Behavior in the context of the digital economy: competition and consumption

The research focuses on the close interrelationships between competition and the decision-making process in online shopping, paying special attention to the level of consumer awareness about the protection of their rights and the influence of appropriate consumer behavior as integral factors. The authors examined the diverse aspects of this topic, covering both subjective and objective indicators related to consumer awareness and decisions in the face of rapid competition due to the powerful digital economy. An innovative method was used to conduct the research, and a survey was conducted in which 157 students from three leading universities in Moscow participated. The questionnaire questions have been carefully designed to cover a wide range of aspects of consumer awareness and their behavioral patterns in an era of rapidly evolving technology. Based on an extensive analysis of the literature, the authors developed and tested a non-standard conceptual model using the method of partial least squares in structural modeling. The results of the study show that the decision-making process in the online environment has an indirect impact on the intensity of competition in the digital economy through the level of awareness of consumer rights and their corresponding behavior. Taking into account competition in the digital economy, awareness of consumer rights and consumer behavior in the context of consumer protection policy, the author’s model explains more than 16 % of the variability in purchasing decisions in the online environment. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the interrelationships between factors of competition, awareness and consumer decisions in the era of digital transformation.