Purpose Positioned in the e-retailing field, this study aims to investigate the effect of the retail store’s atmosphere on consumer behavior in 3D online shopping environments, focusing on store layout as a critical influential factor. Design/methodology/approach The research uses a mixed research method approach that includes two complementary studies. First, a three-round Delphi study with domain experts is used to develop a store layout classification scheme (Study 1), resulting in five distinct types of store layout. Subsequently, 3D online retail stores that use the five layouts are designed and developed. These serve as treatments of a laboratory experimental design, which is used to assess layout impact on a number of attitudinal and behavioral variables (Study 2). Findings Five distinct types of store layout have been identified in Study 1, and their distinctive features are presented. The findings of Study 2 indicate that online shopping enjoyment, entertainment and ease of navigation are influenced by the store layout types of 3D online environments. Specifically, the “avant-garde” layout type facilitates the ease of navigation of customers in the store and provides a superior online customer experience. The “warehouse”’ adopts long aisles for the display of products, which simplifies the comparison of products, whereas the “boutique” layout was found to be the best in terms of shopping enjoyment and entertainment. The “department” layout shares many common characteristics with traditional department stores, providing an entertaining and enjoyable store, whereas the “pragmatic” layout emphasizes low system requirements. Practical implications The paper presents characteristics that make store layouts effective for different aspects of online customers’ experience and identifies opportunities that 3D online store designers and retailers can explore for the provision of enhanced, customized services to online customers. Originality/value This paper examines recent technological developments in store design and visual merchandising. It identifies five layout types of 3D online stores, which are different from those of brick–and–mortar and 2D online stores, and investigates their impact on consumer behavior. Further, the paper examines how each layout type influences online shopping enjoyment, entertainment, ease of navigation, online customer experience and, in turn, purchase and word-of-mouth intentions. Finally, the paper examines the moderating role of telepresence. Individuals with high sense of telepresence conceive 3D environments as “real” and are more concerned about the attributes that trigger the sense of enjoyment they experience while browsing.
Virtual worlds (VWs) have emerged as a new context for gaming, collaboration, social networking but also commercial activity. This paper focuses on the latter, and investigates how consumers behave in this virtual context when selecting stores they visit or buy from. The paper explores store selection criteria in virtual world stores and extends earlier research in both offline and online commercial environments, taking into account the novel IT capabilities that VWs exploit. Theoretical insights drawn from the marketing and information systems literature have been used to guide the design of a survey conducted in the virtual world Second Life. In addition to identifying the factors influencing store selection, the paper investigates how these differ between shoppers and non-shoppers, and identifies the factors that affect the amount of money spent in virtual world shopping environments. The findings suggest that ''Core Store Features'' and ''Security and Privacy'' constitute the most important store selection factors in virtual environments and that sales in VWs are predicted by the frequency of visiting and the time spent within VWs' stores. Virtual world dynamics and motivation for the studyA Virtual World (VW) is defined as a "computer-simulated three-dimensional (3D) environment" [11, p.525]. Virtual Worlds have been developed since the last decade, exploiting the available information and Internet technology capabilities, attracting increasing numbers of users. Some of these worlds can be accessed through a web browser, while others require downloading and using specialized software. The origin of VWs is considered to be both social networking and gaming [52]. Some VWs started as games and consequently adopted new services, capabilities and even their own virtual currency. The variety of activities and possibilities depends on each VW's orientation (e.g., education, socialization, entertainment, commerce, etc). Several VWs develop and grow dynamically through their inhabitants' (i.e., users') actions.Users in a VW interact [45] with others through their "avatar", "a representation of the user as an animated character in virtual worlds" [47, p.17], and engage in numerous activities such as information sharing, talking with friends or finding new friends, playing games, creating new services, building virtual objects, buying and selling goods, and so on. They can communicate with others through synchronous text messages, voice chat, e-mails, or videoconferencing.Retailing activity also gained momentum in VWs, with users buying and selling virtual or real products [34]. Recent studies suggest that Virtual Commerce (V-Commerce) should be considered as a totally new and well promising retailing channel [27,28,78]. According to Kzero [41], the revenues in VWs reached $6 billion in 2012 and by 2018, VWs will have been one of the most important business platforms [35]. The overall consumer virtual reality market over the five year period of 2014 to 2018 will worth $16.2 bn, with an average compound ann...
Digital transformation has received considerable scholarly attention in areas of management, business, information systems, information technology and marketing. In particular, retail banks have been at the forefront of technological revolution characterized by rapid deployment and innovation of digital services, exponential pace of change and innovative breakthroughs that alter conventional banking practice. However, the term digital transformation is often misunderstood as a straightforward deployment of the latest information communication technologies. In practice, technological investments entail not only risk but also require an understanding of the relationship between technological, organizational culture and institutional change within certain boundaries of regulatory framework. Digital transformation is far from simple, certain or predictable and likely to be disruptive or transformative with immutable impacts upon associated organizational outcomes related to technical capabilities and behaviours. The present study attempts to explore and develop a framework for understanding digital transformation by examining the development, deployment and use of digital technologies in retail banking. Within a social informatics perspective, this study examines the effects of digital technologies on retail banks operations, structure and capabilities of those who deploy, implement and use it. Using a grounded theory approach, the study explores theoretical constructs by reviewing the literature and analysing primary field data including data from retail banks and interviews with senior professionals. The findings provide the pitfalls and successful approaches towards the digital transformation journey. This includes the ordinary dilemmas that the managers face to deliver the projects at hand.
This paper studies the concept of Store Atmosphere in Virtual Commerce (V-Commerce)
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