IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/joreco/v78y2024ics0969698924000456.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A regulatory focus theory approach to understanding cross-channel free-riding behaviour

Author

Listed:
  • Heitz-Spahn, Sandrine
  • Belaud, Lydie
  • Ferrandi, Jean-Marc

Abstract

In a competitive omni-channel retail environment, consumers can easily compare products and prices across retailers and channels, thus adopting cross-channel free-riding behaviors such as “showrooming" and "webrooming". This study examines the similarities and differences between showrooming and webrooming by investigating the higher-order motivations that drive individuals' decisions. Two components of consumer regulatory orientation are considered: the intensity of regulatory orientation and the type of regulation (promotion/prevention). The results of a questionnaire survey of 700 respondents show, firstly, that high intensity of regulatory orientation explains channel and retailer switching. Secondly, while showroomers and webroomers share the same level of prevention orientation, they differ in their promotion orientation. Showroomers are more promotion-oriented than webroomers, which means that they take more risks to achieve their goal, may delay their purchase if this allows them to find a more suitable offer, and break the rules more than webroomers. Finally, this study identifies a segment of consumers who are accustomed to adopting both behaviors. These findings have several relevant managerial implications for omnichannel retailers in terms of customer segmentation and communication strategy.

Suggested Citation

  • 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).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:78:y:2024:i:c:s0969698924000456
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.103749
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698924000456
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.103749?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fassnacht, Martin & Beatty, Sharon E. & Szajna, Markus, 2019. "Combating the negative effects of showrooming: Successful salesperson tactics for converting showroomers into buyers," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 131-139.
    2. Heitz-Spahn, Sandrine, 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, Elsevier, vol. 20(6), pages 570-578.
    3. Pham, Michel Tuan & Avnet, Tamar, 2009. "Contingent reliance on the affect heuristic as a function of regulatory focus," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 108(2), pages 267-278, March.
    4. Punam A. Keller, 2006. "Regulatory Focus and Efficacy of Health Messages," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 33(1), pages 109-114, June.
    5. Sandrine Heitz-Spahn, 2013. "Cross-channel free-riding consumer behavior in a multichannel environment: An investigation of shopping motives, sociodemographics and product categories," Post-Print hal-01369291, HAL.
    6. Rui (Juliet) Zhu & Joan Meyers-Levy, 2007. "Exploring the Cognitive Mechanism that Underlies Regulatory Focus Effects," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 34(1), pages 89-96, April.
    7. Frasquet, Marta & Miquel-Romero, Maria-Jose, 2021. "Competitive (versus loyal) showrooming: An application of the push-pull-mooring framework," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    8. Park, Hyewon & Hur, Won-Moo, 2023. "Customer showrooming behavior, customer orientation, and emotional labor: Sales control as a moderator," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 72(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. Aw, Eugene Cheng-Xi, 2020. "Understanding consumers’ paths to webrooming: A complexity approach," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    11. Herbert A. Simon, 1955. "A Behavioral Model of Rational Choice," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 69(1), pages 99-118.
    12. Kokho Sit, Jason & Hoang, Anna & Inversini, Alessandro, 2018. "Showrooming and retail opportunities: A qualitative investigation via a consumer-experience lens," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 163-174.
    13. Gensler, Sonja & Neslin, Scott A. & Verhoef, Peter C., 2017. "The Showrooming Phenomenon: It's More than Just About Price," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 29-43.
    14. Sandrine Heitz-Spahn, 2013. "Cross-channel free-riding consumer behavior in a multichannel environment: An investigation of shopping motives, sociodemographics and product categories," Post-Print hal-03010102, HAL.
    15. Santos, Susana & Gonçalves, Helena Martins, 2019. "Multichannel consumer behaviors in the mobile environment: Using fsQCA and discriminant analysis to understand webrooming motivations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 757-766.
    16. Carolina Werle & S. Boesen Mariani & M.-L. Gavard-Perret & Stéphanie Berthaud, 2012. "Prévention de l'obésité auprès des adolescents : l'efficacité de l'argument " risque social " sur les intentions et comportements alimentaires," Grenoble Ecole de Management (Post-Print) halshs-00848943, HAL.
    17. Dennis W. Carlton & Judith A. Chevalier, 2001. "Free Riding and Sales Strategies for the Internet," NBER Chapters, in: E-commerce, pages 441-461, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    18. Fiestas, Jorge Carlos & Tuzovic, Sven, 2021. "Mobile-assisted showroomers: Understanding their purchase journey and personalities," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    19. Arnold, Mark J. & Reynolds, Kristy E., 2009. "Affect and Retail Shopping Behavior: Understanding the Role of Mood Regulation and Regulatory Focus," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 85(3), pages 308-320.
    20. Carolina Werle & S. Boesen Mariani & M.-L. Gavard-Perret & Stéphanie Berthaud, 2012. "Prévention de l'obésité auprès des adolescents : l'efficacité de l'argument " risque social " sur les intentions et comportements alimentaires," Post-Print halshs-00848943, HAL.
    21. Rapp, Adam & Baker, Thomas L. & Bachrach, Daniel G. & Ogilvie, Jessica & Beitelspacher, Lauren Skinner, 2015. "Perceived customer showrooming behavior and the effect on retail salesperson self-efficacy and performance," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 91(2), pages 358-369.
    22. 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).
    23. Crowe, Ellen & Higgins, E. Tory, 1997. "Regulatory Focus and Strategic Inclinations: Promotion and Prevention in Decision-Making," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 117-132, February.
    24. Daunt, Kate L. & Harris, Lloyd C., 2017. "Consumer showrooming: Value co-destruction," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 166-176.
    25. Thomas P. Novak & Donna L. Hoffman, 2009. "The Fit of Thinking Style and Situation: New Measures of Situation-Specific Experiential and Rational Cognition," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 36(1), pages 56-72, June.
    26. P. Cottet & J.M. Ferrandi & Marie-Christine Lichtlé & V. Plichon, 2015. "Premiers tests d’une échelle de mesure de l’orientation régulatrice du consommateur," Post-Print hal-02078505, HAL.
    27. Schneider, Patricia J. & Zielke, Stephan, 2021. "Price versus service: Can retailers beat showrooming with competence?," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    28. Konuş, Umut & Verhoef, Peter C. & Neslin, Scott A., 2008. "Multichannel Shopper Segments and Their Covariates," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 84(4), pages 398-413.
    29. 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).
    30. Ford, John B. & Merchant, Altaf & Bartier, Anne-Laure & Friedman, Mike, 2018. "The cross-cultural scale development process: The case of brand-evoked nostalgia in Belgium and the United States," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 19-29.
    31. Khajehzadeh, Saman & Oppewal, Harmen & Tojib, Dewi, 2014. "Consumer responses to mobile coupons: The roles of shopping motivation and regulatory fit," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(11), pages 2447-2455.
    32. Flavián, Carlos & Gurrea, Raquel & Orús, Carlos, 2019. "Feeling Confident and Smart with Webrooming: Understanding the Consumer's Path to Satisfaction," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 1-15.
    33. Jingjing Ma & Neal J. Roese, 2014. "The Maximizing Mind-Set," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 41(1), pages 71-92.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. 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).
    2. Neslin, Scott A., 2022. "The omnichannel continuum: Integrating online and offline channels along the customer journey," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 98(1), pages 111-132.
    3. Luis-Edwin Chimborazo-Azogue & Marta Frasquet & Alejandro Molla-Descals & Maria-Jose Miquel-Romero, 2021. "Understanding Mobile Showrooming Based on a Technology Acceptance and Use Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-17, June.
    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. Flavián, Carlos & Gurrea, Raquel & Orús, Carlos, 2020. "Combining channels to make smart purchases: The role of webrooming and showrooming," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    6. Aw, Eugene Cheng-Xi, 2020. "Understanding consumers’ paths to webrooming: A complexity approach," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    7. Schneider, Patricia J. & Zielke, Stephan, 2020. "Searching offline and buying online – An analysis of showrooming forms and segments," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    8. Li, Yanran & Li, Bo & Zheng, Wei & Chen, Xue, 2021. "Reveal or hide? Impact of demonstration on pricing decisions considering showrooming behavior," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    9. Frasquet, Marta & Miquel-Romero, Maria-Jose, 2021. "Competitive (versus loyal) showrooming: An application of the push-pull-mooring framework," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    10. Viejo-Fernández, Nuria & Sanzo-Pérez, María José & Vázquez-Casielles, Rodolfo, 2020. "Is showrooming really so terrible? start understanding showroomers," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    11. Subrata Mitra, 2022. "Economic models of price competition between traditional and online retailing under showrooming," DECISION: Official Journal of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Springer;Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, vol. 49(1), pages 29-63, March.
    12. Park, Hyewon & Hur, Won-Moo, 2023. "Customer showrooming behavior, customer orientation, and emotional labor: Sales control as a moderator," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    13. Schneider, Patricia J. & Zielke, Stephan, 2021. "Price versus service: Can retailers beat showrooming with competence?," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    14. 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).
    15. Wang, Chong & Wang, Yanqing & Wang, Jixiao & Xiao, Jiuling & Liu, Jian, 2021. "Factors influencing consumers' purchase decision-making in O2O business model: Evidence from consumers' overall evaluation," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    16. Vipul Patel, 2024. "Profiling ROPO Shoppers: Shopping Value Perspective," Business Perspectives and Research, , vol. 12(3), pages 344-360, July.
    17. Flavián, Carlos & Gurrea, Raquel & Orús, Carlos, 2019. "Feeling Confident and Smart with Webrooming: Understanding the Consumer's Path to Satisfaction," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 1-15.
    18. Fassnacht, Martin & Beatty, Sharon E. & Szajna, Markus, 2019. "Combating the negative effects of showrooming: Successful salesperson tactics for converting showroomers into buyers," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 131-139.
    19. Fiestas, Jorge Carlos & Tuzovic, Sven, 2021. "Mobile-assisted showroomers: Understanding their purchase journey and personalities," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    20. María Alesanco-Llorente & Eva Reinares-Lara & Jorge Pelegrín-Borondo & Cristina Olarte-Pascual, 2023. "The mobile-assisted showroomer’s dilemma: where to buy? Actions to prevent sales leakage," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-8, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:78:y:2024:i:c:s0969698924000456. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-retailing-and-consumer-services .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.