| Usage intention | 4 | I have the intention to purchase fashion goods through mobile devices. | Interval 7-points Likert scale (1) = strongly disagree; (2) = disagree; (3) = slightly disagree (4) = neutral; (5) = slightly agree (6) = agree (7) = strongly agree | Adapted from Escobar-Rodríguez, T., & Bonsón-Fernández, R. (2016); Hur, H. J., Lee, H. K., & Choo, H. J. (2017) |
| I have the intention to continue purchasing fashion goods through mobile devices in the future. | ||||
| I expect to purchase fashion goods through mobile devices in the near future. | ||||
| I have the intention to recommend mobile shopping on fashion goods to others. | ||||
| Dependent variables | ||||
| Usage behaviour | 4 | In the past six months, I have engaged in mobile shopping activities to make personal purchases. | Interval 7-points Likert scale (1) =strongly disagree; (2) = disagree; (3) = slightly disagree (4) = neutral; (5) = slightly agree (6) = agree (7) = strongly agree | Adapted from Groß, M. (2014) |
| In the past six months, I have engaged in mobile shopping in order to purchase fashion goods. | ||||
| In the past six months, I have engaged in mobile shopping activities to purchase fashion goods from different vendors. | ||||
| In the past six months, I have used different kinds of mobile shopping services to purchase fashion goods. | ||||
| Experience response | 4 | The purchasing fashion goods experiences made me feel more favourable toward shopping via mobile device in general | Interval 7-points Likert scale (1) = strongly disagree; (2) = disagree; (3) = slightly disagree (4) = neutral; (5) = slightly agree (6) = agree (7) = strongly agree | Adapted from Hubert, M., Blut, M., Brock, C., Backhaus, C., & Eberhardt, T. (2017) |
| My experiences improve my perception of purchasing fashion goods via mobile devices. | ||||
| My experiences make me like purchasing fashion goods via mobile devices. | ||||
| My experience makes me oppose purchasing fashion goods via mobile devices. | ||||
| Cross-category usage | 4 | When I think about my specific shopping experience with regard to fashion goods, I am from unlikely to likely use mobile devices for other product categories. | Interval 7-points Likert scale (1) = strongly disagree; (2) = disagree; (3) = slightly disagree (4) = neutral; (5) = slightly agree (6) = agree (7) = strongly agree | Adapted from Hubert, M., Blut, M., Brock, C., Backhaus, C., & Eberhardt, T. (2017) |
| When I think about my specific shopping experience with regard to fashion goods, I am from definitely would not use to would use mobile devices for other product categories. | ||||
| When I think about my specific shopping experience with regard to fashion goods, I am from definitely would not use to definitely would use mobile devices for other product categories. | ||||
| When I think about my specific shopping experience with regard to fashion goods, I am from impossible to possible use mobile device for other product categories. | ||||
All items are employed seven-point Likert scale as the interval scale of measurement. The seven-point Likert scale comprises options ranging from (1) strong disagree to (7) strongly agree to measure the surveyed items, as follows, ‘1’ denotes strongly disagree, ‘2’ as disagree, ‘3’ as slightly disagree, ‘4’ as neutral, ‘5’ as slightly agree, ‘6’ as strongly agree and ‘7’ as strongly disagree. According to (Field, 2005), a seven-point scales are sensitive enough in providing a more accurate measure of a respondent’s true evaluation which reduce biases in the survey.