Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the shopping and buying behavior of consumers and their attitudes toward internet shopping in both Romania and Turkey. Another purpose is also finding out critical factors or drivers of online businesses to be successful and being able to compete in global environment. 185 students from Afyon Kocatepe University in Turkey and 142 students from Dunarea de Jos University of Galati in Romania completed the survey regarding their online shopping and buying experiences and attitudes towards online shopping. We also used unstructured interviews with these student groups to learn more about attitudes of consumers toward online shopping. The data shows that customers are still hesitating to shop online in both countries. The most important reasons for consumers in both countries not to shop online are online security, preference to shop traditional way, prefer to buy by touching and feeling and willing to use products immediately. The results of the study also show that although consumers either buy or plan to buy books, tickets, CDs, software online, they don’t want to buy groceries online in either country. The most important reasons to shop online both in Romania and Turkey are being able to get detailed product information, home delivery, convenience, product quality and lower prices. Overall results regarding the attitudes of consumers toward online shopping are positive. So, they either would like to buy online or continue to buy. They also think that online shopping has advantages for buying books, CDs, tickets. These results also have some practical implications for managers and strategists of online stores.