Exploring The Factors Of Using Second-hand E-commerce Websites Of African Consumers

In Africa,e-commerce is a relatively new development in the way consumers purchase items,relying on the internet to facilitate contact between customers and sellers and other customers.With the establishment of this technology,a more nuanced version namely second-hand e-commerce also emerged with different drivers and determinants that are unique to it and differentiate it from the normal mode of e-commerce,even so,the factors of using this medium differ from region to region.Even though this technology is widespread and has high adoption and acceptance rates in developed countries,research into this phenomenon in African countries is limited and lacking.This study aims to examine the factors that may affect the African customer's intentions to buy second-hand goods online and to visit a second-hand online store and to add to the scarce literature on the subject as well as develop ideas to help companies or individuals who are planning on venturing into the second-hand online business in these African countries.Many constructs were deduced in order to measure the extent of this phenomenon be they deterrents of drivers towards second-hand online commerce in the African context.In order to collect the data,both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used.First,a series of in-depth interviews were done with eight respondents from different countries in Sub-Saharan Africa through video and audio calls,and then the interviews were then transcribed to get the main and sub-constructs and develop a feeling for the relationships between them.Thereafter,an online survey by means of questionnaires was then conducted using developed scales from relevant literature and was dispersed in different African countries with a major focus on Zimbabwe,which yielded 379 respondents.Structural Equation Modelling(SEM)was applied to the collected data for data analysis using Smart PLS.The research revealed that the following constructs are positively related to African second-hand online purchase intention: trust of sellers and the second-hand online platforms,the convenience of shopping experienced by the customers from both the sellers and the platform they are using,economic motivations such as financial empowerment.Ideological motivations such as the need to be unique were seen to not have as much of a significant effect on second-hand purchase intention but were accepted in the study,however,institutional motivations were seen to have a negative influence on the intention to visit second-hand stores and platforms.This study provides some very insightful data for businesses and other parties interested in second-hand online markets in Africa to better understand the African consumer market and prove a base for future research into the field.