Investigating Consumer Chronotypes and Post-Purchase Evaluation: An Empirical Analysis of E-Commerce Behaviour Among Indian Higher Education Students

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between consumer chronotypes and post-purchase evaluation in the context of e-commerce behaviour among Indian higher education students. In the rapidly expanding digital marketplace, online shopping behaviour is increasingly influenced by behavioural patterns, lifestyle preferences, and digital engagement. The research aims to examine how different consumer chronotypes influence online purchasing habits, shopping time preferences, impulsive buying behaviour, and post-purchase satisfaction levels among student consumers. The study is based on a quantitative empirical research design using primary data collected from 100 higher education students engaged in online shopping activities. The analysis focuses on important variables such as preferred product categories, online buying frequency, shopping device usage, peak shopping periods, and post-purchase evaluation factors. The findings reveal that Fashion & Apparel and Electronics are the most preferred product categories among respondents, while smartphones are identified as the dominant device used for online shopping. The study further indicates that regular monthly buyers constitute the largest segment of online consumers among higher education students. Peak shopping activity was observed during festive and holiday seasons, reflecting the influence of promotional campaigns, digital advertisements, and seasonal offers on consumer behaviour. The findings also suggest that evening-oriented consumers demonstrate higher levels of online engagement, late-night shopping behaviour, and impulsive purchasing tendencies compared to morning-oriented consumers. In terms of post-purchase evaluation, factors such as product quality, delivery reliability, pricing satisfaction, payment convenience, return policies, and customer service responsiveness significantly influence consumer satisfaction and future purchase intentions. The study highlights the importance of understanding chronotype-based behavioural patterns for designing personalized marketing strategies and improving customer engagement in digital commerce platforms. The research provides valuable insights for e-commerce companies, marketers, and digital platform developers in enhancing customer satisfaction, strengthening brand loyalty, and developing targeted marketing approaches for young digital consumers in India.