Abstract

This study investigates the underexplored comparative online shopping behaviors between international and Chinese students within China’s dynamic online shopping landscape, dominated by platforms like Taobao, Pinduoduo and many more. Utilizing a cross-sectional survey of 357 participants with a gender distribution of 40.90% male and 59.10% female and analyzing data with descriptive statistics, t-tests, and regression models, the research identified key distinctions; international students, acting as “pragmatic adapters,” were more price-sensitive, predominantly used Taobao, were heavily influenced by social media promotions (β = 0.194, P < 0.001), and were significantly hindered by language barriers (β = -0.162, P < 0.001) and lower trust in customer service (β = -0.207, P < 0.001). In contrast, Chinese “savvy navigators” preferred Pinduoduo, demonstrated higher monthly spending, and exhibited greater financial risk concern (β = 0.127, P < 0.001) alongside stronger trust in product delivery. The findings, which also highlighted socio-demographic determinants like the strong correlation between income and spending (r = 0.520, P < 0.01), conclude that strategic enhancements in multilingual support, culturally sensitive design, and customer service are imperative for e-commerce platforms to achieve global inclusivity and bridge this experiential divide.

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