Application of a modified Internet shopper lifestyle scale to Taiwanese college-age sporting goods consumers

We investigated segments of college-age online sporting goods consumers based on the dimensions of a modified Internet shopper lifestyle scale. Participants comprised a convenience sample of 1,187 Taiwanese university students who were online sporting goods consumers. The results confirmed the dimensionality of the modified scale and provided strong empirical support for a 6-factor model comprising Internet convenience, Internet distrust, Internet window shopping, Internet logistics, bricks-and-mortar, and Internet offers. Next, using cluster analysis, we identified 3 groups of college-age sporting goods consumers, whom we labeled shopping lovers, tentative shoppers, and suspicious shoppers. The char- acteristics of each segment were explored to aid in understanding online sporting goods consumers. These findings provide implications for sporting goods marketers, who can tailor marketing strategies to each segment.