An application of TAM model towards influencing online purchase intention during Covid-19 pandemic for fresh agricultural products: A preliminary findings

ABSTRACT

Online shopping was one of the essential services allowed to continue their operation by the federal government during the 2020 Malaysia Movement Control Order (Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan), commonly referred to as the MCO. In response to the MCO order, numbers of consumers who purchased their daily necessity through online increased tremendously. However, Malaysian consumer prefer to buy fresh agricultural product at physical stores and it will affect the initiative of the federal government to slow down the spread of Covid-19 in Malaysia. In the online purchasing intention for fresh agricultural products among Malaysia consumers' literature, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) such as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use attitude are under researched. Therefore, this study investigated TAM model as a framework to analyse factors influencing online purchase intention during the Covid-19 pandemic for fresh agricultural products. This study employs a quantitative research design and questionnaire was distributed by using electronic survey or e-survey via Google Form among Malaysian internet users in Peninsula Malaysia. Sample were consumers who had some experienced in purchasing fresh agricultural products through online during the Covid-19. Respondents were selected using convenience sampling. SmartPLS software version 3.0 were used to analyzed the data. The findings revealed perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and attitude are three factors that influenced online purchased intention for fresh agricultural products during Covid-19 Pandemic. Therefore, the overall findings can help the online grocers to understand factors that forming consumer attitudes and soon developing intention to purchase fresh agricultural products via online. © 2021 Author(s).