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Understanding consumers’ paths to webrooming: A complexity approach

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  • Aw, Eugene Cheng-Xi

Abstract

Webrooming (practice whereby products are researched online before making an offline purchase) has been recognized as a prevalent form of cross-channel shopping behavior. Grounded in complexity and configuration theories, this study examines how different causal conditions determine webrooming intention. Required data was obtained from a purposive sample through paper surveys, and was analyzed using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The findings reveal three configurations in which different combinations of product, consumer, and channel factors may interact in different ways to explain high webrooming intention. Notably, product involvement was identified as the core condition in all configuration paths. This study enriches the theoretical foundations of webrooming behavior, and the findings yielded are expected to assist retailers in developing better-targeted strategies in dealing with this increasingly prevalent cross-channel behavior.

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  • Aw, Eugene Cheng-Xi, 2020. "Understanding consumers’ paths to webrooming: A complexity approach," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:53:y:2020:i:c:s0969698919309646
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.101991
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    1. Heitz-Spahn, Sandrine & Belaud, Lydie & Ferrandi, Jean-Marc, 2024. "A regulatory focus theory approach to understanding cross-channel free-riding behaviour," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    2. Sun, Yang, 2021. "Case based models of the relationship between consumer resistance to innovation and customer churn," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    3. Tueanrat, Yanika & Papagiannidis, Savvas & Alamanos, Eleftherios, 2021. "A conceptual framework of the antecedents of customer journey satisfaction in omnichannel retailing," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    4. Aw, Eugene Cheng-Xi & Kamal Basha, Norazlyn & Ng, Siew Imm & Ho, Jo Ann, 2021. "Searching online and buying offline: Understanding the role of channel-, consumer-, and product-related factors in determining webrooming intention," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    5. Blömker, Jan & Albrecht, Carmen-Maria, 2024. "Psychographic segmentation of multichannel customers: investigating the influence of individual differences on channel choice and switching behavior," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    6. Aw, Eugene Cheng-Xi & Tan, Garry Wei-Han & Cham, Tat-Huei & Raman, Ramakrishnan & Ooi, Keng-Boon, 2022. "Alexa, what's on my shopping list? Transforming customer experience with digital voice assistants," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    7. Jebarajakirthy, Charles & Das, Manish & Shah, Dhara & Shankar, Amit, 2021. "Deciphering in-store-online switching in multi-channel retailing context: Role of affective commitment to purchase situation," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    8. Sham, Rohana & Chong, Han Xi & Cheng-Xi Aw, Eugene & Bibi Tkm Thangal, Thahira & Abdamia, Noranita binti, 2023. "Switching up the delivery game: Understanding switching intention to retail drone delivery services," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    9. Shankar, Amit & Jain, Sheetal, 2021. "Factors affecting luxury consumers’ webrooming intention: A moderated-mediation approach," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    10. Loh, Xiu-Ming & Lee, Voon-Hsien & Leong, Lai-Ying & Aw, Eugene Cheng-Xi & Cham, Tat-Huei & Tang, Yun-Chia & Hew, Jun-Jie, 2023. "Understanding consumers’ resistance to pay with cryptocurrency in the sharing economy: A hybrid SEM-fsQCA approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    11. Kautish, Pradeep & Paul, Justin & Sharma, Rajesh, 2021. "The effect of assortment and fulfillment on shopping assistance and efficiency: An e-tail servicescape perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    12. Vipul Patel, 2024. "Profiling ROPO Shoppers: Shopping Value Perspective," Business Perspectives and Research, , vol. 12(3), pages 344-360, July.
    13. Li, Fajin & Cheng-Xi Aw, Eugene & Wei-Han Tan, Garry & Cham, Tat-Huei & Ooi, Keng-Boon, 2022. "The Eureka moment in understanding luxury brand purchases! A non-linear fsQCA-ANN approach," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    14. Alyahya, Mansour & Agag, Gomaa & Aliedan, Meqbel & Abdelmoety, Ziad Hassan & Daher, Maya Mostafa, 2023. "A sustainable step forward: Understanding factors affecting customers’ behaviour to purchase remanufactured products," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).

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