Consumer satisfaction with a mass customized Internet apparel shopping site

The present empirically examined customer satisfaction with Internet sites that vary in the opportunity for mass customization. The expectation–disconfirmation model was used as a theatrical framework of the study. Two children's apparel sites were developed as the stimuli: one with a mid level of interactivity and the other with a high level of interactivity, for selection of clothing design options. The data from 208 respondents were analyzed using LISREL 8.72. The finding indicates that both consumers' expectations and perceived performances for the mass customized sites included positive and negative aspects. The results suggest that expectations were not a significant predictor of satisfaction for this innovative shopping experience yet satisfaction was primarily driven by the performance of the site and predicted by disconfirmation of expectations. The findings also suggest that expectations are not related to performance perceptions, possibly due to consumers' lack of familiarity with mass customization. The more interactive site yielded the more positive performance as well as overall positive satisfaction. Nevertheless, the less interactive site, which offers fewer choices than more interactive site, yielded more positive behavioural consequences. The generalization of the results of this study is limited because of lack of random sampling and use of the mock site of children's apparel product category. However, useful theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Consumer vulnerability and the transformative potential of Internet shopping: An exploratory case study

Abstract

Ten million individuals in the UK who suffer from long-term illness, impairments, or disability can be considered as vulnerable consumers (Office for Disability Issues, 2010 Office for Disability Issues (2010). General Demographics. http://www.officefordisability.gov.uk/disability-statistics-and-research/disability-facts-and-figures.php#gd (http://www.officefordisability.gov.uk/disability-statistics-and-research/disability-facts-and-figures.php#gd) (Accessed: 1 February 2011).  [Google Scholar]). Despite this, there are few studies on the use of the Internet for grocery shopping by the disabled and none which offers an understanding of the multiple facets of consumer vulnerability. The purpose of this study is to contextualise the use of the Internet for grocery shopping using an exploratory case to provide fresh insights into the ‘actual’ vulnerability of ‘Danni’ – a disabled housewife and mother. The consumer-focussed methods used here were combined multiple complementary approaches. The findings illustrate that whilst the use of the Internet reduces the impracticalities of shopping in-store, the normalcy afforded to Danni through shopping in-store (including her sense of self) was not met by the technological offerings. The paradoxes associated with using online provision and the strategies adopted to manage these by Danni demonstrate engagement/disengagement and assimilation/isolation. Policy implications and insights for retailers are provided.     

Consumer price awareness in food shopping: the case of quantity surcharges

Quantity surcharges, higher unit prices on larger sizes than smaller sizes, are often found among grocery items. In this study we consider the question of why consumers buy surcharged goods. We hypothesize that it is the consequence of a failure to price search, and that some buyers purchase larger sizes in the belief they are cheaper, thus avoiding the need for price comparisons. In the analysis we examine canned tuna, using 1990 data from 54 grocery regions on sales, prices, and consumer demographics. Results support the hypothesis. We find evidence that buyers of surcharged items are mainly those with high time and information costs.     

Beyond adoption: sustaining online shopping

Online retailing has the potential to offer remote areas a wider marketplace for their retail products and also a concomitant increase in income. Drawing on secondary Internet-based research, this paper considers the fortunes and future of online retailing in a number of the remote British Overseas Territories. It will become apparent that Internet retailing is an important strategic option for retailers in such isolated locations, but greater attention needs to be paid to issues surrounding operations and logistics, payment systems and merchandising. It is also seen how, despite its apparent ‘placelessness’, the Internet and associated online selling cannot escape the realities of space and distance.     

Consumer technology traits in determining mobile shopping adoption: An application of the extended theory of planned behavior

An extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model was examined within the context of mobile shopping with moderating effects of three consumer technology traits (i.e., technology self-efficacy, technology innovativeness, and level of experience of use). Among the beliefs of the extended TPB, perceived enjoyment was the strongest determinant creating a favorable attitude toward mobile shopping adoption. The results supported that consumers differ in levels of technology traits in mobile shopping adoption behavior. Implications are provided to assist in predicting potential mobile consumer adoption behavior and in designing favorable mobile shopping environments that can be compatible with the consumer characteristics.     

Consumer shopping value: An investigation of shopping trip value,in-store shopping value and retail format

Although delivering value is the key for retailers to create new competitive advantages, the literature on consumer shopping value is fragmented and findings are inconsistent. This study aimed to understand consumer shopping value in-depth by examining consumer shopping processes and experiences in two retail formats: mass merchandisers and department stores. This study conceptualizes consumer shopping value as having two components: shopping trip value and in-store shopping value. Shopping trip value is originated by fulfillment of general shopping motivations, and in-store shopping value stems from retail elements that create in-store shopping experiences that consumers have in specific retail contexts. Five shopping trip value dimensions and six in-store shopping value dimensions are identified from the in-depth interviews. The findings highlight how consumer shopping value is a complex and context specific construct.     

Mobile shopping intensity: Consumer demographics and motivations

PurposeTo investigate how consumer demographics and motivations may influence their mobile shopping intensity.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was developed to collect data using SurveyMonkey's online shopper panel. The final sample consisted of 937 mobile shoppers. Linear regression analysis was performed to test the hypotheses.FindingsConsumers' education and income levels significantly increase their number of mobile purchases, their frequency of purchases, and the amount of money spent on mobile purchases. Males have been found to spend more on mobile shopping than females, while younger people made more mobile purchases than older people. This study also identifies six types of motivations that drive consumers’ mobile shopping intensity, including convenience seeking, bargain hunting, enjoyment seeking, perceived usefulness, ease of use, and innovativeness.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research may examine additional motivational measures and situational factors and conduct cross-cultural studies.Practical implicationsFindings from this study can help businesses develop their mobile shopping strategies.Originality/valueThis is the first study to investigate how consumer demographics and motivations may influence their mobile shopping intensity.     

The impact of internet adoption upon the shopping behaviour of island residents

Despite numerous studies of on-line shopping behaviour, the impact that the internet has had upon island communities remains largely unexplored. This is despite previous research highlighting the difficulties island residents encounter when attempting to access goods and services. This qualitative, exploratory research study interviews individuals across three UK island groups and examines the extent to which on-line provision has reconfigured the purchasing behaviour of local residents. The findings confirm that internet usage is widespread and that a broad range of products are purchased on-line. However the paper maintains that these findings underplay the significance of e-retailing. The internet has had a much more profound impact upon island consumers and the benefits that are derived from on-line availability extend beyond the reconfiguration of shopping patterns. The findings illustrate that the benefits that have accrued from internet adoption have fundamentally transformed the lives of many individuals. It has acted as a liberating mechanism that has positively impacted upon domestic undertakings and socio-cultural activities.     

Consumer choice of retail shopping aids

This research investigates how consumer and product category attributes affect consumer interest in using various shopping aids. Research hypotheses were proposed based on a contingency framework of the relationship between consumer characteristics (i.e., purchase need, product knowledge, and brand preference heterogeneity) and shopping aid solutions (expanded selection, additional product information, personalization, and evaluative information). The findings demonstrated the importance of considering consumer characteristics when retailers design and provide shopping aids for consumers to facilitate purchase completion.     

Consumer socialization process: The role of age in children's online shopping behavior

The aims of this research are to develop an understanding of children perception of online shopping and to explore the extent of its adoption within the retail sector. This study also endeavors to investigate the role of age in the development of children's perceptions of online purchase. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 35 children aged 8–15 years old, and 28 parents in Australia. Template analysis was carried out to analyse the data. The results show that children aged 8–11 and aged 12–15 were different in their behavior and perceptions of online shopping. The results from the interviews suggest that the level of children's online shopping varies and is influenced by many factors, such as age, parental guidance, social networks, and peer influence. The gap in the knowledge of cyberspace also resulted in the reverse-socialization and granted more power for children. In addition, social media have become an emerging influential socialization agent strengthened by early use of the Internet. In terms of the originality, the study provides empirical evidence relating to children's perceptions and behavior in the online environment as consumers, which remain under-researched in the marketing literature. Moreover, the role of children’s age was incorporated in the study, allowing more insights to be obtained.     

Consumer perceptions of online shopping environments: A gestalt approach

Although Web pages and sites consist of a multitude of individual cues, this paper argues that marketers need a gestalt approach to understand how consumers perceive online shopping environments. Following a systematic review of the literature on categorizations of online shopping environments, this paper develops and tests a gestalt model of consumer perceptions of online shopping environments. The model shows that consumers perceive online shopping environments in terms of their sense‐making and exploratory potential. It encompasses perceptions at the level of both individual pages and the experience consisting of the navigation through a succession of pages accessed during one visit. It also accounts for the informational needs all shoppers possess, reflected in the central role of information in online shopping environments. The model confirms the importance of the three main categories investigated in the literature (ease of understanding, informativeness, and involving qualities), but provides a theoretically grounded explanation of how consumers perceive online shopping environments holistically. It can form a basis from which to envisage organismic and behavioral responses. ©2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Consumer emotions: Determinants and outcomes in a shopping mall

The present study aims to provide a deeper understanding of consumers’ emotions in a shopping mall by taking into account its two dimensions i.e. pleasure and arousal. The conceptual model is developed by considering a few unexamined determinants (namely perceived human and spatial mall crowding, promotional events, and co-visitors) and outcomes (namely repatronage and positive word-of-mouth) of arousal and pleasure. The responses (n=346) are collected by using a mall-intercept technique. Results of structural equation modeling reveal positive linkages between determinants and outcomes of pleasure and arousal. Overall, the work extends and complements the extant literature by delineating the role of various social cues and promotional cues on consumers’ pleasure and arousal in a shopping mall setting. Theoretical and managerial implications are further discussed.     

Consumer responses to mobile coupons: The roles of shopping motivation and regulatory fit

Retailers increasingly use mobile coupon services to deliver promotional offers to consumers. This paper draws on the theory of regulatory focus to explain mobile coupon redemption. The paper proposes that redemption depends on the extent to which a mobile coupon requires consumers to divert from their focal shopping motivation. Regulatory fit, the perception of receiving an offer that is relevant to consumers' regulatory goals, mediates this divergence effect, but only for utilitarian shoppers. Results from two scenario experiments support the main hypothesis and show that utilitarian shoppers perceive greater regulatory fit when an offer is compatible with their focal shopping motivation. In contrast, hedonic shoppers perceive no difference in regulatory fit when an offer diverts them from their focal shopping motivation. This explains why hedonic shoppers redeem a wider variety of offers than utilitarian shoppers and why utilitarian shoppers require more personalization to generate coupon redemption.     

The Internet and International Consumer Markets

ABSTRACT

The Internet provides consumers around the world with a new mechanism for expanding and enhancing the information used to evaluate products and a new channel for making purchases. The purpose of this paper is to explore the implications of this new information environment for global markets. The critical role that information access plays in shaping global markets is examined. Implications for research on consumers in global markets are drawn.     

Consumer orientations of secondhand fashion shoppers: The role of shopping frequency and store type

As demand for secondhand fashion grows, the objective of this study is to examine consumer orientations of secondhand shoppers to determine whether they differ by shopping frequency, and store type. Hypotheses were developed for orientations of frugality, ecological-consciousness, materialism, nostalgia-proneness, style-consciousness and fashion-consciousness. A quantitative online survey of female-identifying participants (N = 515) was administered. All consumer orientations, except materialism, varied according to secondhand shopping frequency and store type. Orientations generally increased with shopping frequency. Nostalgia-proneness was associated with shopping at thrift stores, ecological-consciousness was associated with consignment stores and markets, and style-consciousness was consistent across shoppers for all store types.     

Value‐driven Internet shopping: The mental accounting theory perspective

When faced with competition and the ease with which customers can compare prices across sellers, Internet vendors often lower prices in a bid to increase sales. However, recent research reports that even price‐sensitive customers do not always purchase from Internet vendors offering the lowest prices. In contrast, value has been considered a key motivator of customer decision making in economics and marketing. However, little is known about the role and effect of value in Internet shopping. This study examines online customer purchase decision making from the value perspective based on mental accounting theory. This study also identifies monetary (perceived price) and non‐monetary (perceived risk, convenience, and pleasure) determinants of value. This study further explains how the individual determinants affect online purchase decision making directly and indirectly though value perception. The findings of this study offer Internet vendors practical suggestions for increasing online sales. This study, with its results, also helps advance knowledge of electronic commerce. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Looking at Gen Y shopping preferences and intentions: exploring the role of experience and apparel involvement

Apparel retailers need more information to reach and increase patronage from Generation Y with $150 billion purchasing power. Experiential retailing, involving one or more of the five senses, helps create utilitarian and hedonic benefits for brick‐and‐mortar apparel shoppers. However, little is known about how Generation Y responds to experiential strategies. This study of Generation Y brick‐and‐mortar apparel shoppers, using a cohort approach, seeks to determine which dimensions of a shopping experience, as well as shopping involvement level and demographics, are associated with store preference and patronage intent.     

Inclusive apparel shopping experiences for older consumers in China: product attributes and retail environment

ABSTRACT

The study explored apparel shopping experiences of older Chinese consumers, which integrate apparel product and retail environment aspects from an inclusive strategy perspective. Research questions include: What factors contribute to older Chinese consumers’ satisfaction and dissatisfaction? What are the major implications of older consumers’ (dis)satisfying shopping experience? What role can fashion practitioners play to make the retail environment and apparel products more accessible to the aging segment? Critical Incident techniques were used for data collection at a community park in Beijing. A total of 151 usable critical incidents from 84 older Chinese informants (55 years and older) were included in the data analysis. Content analysis with deductive qualitative data analysis method was used. Findings suggest that the older Chinese consumers assess their shopping experiences largely based on shopping outcome achieved (product purchased). This is in contrast to the movement toward more experiential focus in the developed markets in the recent decades. A significant number of tangible product attributes (including design/styling, comfortability/fit, and material) and intangible attributes (such as price and product assortment) contributed to the older Chinese informants’ satisfying or dissatisfying shopping experience. Aspects related to retail environment, including retail atmospherics and service quality were also important, but to a lesser extent than product attributes. This study represents an early attempt to explore how the tangible and intangible aspects of product attributes and retail environment contribute to the aging Chinese consumer’s shopping experience. Findings of the Chinese older consumers’ utilitarian, rather than experiential focus in their shopping experience evaluation provide insights on this market segment and valuable implications are developed.