Empirical Analysis of Youth Online Shopping Behavior Between Needs and Wants Based on the Principles of Israf and Maslahah

Abstract

ABSTRACT

In many ways, the growth of e-commerce has played a big role in how late adolescents spend their money, with shopping behavior changing from need to desire. In this research, youth online shopping behavior is analyzed in relation to the dynamics of the interaction of needs and wants by applying the concepts of Israf (extravagance) and Maslahah (utility) based on the Islamic perspective of consumption. A quantitative method with a cross-sectional design was applied to collect empirical data using a sample of 84 adolescents aged between 20-23 years. For the evaluation of shopping frequency, shopping motivations, and the effect of age on the shopping frequency, descriptive statistics and Spearman's rank correlation were applied. The findings show that 61.9% of respondents shop online due to visual attraction of products and impulses (wants) while 3.6% shop due to strict needs (needs). Additionally, 46.4% of the respondents shop online 5-6 times per month. From the Spearman’s rank correlation analysis, there is no significant relationship between age and online shopping frequency (rs = 0.089, p = 0.420), meaning that the consumption pattern is homogenous among late adolescents regardless of age.

From an Islamic economics standpoint, these results indicate the lack of emphasis on Maslahah (Dharuriyyat) and a shift towards excessiveness in Tahsiniyyat resulting in Israf and Tabdzir as cautioned in QS. Al-Isra': 26-27 and QS. Al-A'raf: 31. It is essential to understand that the research stresses the critical need to include Islamic financial literacy and ethical consumption values in youths’ education.