PBS PhD Studentship in Online Consumer Behaviour and the Older Consumer

Computing-based environments have evolved to the point where they are now a major facet of commercial life and a critical component of any marketing strategy.  More and more consumers are conducting shopping activities on the Internet or via mobile technologies, with expenditure in areas such as online advertising having overtaken TV advertising  in 2009. The UK, like other countries, is also facing the problems of an ageing society and the various challenges to infrastructure, including access to goods & services unhampered by lack of mobility or other physical limitations. Online shopping, by removing the journey to the shops as well as providing the logistics for transport and delivery, can undoubtedly help older consumers conduct their shopping activities regardless of physical limitations.

Earlier attempts to bring the benefits of online shopping to older consumers was predicated on the perception that these consumers lacked the self-efficacy to shop online, and projects such as Net Neighbours in York were developed to team older consumers needing groceries with younger volunteers who would perform online shopping tasks on their behalf.  However, older consumers are becoming more and more technologically aware, and the image of the "Silver Surfer" (an older person learning to use the Internet) is fading as today's "Baby Boomer" generation ages. The focus in facilitating online shopping for an ageing population should therefore begin to move away from providing external assistance in e-Commerce to designing online shopping environments suitable for use by older consumers.

Issues in the development of computer interfaces for older people has been recognised for some time by the Human Computing Interaction community both in terms of physical limitations such as age-related visual impairments as well as social issues such as privacy and independence.  However, our understanding of interface design for older people now needs to be integrated with our understanding of their online consumer behaviour.

The goal of this studentship is to develop a framework for design of online shopping environments for the older consumer. Such a framework could also help both the marketing professional and interaction designer identify how key marketing messages can best be implemented in commercial web sites and mobile technologies.

Enquiries relating to the topic should be directed to: Dr.  Lillian Clark (lillian.clark@port.ac.uk). This studentship is located in the Portsmouth Business School and potential applicants are advised to examine our Research Degree Pages at http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/faculties/portsmouthbusinessschool/researchdegrees/  prior to applying.

Applicants will have a good first degree (minimum 2.1 or equivalent) and ideally a Masters (or equivalent) in a relevant subject area.

Applications should include:

• a full CV including personal details, qualifications, educational history and, where applicable, any employment or other experience relevant to the application
• contact details for TWO referees able to comment on your academic performance
• a statement of 1,000 (words) outlining your proposed project, identifying the objectives of the research and discussing how the work will build on or challenge existing research in the above field.

Application Deadline: 30 March 2010, Start date 1 October 2010.

The studentships will cover tuition fees and an annual grant equivalent to that offered by the ESRC - currently £13290 per annum for a maximum of three years. UK/EU residence eligibility conditions apply."

Applications should be sent to: Donna Denham, Postgraduate Course Director, University of Portsmouth, Richmond Building, Portland Street, Portsmouth, PO1 3DE (applications can be submitted electronically via: Donna.Denham@port.ac.uk)