Webrooming or showrooming, that is the question: explaining omnichannel behavioural intention through the technology acceptance model and exploratory behaviour

Abstract

PurposeThis paper evaluates how the intention to develop webrooming or showrooming behaviour is affected by both the perceived usefulness and the perceived ease-of-use, as well as by the consumer's personal predisposition to exploratory information seeking and acquisition.Design/methodology/approachThe fashion retailing environment is more omni-channel than ever before. The two predominant omni-channel behaviours are webrooming and showrooming. Taking as its basis the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the concept of exploratory consumer behaviour.FindingsThe results obtained from a sample of 847 apparel shoppers (462 webroomers and 385 showroomers) show that the higher perception of the usefulness and ease-of-use of omni-channel buying processes, the higher the intention to develop both webrooming and showrooming behaviours. Additionally, the perceived ease-of-use exerts an additional indirect effect on the intention of developing these omni-channel behaviours through perceived usefulness. Finally, exploratory information seeking and acquisition have a relevant influence on webrooming intentions, but not on showrooming.Originality/valueThe authors’ research contributes to the literature on consumer behaviour in the fashion sector by testing a model to explain the intentions of individuals to adopt webrooming and showrooming, incorporating different psychographic variables linked to the use of ICT and the development of an exploratory consumer behaviour.

Factors of customers’ channel choice in an omnichannel environment: a systematic literature review

“…Schneider and Zielke 2020 ). Webrooming appears more prevalent (Frasquet et al 2015 ; Guo et al 2021 ; Schröder and Zaharia 2008 ; Zhai et al 2017 ), in line with the typical characteristics of each channel; the pre-purchase stage may feature use of online channels for convenient and easy information-gathering, and a later switch to offline channels for making the purchase may be motivated by perceived risk reduction and a desire to make use of the sensory and customer care benefits of brick-and-mortar stores (Herrero-Crespo et al 2022 ). However, channel-switching along the customer journey is not the typical case, especially in relation to non-complex and non-expensive types of product, with several studies finding use of the same channel for information-gathering and the subsequent purchase (examples are Cao 2012 ; Gensler et al 2012 ; Noble et al 2005 ; Oppewal et al 2013 ).…”

“… Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services Guo et al ( 2021 ) Webrooming or showrooming? The moderating effect of product attributes Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing Hallikainen et al ( 2019 ) Individual preferences of digital touchpoints: A latent class analysis Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services Harris et al ( 2017 ) Online and store patronage: a typology of grocery shoppers International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management Heitz-Spahn ( 2013 ) Cross-channel free-riding consumer behavior in a multichannel environment: An investigation of shopping motives, sociodemographics and product categories Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services Herrero-Crespo et al ( 2022 ) Webrooming or showrooming, that is the question: explaining omnichannel behavioural intention through the technology acceptance model and exploratory behaviour Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management Hosseini et al ( 2018 ) Mindfully going omni-channel: An economic decision model for evaluating omni-channel strategies Decision Support Systems Hu and Tracogna ( 2020 ) Multichannel customer journeys and their determinants: Evidence from motor insurance Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services Huang et al ( 2017 ) a Investigation of Chinese students' O2O shopping through multiple devices Computers in Human Behavior Hussein and Kais ( 2021 ) Multichannel behaviour in the retail industry: evidence from an emerging market International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications Jebarajakirthy et al ( 2021 ) Deciphering in-store-online switching in multi-channel retailing context: Role of affectiv...…”

Augmented Reality Experiential Marketing in Beauty Product: Does it Differ from Other Service Touchpoints

“…Therefore, customers can benefit from the experience of the multichannel environment. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been considered a reliable framework for determining the users' behavioral intentions across different technologies (Herrero-Crespo et al 2022). Users have different motivations for adopting recent technologies, from intrinsic and extrinsic.…”

“…A multichannel retail environment can provide better information for prospective customers and help in shaping customer purchase decisions. TAM model postulates the perceived ease of use exerts a positive effect on perceived usefulness (Herrero-Crespo et al 2022).…”

Search Online and Purchase Offline: The Role of Instagram Marketing, Consumer Behavior and Webrooming in Building Brand Loyalty

“…In the traditional time, Facebook marketing was at its peak because it was the only accessible social media platform to the people of the community for communication (Flavián et al, 2016(Flavián et al, , 2020Hu & Tracogna, 2021;Khoshtaria et al, 2021). Over time, the market trend has changed and the social media websites and applications are used for marketing purposes by different organizations (Aw et al, 2021a;Choi & Yang, 2016;Herrero-Crespo et al, 2021;Khoshtaria et al, 2021;Shankar & Jain, 2022). Alibaba is promoting products and services on Instagram for customers (Salem & Alanadoly, 2020).…”