The selected types of activities and motivators of multichannel purchase among the generation Y consumers

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether and how the generation Y changes shopping channels in their consumption decision path. Linking the online and offline channels in consumer journey has been evaluated. The first part of the work presents literature reviewshopping behaviour patterns among generation Y, online and offline channels in the purchasing process, multichannel and omnichannel perspectives. The second part of the work presents the results of authors' original empirical pilot research on the the young consumers' selected multichannel purchase activities and motivations to combine and exchang shopping channels. In this study, the selective quota sampling procedure was used. The study covers 235 students of the Faculty of Management at the University of Gdansk in 2017. The results suggest that multichannel purchase activities undertaken by the Y generation concerned a product contact, seeing it as well as buying and collecting it. What's more both saving time and money are the prerequisites for online shopping. Online and offline retails have to adapt to new forms of shopping that have become more popular among younger consumers. It is reasonable to conclude that multichannel and omnichannel are a challenge for enterprises targeting their offer to consumers belonging to the Y generation.