Multi-Channel Retailing: Function of Consumers' Perceived Benefits and Costs and Retail Synergy

• Main Author: Pookulangara, Sanjukta Arun
• Other Authors: Kim, Youn-Kyung
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: University of North Texas 2003
• Subjects: Retail trade.; Marketing channels.; Multi-channel retailing; consumer shopping; benefits and costs; retail synergy
• Online Access: https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4188/

This study investigated the consumers' intention towards multi-channel shopping and the function of synergy in a multi-channel retailing format (i.e., brick-and-mortar stores, catalogs, and the Internet). Two questionnaires were developed, one for the multi-channel consumers and the other for the multi-channel retailers. The structural equation modeling was used to predict the effect of shopping benefits and costs perceived from each channel on the consumer's purchase intention. Data analysis (N = 500) indicated that the purchase intentions were affected by different shopping benefit and cost variables. Qualitative analysis of retailers (N= 10) revealed that the retailers considered synergy to be an important part of their multi-channels. Also, there existed a high level of synergy among the existing three retail channels.