Influence of Personality Traits on Choice of Retail Purchasing Channel: Literature Review and Research Agenda

Abstract

Consumers can choose to buy products through various retail channels (e.g., online or in-store), resulting in a need for retailers to provide a well-integrated shopping experience. However, individual factors, such as a customer’s personality, can influence how a channel is perceived and, as such, can alter their subsequent behavior. Thus, it is critical for retailers to better understand personality-related influences and how these can affect a customer’s purchase channel decision. Against this background, the purpose of this structured review is to analyze the extant literature on the influences of personality traits on purchasing channel decisions. After extensive initial screening, 24 papers published in 2003–2021 were included in the analysis and synthesis phase of this literature review. The results show how personality traits (including Big Five factors and more fine-grained factors like playfulness) influence the choice of retail purchasing channels. Among other results, we find that online shopping intentions have been studied most as an outcome variable and that, in contrast to people high in openness to experience, people high in agreeableness are less likely to shop online. While we synthesize findings in the domains of mobile commerce, social commerce, mall shopping, and augmented and virtual reality as well, little research has compared the effects of personality traits on multiple channels. Based on our findings, we discuss managerial implications as well as directions for future research which are described in the form of a research agenda.

Exploring Online and In-Store Purchase Willingness: Associations With the Big Five Personality Traits, Trust, and Need for Touch

“…Furthermore, some researchers, such as Piroth et al (2020a) and Lixăndroiu et al (2021) , have found no direct relationships at all between Big Five traits and online shopping behavior ( Piroth et al (2020a) considered attitudes toward the adoption of online grocery shopping; and Lixăndroiu et al (2021) researched online buying intentions). As for in-store shopping, prior research has shown that Big Five traits can affect related motivations, but studies on the relations of Big Five traits with willingness to purchase in-store remain scarce ( Hermes and Riedl, 2021b ). Finally, despite the recent trend toward omnichannel retailing, the majority of published research has considered either online shopping or in-store shopping, but not both ( Hermes and Riedl, 2021b ).…”

“…As for in-store shopping, prior research has shown that Big Five traits can affect related motivations, but studies on the relations of Big Five traits with willingness to purchase in-store remain scarce ( Hermes and Riedl, 2021b ). Finally, despite the recent trend toward omnichannel retailing, the majority of published research has considered either online shopping or in-store shopping, but not both ( Hermes and Riedl, 2021b ). Thus, we add to the literature by exploring the effects of all Big Five traits on in-store and online willingness to purchase, and we expected the following:…”

“…To develop these targeted, omnichannel marketing strategies, retail managers must understand the effects of consumers’ underlying cognitive, affective, and behavioral tendencies ( Puccinelli et al, 2009 ; Verhoef et al, 2009 ; Grewal and Roggeveen, 2020 ). Against this background, we answer recent and explicit calls to explore the effects of individual factors, such as personality, on purchase willingness or intention ( Lemon and Verhoef, 2016 ; Grewal and Roggeveen, 2020 ; Handarkho, 2020 ; Piroth et al, 2020a ; Hermes and Riedl, 2021b ).…”

“…While some studies have already explored the effects of established personality theories, such as the Five-Factor Model and the Big Five traits, on online purchasing intentions (e.g., Bosnjak et al, 2007 ; McElroy et al, 2007 ), there is still little research on the impact of Big Five traits on willingness to purchase in-store, and studies examining the traits’ impact on both in-store willingness to purchase and online willingness to purchase are even scarcer ( Hermes and Riedl, 2021b ). To the best of our knowledge, only one study has investigated differences between online and in-store behavior regarding the direct effects of any Big Five trait: Breazeale and Lueg (2011) examined the effects of Extraversion (among other factors) on retail channel preference.…”

E-Commerce Customers Behavior Research Using Cohort Analysis: A Case Study of COVID-19

“…Considering clients' personality traits can help make the e-commerce experience more personalized than before and increase overall customer satisfaction. A. Hermes's study shows what types of customers are likely/unlikely to shop online and how personality-based interests affect the purchasing channel choice [5]. A customer behavior-based recommendation system that utilizes statistical methods and dynamic user preferences analysis shows improvements in performance metrics (F-function score, precision, recall, and root mean square error) and overall prediction results.…”