Abstract

The growth in the number of online shopping and the number of retailers have built up a competitive market in Nigeria. Studies have indicated that consumers' lack of trust and the perceived high risk constituted barriers to the use of Internet shopping, hereby reducing online purchases. This study, therefore, investigated the influence of risk-taking propensity and self-esteem on online purchase intention among post-graduate students of the University of Ibadan. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted while the purposive sampling technique was used to select two faculties and two post-graduate halls. A convenience sampling technique was used to select 252 participants (Males: 162; Females: 90). A structured questionnaire comprising sociodemographic variables, online purchase intention (α = 0.90), risk-taking propensity (α= 0.89) and self-esteem (α = 0.85) were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using zero-order correlation, independent t-test and multiple regressions at p=0.05 level of significance. The result showed that online purchase intention significantly correlated with risk-taking propensity (r= 0.219, p< 0.05) and self-esteem (r = 0.171, p < 0.05). Also, risk-taking propensity and self-esteem jointly predicted (R2 = 0.052; F [3, 251] = 5.604; p=0.05) online purchase intention. However, marital status did not predict online purchase intention among the participants. The study recommended that the Nigerian e-commerce sector should put policies in place that will increase trust and reduce perceived risks to the current and potential online shoppers.