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Revisiting the showrooming effect on online and offline retailers: The strategic role of in-store service

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  • Wang, Junbin
  • Wang, Shanshan

Abstract

This study revisits the showrooming effect on online and offline retailers and is the first to examine the strategic role of in-store service in this regard. Considering the effect of in-store service in attracting consumers to offline channels and the showrooming effect of persuading offline consumers to purchase online, we propose a model consisting of two firms, a brick-and-mortar (BM) store and an e-tailer that can invest the staff or facilities necessary to deliver in-store services to consumers. Based on the service decisions, the two firms make their pricing decisions. We compare the optimal decisions of retailers in the cases without and with showrooming to explore the interaction between in-store service and showrooming. Our findings indicate that when a customer bears a high travel cost to visit the BM store, the store should lower the price, and improving the in-store service is ineffective in countering the consumer's showrooming behavior. Moreover, the service level in the case with showrooming can be either higher or lower than in the case without, and the outcome mainly depends on the efficiency of the service investment. Interestingly, in-store services can lead to a win–win situation for both online and offline retailers with showrooming. This study can also be extended to the case of powerful e-tailers or competing BM stores.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Junbin & Wang, Shanshan, 2022. "Revisiting the showrooming effect on online and offline retailers: The strategic role of in-store service," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:66:y:2022:i:c:s0969698921004501
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102884
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. 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).
    3. Guo, Xiongfei & Chen, Jing, 2023. "Manufacturer’s quality improvement and Retailer’s In-store service in the presence of customer returns," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    4. Xie, Chaohong & Chiang, Chung-Yean & Xu, Xianhao & Gong, Yeming, 2023. "The impact of buy-online-and-return-in-store channel integration on online and offline behavioral intentions: The role of offline store," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    5. Wei, Jie & Chang, Meijing & Zhao, Jing, 2023. "Price matching and product differentiation strategies considering showrooming," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).

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