The Moderating Role of Close Support Between Online Purchase Intention and Behavior in Senior Adults

Year 2025, Volume: 5 Issue: Special Issue (SI) IXASC 2025, 269 - 278, 31.08.2025

Hande Tasa , Süreyya Karsu , Meltem Nurtanış Velioğlu , Dilşad Çoknaz , Meftune Özbakır Umut

Abstract

Although the population is rapidly aging worldwide and in Turkey, and 65+ adults have become an increasingly important market for e-commerce, online purchasing has still not reached the predicted rates. When the antecedents of behavior are examined, intention appears as the most basic predictor, while several factors influence its transformation into behavior. Although the role of facilitator is frequently emphasized in literature, environmental support in the context of assisted shopping can be a factor that limits the experience of technology. This study aims to examine the moderating role of support of relatives in the relationship between online purchase intention and behavior of senior adults. Using stratified sampling, 635 participants were surveyed with the Online Purchase Barriers Scale, Online Purchase Intention Questions, and a three-item Online Purchase Behavior Measure. Relationships were tested via Pearson correlation, and moderation was examined with Hayes’ (2013) Process Macro (Model-1). Findings revealed a significant positive relationship between intention and behavior. However, assisted shopping was negatively correlated with both intention and behavior. Moreover, child/relative support (assisted shopping) moderated the intention–behavior link: when such support was high, the predictive
power of intention on behavior increased. This suggests that while support facilitates access, it may also limit older adults’ development of independent digital behaviors. In collectivist and traditional societies like Türkiye, family assistance can unintentionally reduce experiential learning by preventing autonomous interaction with technology. The finding that close support regulates the intention–behavior relationship contributes to the national literature and offers insights for other collectivist contexts worldwide.

Keywords

Online Purchase Intention , Online Purchase Behavior , Close Relatives Support , Assisted Shopping

References

• Ajzen, I. (1991). The Theory of Planned Behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 50(2), 179-211.