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By Sara Hernandez
College students buy online more frequently than others because of thier easy access to computers and experience with the Internet.

Collage: Internet experience, easy access to computers, and price are all factors that make students buy things online
Stanford students are more likely to purchase things online than the general population
There are numerous factors make Stanford students more likely to make purchases online than the general population. To find the reasons for this discrepancy in the consumer force I surveyed 50 Stanford undergraduates and compared their online shopping behaviors to that of the populace. I found that some of the reasons for this divergence include Stanford students’ easy access to computers, higher number of hours online, use of Internet for financial services, experience level, and greater technological proficiency. Yet, although Stanford is such an expensive and prestigious school the majority of students don’t have the money to make costly purchases. The Internet allows students to shop various stores online, find the best price, and as a result, save precious dollars.

Easy access to computers
Easy access to computers is one of the factors that increase the likelihood of spending online. Stanford students have almost unlimited access to computers and the Internet. Of the 3262 students surveyed by Residential Computing during the 2002-2003 school year, 97% answered that they have their own computer (Residential Computing Survey). The 3% that don’t have a computer have no difficulty finding one, for every dorm is equipped with a computer cluster. Yet in comparison, only about 43% of Americans have Internet or e-mail access at home (www.npr.org).
When people have access to the Internet during their leisure time they are more likely to make purchases online. Since most Stanford students have a computer in their rooms the probability that they shop online increases.

Experience with Internet
Increased experience with the Internet and high numbers of hours online are also factors that positively affect online shopping behaviors. All students need to have a certain level of computer aptitude because their grades depend on it. Students need to be able to navigate sites such as CourseWork, upload assignments, and do online research for papers and projects. Residential Computing found that 66% of students spend 6 hours or more per week doing computer-mediated academic work. Consequently, it can be said that the majority, if not all, of Stanford students are experienced Internet users. The more a person goes online, and gains experience, the more likely he or she is to lose the fear of online purchasing.

How it all adds up
Because students use the Internet for financial services they are more willing to shop online. They can change financial aid distribution, pay tuition, buy parking permits and modify meals plans. Since they learn to move money electronically, the fear of spending it electronically also diminishes. The general population avoids making online purchases because of reluctance to give out credit card info, excessive shipping charges, and unwillingness to give out personal information (Lida and Copas, 2002). Yet, students are continuously asked to pay for services online. Financial aid services such as the CSS Profile require online submittal as well as online payment. Previous generations did not have the choice of making payments online but our generation was introduced to it at a young age. Since students have more experience dealing with money on the web they are more likely to trust online stores with our credit card and personal information.

Through these examples one theme flows through them all: the Internet helps save money. So does it all come down to price?