EXPLORING THE ROLE OF NEUROMARKETING IN ONLINE SHOPPING RETURNS: A STUDY OF CONSUMERS’ EMOTIONAL AND COGNITIVE RESPONSES

Abstract

The study “Exploring the Role of Neuromarketing in Online Shopping Returns: A Study of Consumers’ Emotional and Cognitive Responses” examines the role of neuromarketing factors in influencing consumers’ emotional and cognitive responses and their online shopping return behaviour. The study focuses on how online shopping stimuli such as attractive product images, visual presentation, personalized advertisements, product videos, and other digital marketing elements influence consumers’ attention, emotions, product evaluation, purchase decisions, and return intentions. Primary data were collected from 185 online consumers using a structured questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, and one-way ANOVA to examine differences across selected demographic variables. The findings indicate that age significantly influences consumers’ responses to attractive product images, while gender does not significantly influence most emotional responses towards online shopping. Occupation significantly influences consumers’ careful evaluation of product information. Further, rural and urban consumers show no significant difference in most aspects of online shopping return behaviour, although a significant difference is observed in the willingness to return products when they fail to meet expectations. The study concludes that neuromarketing factors influence different stages of the online consumer decision-making process, particularly attention, emotional response, cognitive evaluation, and return intention. The findings suggest that online retailers should provide realistic product presentations, accurate product information, transparent descriptions, and convenient return policies to reduce the gap between consumer expectations and actual product experience.