No abstract

PurposeTo determine the impact of price on consumer decision making in online environments.Design/methodology/approachUses a conjoint experiment to investigate the trade‐offs customers make when choosing and to establish their relative weights in online and offline situations.FindingsFinds that customers expect prices to be lower in an online environment than in a traditional sales channel.Research limitations/implicationsDespite acknowledged limitations of experimental design and student samples, the findings have both theoretical and practical implications.Practical implicationsMarketing planners can use the intelligence gained from conjoint studies such as this to improve the design and implementation of online retail experiences.Originality/valueCompares online and offline shopping environments with specific regard to the importance of price in each in the consumer decision‐making processes, a hitherto overlooked issue in marketing research.