INVISIBLE CONSUMPTION IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY: SPENDING BEHAVIOUR ON NON-OWNED DIGITAL PRODUCTS AMONG CENTRAL GUJARAT.
Keywords:
Digital Economy, Invisible Consumption, Digital Products, Subscription Services, Virtual Goods, Consumer Spending Behaviour, Non-Owned Assets, Streaming Platforms, Digital Ownership, Central GujaratAbstract
Giving a boost to consumer behaviour, the digital economy has given rise to the so-called shift from an economy of possession to an economy of use, or else digital economy of consumption. The study is about consumer spending attitude to the category of some non-owned digital products such as streaming service, cloud storage, premium applications, virtual goods, and online memberships of the residents of Central Gujarat. Data were obtained from a structured questionnaire, 105 respondents were involved making the study to be quantitative research design. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, one sample t-test, simple linear regression and Pearson correlation. Results indicated a positive attitude of the consumer towards invisible digital consumption, and the measurement is reliable based on the value of Cronbach's Alpha obtained 0.818. All of the tests showed that spending behaviour was significantly higher than the neutral level to support this, the one-sample t-test was run. Results from regression analysis revealed that aspects such as convenience, accessibility, affordability and others had positive impacts on their willingness to spend more and Pearson correlation analysis showed that there was a significant positive relationship between perceived value and spending attitude. Based on the above the study gives a conclusion that invisible digital consumption as part of consumer expenditure has become an important constituent in Central Gujarat.
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