Different kinds of research shoppers, different cognitive-affective consequences

Abstract

Purpose Customer journey is more omnichannel than ever. Currently, one of the most influential omnichannel behaviors is research shopping in its two predominant forms: webrooming and showrooming. The purpose of this study is to determine the possible moderating effect of each of these behaviors from a cognitive-affective perspective. Design/methodology/approach The proposed theoretical framework was applied to a sample of 636 mobile phone users. Findings The results indicated that research shopping moderated the intensity of the relationship between emotions and perceived value and between emotions and satisfaction. The analysis of the moderating effect of each concrete type of research shopping behavior indicated that negative emotions had a more intense negative effect on perceived value and satisfaction in the case of webrooming than in the case of showrooming. Originality/value This study focused on determining the possible moderating effect of research shopping vs one-stop shopping and webrooming vs showrooming on the intensity of the relationship between emotions, perceived value and satisfaction, considering determining factors of customer engagement to retailers (Han and Jeong, 2013). To achieve this objective, the authors performed a quantitative research in the Spanish market, choosing mobile phones as a reference product. The results will contribute to the current state of omnichannel retailing research by the analysis – through a cognitive-affective approach – of the consequences that research shopping and each of its two basic types (webrooming and showrooming) have on retailers.

The impact of consumers’ positive online recommendations on the omnichannel webrooming experience

“…Previous studies state that, compared to one-stop shoppers (i.e. those who use only the offline or the online channel to carry out the purchase) (Viejo- Fernández et al, 2019), and to other kinds of research shoppers (Fernández et al, 2018), webroomers are more likely to follow a central route of processing where they analytically search, obtain, compare and evaluate information about products, brands and/or retailers before purchasing. Therefore, consumers will be more confident when they choose a product which has been researched through a webrooming experience than when they choose a product which is only evaluated at the physical store:…”

“…memory capacity), a physical experience is required to truly assess its quality (e.g. size, weight, screen resolution) (Ekelund et al, 1995;Viejo-Fernández et al, 2019). The combination of the online and the offline channels seems to be the ideal for consumers to obtain complete information about the product.…”

Retailing technology: do consumers care?

“…The software can read the code when the camera in the device nears the QR code, leading users to company web pages, advertising or product information. This enhanced information facilitates consumers to make better purchasing decisions, which should lead to an increase in perceived value (Viejo-Fern andez et al, 2019).…”

The influence of website quality and star rating signals on booking intention: Analyzing the moderating effect of variety seeking

“…However, it is significant that in the case of lodging reservations and tour packages, most internet users who ultimately booked offline used the internet during their searches [National Observatory of Telecommunications and the Information Society (ONTSI), 2019], showing there are some limits to e-purchase. Today, consumers tend to combine various channels (digital and traditional) during the purchase process with the delivery of a holistic experience; that is, they exhibit omnichannel behavior (Rodríguez-Torrico et al , 2017; Viejo-Fernández et al , 2019). Moreover, the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) provides many tools or applications that allow the consumer to plan a trip in a personalized and collaborative way (eTourism 2.0), such as travel social networks and virtual communities (Hernández-Méndez and Muñoz-Leiva, 2015).…”