Integrating emotions in the analysis of retail price images

Most studies on retail price images do not capture the complete domain of this construct because they predominantly measure the cognitive dimensions of price perception. The current paper extends this research by integrating emotions in the analysis of retail price images. Results from an empirical study demonstrate that several price‐related emotions mediate the impact of cognitive price image dimensions on intentions to shop in retail stores. Such effects exist for distress, anger, contempt, shame, and guilt. Furthermore, these emotions have an incremental effect on shopping intentions beyond the mere cognitive price image dimensions. Hence, integrating these emotions in the analysis of retail price images improves the prediction of such intentions considerably. An analysis of direct, indirect, and total effects shows that price‐level perception influences shopping intentions negatively via increased contempt, shame, and guilt, but positively via value for money. Value proves to be a central dimension of a retailer's price image as value influences shopping intentions directly, but also via reduced distress, anger, contempt, shame, and guilt. The results yield important research and management implications, as integrating emotions in the analysis of retail price images extends the understanding of customer reactions to retailers' pricing activities. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The effects of mall personality and fashion orientation on shopping value and mall patronage intension

It is imperative for mall operators in China to gain insights into consumer shopping behaviours that will allow them to further develop their mall personalities, in order to better differentiate themselves from the competition. The overarching objective of the present study was two-fold: to increase our understanding about contemporary Chinese shoppers; and to examine the relationships among mall personality, fashion orientation, shopping value and mall patronage intention. This study presents the results of a research survey conducted in Wuhan, China. Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS SEM) was used to analyze the survey responses from 324 shopping mall patrons. The findings indicate that consumers' fashion orientation has a significant influence based on their perception of the shopping mall personality. The path model analysis revealed that consumers' perception of shopping value had the strongest effect on their shopping intentions at the mall.     

An empirical analysis of factors predicting the behavioral intention to adopt Internet shopping technology among non-shoppers in a developing country context: Does gender matter?

Motivated by the lack of knowledge of what factors deterring Internet users from adopting the Internet shopping in developing cultures, this investigation is therefore intended to underline the possible factors responsible for their deterrence. To achieve this objective, a model was proposed by involving factors established in literature as key potential drivers for predicating individuals' behavioral intention to adopt new technologies. The proposed factors were drawn from popular IS/IT adoption theories, namely perceived ease-of-use, perceived usefulness, perceived compatibility, social influence, trust, perceived risk, privacy, security, Internet shopping anxiety, Internet self-efficacy and price. Gender moderating influence was investigated in the conceptualized relationships between proposed factors and behavioral intention.This study was implemented by collecting data through a self-administered questionnaire from a broad diversity of Jordanian Internet users. Analyzing the data which consists of 261 valid datasets was accomplished by using WarpPLS 4.0. The results provide significant statistical evidence in support of all the factors hypothesized to influence behavioral intention to adopt with the exception of three factors: perceived risk, privacy and security. Furthermore, the gender was found to moderate the relationships between five of the proposed factors (perceived ease-of-use, social influence, trust, perceived risk, privacy) and behavioral intention. This study has also revealed some differences between online shoppers (based on prior literature and results) and non-shoppers. Interestingly, the proposed model explains 58% of the total variance in intention to adopt Internet shopping. Findings and limitations are discussed, theoretical contributions and practical implications are outlined, and future research directions are suggested.     

Price image and the sugrophobia effect on luxury retail purchase intention

Consumer shopping behavior in luxury retail stores continues to be a subject of interest among marketing researchers. Such a phenomenon has led us to explore how price image and sugrophobia, a psychological feeling of being taken advantage of, would influence consumers' future behavioural intention in the context of luxury retail store. Informed by a survey of 400 consumers, this study adopts the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S–O-R) model to examine how price image triggers consumer perceptions (i.e., perceived value, trust and attitude) and results in behavioral intention. Sugrophobia is included in the S–O-R model to assess its moderating effect. Data analysis using SEM-PLS demonstrates that a retailer's price image has a positive effect on consumers' perceived value, trust, attitude, and future behavioral intention. Sugrophobia, in turn, is found to weaken the relationship between price image and consumer perceptions. The study thus highlights the relevance of sugrophobia among risk-averse consumers and the necessity to manage sugrophobic consumers effectively in the context of a luxury retail store. Implications of the study are discussed.     

Understanding factors affecting consumer intention to shop in a virtual world

The objectives of this study were to understand that factors affecting consumer intention to shop in a virtual world and to analyze the relationships among these factors. Particularly, this study explored consumer innovativeness (consumer novelty seeking, consumer independent judgment making) as an external variable that influences consumer intention indirectly through its effects on consumer experiences with the virtual world application (ease of use, control, concentration, enjoyment). The findings indicated that consumers’ perceived enjoyment and control positively influenced their shopping intentions. While consumer novelty seeking had no significant effect on shopping intention consumer independent judgment making significantly affected consumers’ intention to shop in a virtual world indirectly through its positive effects on perceived control, enjoyment, and ease of use.     

Consideration of an expected future deal in assessing the value of a present deal: Forward-looking bargain shopping

Hunting for bargains has long been an important aspect of shopping behavior. One of the distinctive characteristics of bargain shopping is forward-looking price expectation, where one discount offer is evaluated in relation to another deeper discount anticipated in the future. Two experimental studies examined potentially competing effects of the two discounts over different timing points. Transaction value and purchase intention for the present discount may be affected not only by its discount depth but also by the awareness of the future discount. The negative effect of the future discount could substantially offset the positive perception toward the present deal. On the other hand, the future discount expectation does not appear to lower the perception of acquisition for the present discount. Effects of the future discount were investigated in terms of discount depth, product availability, and discount timing.     

What motivates customers to shop in smart shops? The impacts of smart technology and technology readiness

With the rapid diffusion of smart technologies, a new retail mode, the smart shop, has received increasing attention from both academia and practitioners in the 5G era. However, previous studies on smart shops have largely focused on the effects of smart technologies on technology adoption rather than customer shopping behaviors. To fill this gap, this study applies the hedonic information systems acceptance model (HISAM) to identify the utilitarian and hedonic motivations affecting consumer shopping intention. In addition, we characterize a second-order formative construct, technology readiness, as a technology-related personality to test its moderating role in the research model in the marketing context when consumer behaviors may differ due to individual characteristics. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we applied SmartPLS 3.2.8 to analyze 298 valid samples. The results show that perceived ease of use significantly affects perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment, in turn, these three factors directly influence shopping intention. Additionally, perceived ease of use will have a stronger impact on perceived usefulness and shopping intention when the customer has a high level of technology readiness. Finally, theoretical and practical suggestions and future research directions are also discussed.     

Enhancing the role of flow experience in social media usage and its impact on shopping

Online retailers are eager to find the answers to the following questions: How relevant is SNS usage to consumer shopping decisions? Is the information shared on SNS likely to influence users’ shopping decisions? This study is designed to answer these questions via essential factors based on flow theory and TAM. The moderating effects of some social factors were also explored. The data was collected from U.S SNS users, and SEM was performed and a research model estimated. The findings reveal that flow experience of SNS usage for shopping, perceived ease of use of SNS, and perceived usefulness of information shared on SNS exert positive and significant effects on consumer intention to shop on SNS. Particularly, flow experience directly and positively determines shopping intention and shares positive and significant impacts with TAM. Furthermore, the perceived usefulness is highly important relative to the perceived ease of use. Social identity, group norm, and social influence also positively moderate the links between flow experience, TAM, and SNS usage intention for shopping. Very few theoretical studies have discussed SNS usage behavior for shopping based on flow theory or validated its relationship with TAM in the SNS shopping context. A validated model of consumers’ actual usage of SNS for shopping proves that experience drives the success of social commerce. The findings provide current information and important aspects to firms that operate SNS commerce, allowing them to adjust their marketing strategies to serve consumers better.     

Conflicting attitudes and scepticism towards online shopping: the role of experience

Researchers typically study how levels of risk perception about online shopping affect whether and how consumers use the channel to buy products. In this paper, we propose to study how different types of attitudes towards online shopping are formed when consumers consider both the benefit and the risk of using the Internet to do their shopping. We consider the possibility that general types of attitudes are formed when consumers' perception of the risk and the benefit of using online shopping conflict. We pay particular attention to the concept of online shopping scepticism where consumers may fully realize the benefit of using the Internet to do their shopping, but also express a certain level of concern about the risk of using that channel. In the risk literature, researchers have shown that experience and increased exposure to a particular technology usually involves the accumulation of more and better knowledge that in turn may lead to a reduction in the perception of the risks involved. In this research, we also explore the role of experience in the context of consumers' intention to use online shopping. More specifically, we postulate that online shopping experience has a direct effect as well as an indirect effect on the intention to use online shopping. Experience with online shopping directly increases the consumer's intention to use the Internet to buy products but it also reduces the degree of scepticism and risk aversion, and that in turn, also increases the intention to use online shopping.     

Factors affecting couples' decisions to jointly shop

This paper explores the factors that influence individuals' decisions to jointly shop. Drawing from qualitative interviews and relevant theories, the researchers present a model of couple's likelihood of joint shopping. The model includes utilitarian motives (product purchase relevance and perceived financial risk), hedonic motives (expected shopping pleasure with one's partner), and a situational motive (time availability), along with two moderators (gender and relationship length). Online survey respondents answer questions relative to an experimental scenario involving the purchase of furniture or electronics. Results indicate that while all variables studied are influential, expected shopping pleasure and relevance of the purchase to both parties are the most influential aspects in the decision to shop together. Additionally, for males perceived financial risk has a stronger effect on their decision to jointly shop than it does for females.     

Equity ownership and control of international joint ventures in the retail sector

Abstract

This study examines the relationships that exist between consumers' perceptions of a retail environment and their emotions, satisfaction and behavioural intentions with respect to that shopping setting. A model of these relationships is developed and then tested in two distinct retail settings—shopping centres and traditional retailing areas. The results show that, in general, positive perceptions of a retail environment have a positive influence on positive emotions, on repatronage intentions, and on the desire to remain longer in the shopping area in both retail settings. However, some interesting differences emerge between shopping centres and traditional retailing areas: (i) the internal environment has a stronger effect on emotions in shopping centres than in traditional retailing areas; and (ii) the internal environment has a negative effect in shopping centres on the disposition to pay more.     

Augmented reality in smart retailing: A (n) (A) Symmetric Approach to continuous intention to use retail brands’ mobile AR apps

Smart retailing has recently emerged as a new form of retail brand management enabled by novel technologies such as mobile augmented reality applications, to create better experience and value for customers. Augmented reality has also received significant attention as a growing field in marketing theory and practice. However, there is a limited understanding on how and why customer interactions with an augmented reality app can result in positive customer benefit perception, engagement and behavioural consequences. This study examines the chain of effects from AR attributes on the building blocks of continuous intention to use a shopping AR app and to pay a price premium, by incorporating the roles of a customer's benefits perception, psychological inspiration and engagement via a(n) (A)Symmetric Approach. The results support all direct hypothesised relationships among the variables, except the relationship between interactivity and utilitarian benefits, which was found to be insignificant. The study further demonstrates the moderating role of AR customisation in the proposed model, and reveals that the impact of utilitarian and hedonic benefits on shopping AR application engagement is non-linear. Non-linearity also transpires in the impact of psychological inspiration on willingness to pay price premium. Interestingly, the findings indicate that augmented reality customisation to some extent enhances the relationships in the hypothesised model.     

A comparison of online and offline gender and goal directed shopping online

The aim of this paper is to model the effect of the consumers’ perceptions of their offline and online gendered behaviour on online utilitarian shopping motivation and purchase intentions. We hypothesise that when consumers shop online, their behaviour is mediated by two gendered behaviours, namely offline and online. To test this hypothesis, 515 usable responses were collected in face-to-face interviews. The conceptual model was tested with confirmatory factors analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) across five product categories. Our findings show that the effect of a consumer's perception of their gendered behaviour offline vs. online on online utilitarian shopping motivation and purchase intentions is significantly different. In particular we found that utilitarian shopping motivation online has a significant effect on purchase intentions online mediated by gender (online) overall: strongly for females but not for males. Conversely, utilitarian shopping motivation online has a significant effect on purchase intentions online mediated by gender (offline) for males but not overall and for females.     

Influence of hedonic and utilitarian motivations on retailer loyalty and purchase intention: a facebook perspective

Social networks are an innovative tool that people use to communicate with family, friends and, increasingly, businesses. To optimize social networks as a marketing strategy, apparel retailers must understand consumers׳ motivations to interact with retailers via social media. We argue consumers׳ motivations for shopping on Retail Facebook Pages (RFP) compared to traditional retail formats may differ. The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of utilitarian and hedonic motivations (i.e., time savings, information access, bargain perception, and experiential shopping) on purchase intention and loyalty among consumers that use RFP. Using SEM, we show that experiential shopping influences loyalty, but not purchase intention, that bargain perception influences neither purchase intention nor loyalty, that information access influences time savings and loyalty, and that loyalty impacts purchase intention.     

Route factors influencing trust and attitude toward TV shopping

Television (TV) shopping has notably changed the way people shop today. Due to the high uncertainty and risk associated with TV shopping transactions, trust is crucial to facilitating the adoption of TV shopping. Drawing upon the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), this study examined the effect of route factors on trust and attitude toward TV shopping. While media richness, host interaction, and price fairness act as central cues, ease of payment acts as a peripheral cue. This study employed structural equation modeling, and the sample consisted of 460 TV home shoppers in Taiwan. The results indicated that trust and attitude develop through a dual route that includes a central route and peripheral route. Trust is an important mediator influencing the relationship between route factors and attitude. Moreover, user experience moderates the relationships in the model. Therefore, this study advanced the previous knowledge of the ELM in the context of TV shopping.     

Examining shopping mall consumer decision-making styles,satisfaction and purchase intention

Understanding consumer decision-making (CDM) styles is essential for market segmentation, positioning and crafting marketing strategies within a market. Few studies have examined the structural relationship among decision-making styles that consumers exhibit during mall shopping, level of satisfaction and purchase intention. The purpose of this study was to examine CDM styles as the antecedents and predictors of level of satisfaction and purchase intention. Based on the Consumer Styles Inventory, eight CDM styles that individual exhibit during shopping mall activities are proposed in terms of utilitarian and hedonic perspectives. We hypothesize these eight CDM styles as a set of predictors of customer satisfaction and purchase intention. A total of 327 valid paper-and-pencil questionnaires were collected from several shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Partial least squares (PLS) path modelling approach, a structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was performed to test the proposed structural relationships. The empirical assessment supports that hedonic shopping styles consumers that exhibit high level of habitual, brand consciousness, fashion consciosness, recreational conscious style have lower levels of satisfaction and purchase intention during mall shopping while novelty and fashion conscious style consumers have lower level of satisfaction but do not unveil lower purchase intention. Utilitarian shopping styles consumers that exhibit high level of price conscious, confused by overchoice and high-quality conscious style have higher levels of satisfaction while impulsive/careless shoppers do not; and while price conscious, impulsive/careless, confused by overchoice consumers have higher levels of purchase intention but the high-quality conscious consumers do not unveil higher purchase intention. Further, there is a positive relationship between satisfaction and purchase intention. The practical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Determinants for store-switching in shopping for fresh produce: investigating the mediating role of consumer way of life

The present study addresses store-switching behavior regarding shopping for fresh produce. In particular, the study highlights the role played by a consumer way of life associated with fresh food consumption and explains how it has a mediating effect on consumer intention to switch food stores. A sample consisting of 252 respondents was obtained from the Israeli Arab community. The empirical results of the study indicate that way of life factors have a mediating effect on the influence of store outputs on consumer emotions and behavior intention, thus low outputs for fresh produce will lead to store-switching. However, the findings reveal that dissatisfied consumers may not consider switching due to switching barriers which moderate the influence of perceived dissatisfaction on store-switching. Implications for food retail providers are identified, together with a discussion of the study’s limitations and avenues for future research.     

Understanding the intention to use mobile shopping applications and its influence on price sensitivity

This study employs an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) and the theory of diffusion of innovations (DOI) to understand the intention to use mobile commerce applications for shopping purposes. The variables—perceived enjoyment, perceived risk and personal innovativeness—were added to the original model. The price sensitivity criterion was predicted using the variables—perceived risk, personal innovativeness, satisfaction and the intention to use. An online questionnaire was circulated nationwide through email to verified e-commerce users and a sample of 675 respondents was taken for analysis through structural equation modeling approach. Gender, experience and frequency of using mobile shopping applications were used as moderators for all relationships. Findings of this study reveal that personal innovativeness and perceived risk play a major role in deciding the intention to use mobile shopping applications. Users who are highly innovative and with a higher intention to use mobile shopping applications are less sensitive to price. Various managerial implications including applications to differential pricing, improving adoption pace and segmenting consumers to design marketing strategies are discussed.     

Influences of online store perception,shopping enjoyment,and shopping involvement on consumer patronage behavior towards an online retailer

Online apparel retailers have adopted various types of image interactivity technology (IIT), such as close-up pictures or zoom-in functions, mix-and-match functions, and 3D virtual models to enhance consumers’ online shopping experience. The purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of level of IIT on consumer perception of online retail environment, shopping enjoyment, shopping involvement, a desire to stay, and patronage intention. Significant structural relationships between these research variables were found, supporting a pleasure-oriented conceptual model of consumer patronage behavior in the online retailing environment. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

网上购物意图影响因素实证研究

理解消费者网上购物行为是发展网上购物的前提。本文在对前人研究成果进行回顾和总结的基础上,扩展了相关理论,提出了网上购物意图影响因素理论模型。运用自中国网上消费者的调研数据,使用结构方程模型验证了感知使用方便、感知效用、信任和感知风险等前因变量都显著地影响网上购物态度,购买态度决定购买意图,感知风险的中介效应获得数据支持,并证实了网上消费者的双重使用和购买特征,初步厘清了变量之间复杂的因果关系。