Omnichannel Retailing and Changing Habits in Consumer Shopping Behavior stars

Abstract

The advance of the Internet and the emergence of new communication and distribution channels (mobile, social media, chats) and devices (tablets, smartphones, wearables) are changing consumers’ shopping habits and behavior, prompting retailers to develop new strategies. As a result, retailers have gone from selling only in the physical store to selling from multiple platforms, giving rise to the new phenomenon of omnichannel retailing. Omnichannel refers to the customer-centric strategy that integrates all available channels to create a seamless shopping experience that increases the convenience for the customer throughout the shopping process. This blurring of the boundaries between the offline and online channels for customers requires retailers to design strategies that optimize the generation of added value by the technological investment. This doctoral thesis thus sought to analyze how technology influences consumers’ purchasing behavior in an omnichannel environment. To achieve this objective, four studies were carried out. For the first three, the sample consisted of 628 Spanish customers of the store Zara who had used at least two of the store’s channels in their most recent customer journey. In the fourth, the sample consisted of 1,043 Spanish customers who had used their smartphones in-store. In the first study, a UTAUT2-based model is developed to identify the main factors influencing the acceptance and use of omnichannel retailing by consumers. The results of the structural equation modelling show that personal innovativeness, effort expectancy with regard to the use of different communication channels throughout the customer journey, and performance expectancy are the main factors influencing purchase intention in an omnichannel clothing store. The second study identifies omnichannel customer profiles by means of cluster analysis, focusing on hedonic motivations, utilitarian motivations, and the social norm. Based on the results, three omnichannel customer profiles are identified: reluctant omnishoppers, indifferent omnishoppers, and omnichannel enthusiasts. Their respective characteristics are described. The third study looks at the influence of the integration of new technologies on customers’ purchase intention in physical stores, examining which are the most interesting technologies for the customer and analyzing them from a gender perspective. The results show that in-store technology, fitting-room technology, and the in-store use of customers’ own smartphones all positively affect purchase intention in an omnichannel store. Moreover, no significant differences were found in purchase intention between men and women. The fourth study identifies the key factors influencing customers’ intention to use their smartphone in-store and their actual behavior. The sample is subdivided by age, differentiating between millennial and non-millennial consumers to determine whether there are statistically significant differences in their behavior. The results of the structural models show that habit, performance expectancy, and hedonic motivations are the variables that most influence the intention to use one’s smartphone in-store for both groups. The only statistically significant differences found between millennials and nonmillennials had to do with the effect of the intention to use one’s smartphone and habit on the customer’s actual behavior. The thesis concludes with a discussion of its main contributions, the theoretical and managerial implications, and recommendations for future lines of research. The findings of this research are especially interesting for retailers and could help them adapt their businesses to the demands of today’s new connected consumers.