Technology, for example, Personalized Technology Services (PTS), has groomed consumers to expect an integrated and personalized shopping experience regardless of the channels, such as websites, mobile apps, physical stores, etc. PTS refers to technologies that offer personalization functions to meet customer needs at the time of their shopping for a seamless experience. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of retailer mobile apps’ PTS in consumers’ omnichannel shopping experiences by: (1) identifying PTS values specific to retail mobile apps for in-store shopping and (2) testing the PTS values – channel integration – consumer responses links based on Information Integration Theory (IIT). We first proposed that PTS via mobile apps holds various positive values. Second, we postulated four hypotheses: H1. PTS values enhance the integration of PTS values, H2. Integration of PTS values positively affects customer engagement, H3. Customer engagement positively affects customer satisfaction and H4. Customer engagement mediates the relationship between integration and customer satisfaction. Two web-based survey studies were employed with US consumers who had an experience with mobile app-mediated PTS offered by retailers. For study 1, a total of 239 US consumers participated in the survey. Study 1 identified five value dimensions of the app-mediated PTS: hedonic value, utilitarian value, self-efficacy, co-creation, and synchronicity. For study 2, a total of 373 US participants completed the survey. Study 2 confirmed the proposed structural model that PTS values positively affected channel integration which, in turn, positively influenced customer engagement and shopping satisfaction. Additionally, customer engagement partially mediated the effect of integration on shopping satisfaction. This study expanded the literature on omnichannel retailing by exploring consumer in-store shopping experience using retail mobile apps from PTS and channel integration perspectives. Practically, the study findings provided insights for marketers into how to design the retailers’ mobile apps to enhance the integrated shopping experience of consumers.
This study aimed to investigate the influence of consumers' innovativeness, perceived benefits of home shopping mobile apps, and satisfaction with telephone orders on switching to and satisfaction with such apps (for those who have used these apps). This study also investigated the influence of the aforementioned factors on the intention to switch to home shopping mobile apps (for those who have not used these apps). Data were collected from 546 customers ranging in age from 18 to 59 with experience purchasing fashion goods from home shopping networks, and 502 of the questionnaires were used in the statistical analyses. Structure equation models were employed using AMOS 23.0. The results were as follows: for consumers experienced with home shopping mobile apps, their innovativeness and perceived benefits of such apps (convenience, usefulness) influenced their switching behavior. Additionally, consumers' innovativeness and perceived benefits of these apps (usefulness, accessibility, interactiveness) affected their satisfaction with the apps. For those not experienced with home shopping mobile apps, consumers' innovativeness and perceived benefits of the apps (interactiveness, security, enjoyment) influenced their intention to switch to these apps. These results indicate that different strategies should be developed for home shopping consumers experienced and inexperienced with these apps for the improvement of app satisfaction.
Purpose : The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of the attributes of mobile shopping apps on the purchase intention of fashion products in the steadily growing mobile commerce market and analyze the mediation effect of shopping flow. Research design, data and methodology : In this study, a survey was conducted on users in their 20s to 50s who had experience of fashion products via mobile shopping apps. The questionnaire was analyzed on the final 507. The research issues were verified using Frequency analysis, Exploratory factor analysis, Reliability analysis, Confirmatory factor analysis, and Structural equation model. Results : Among the attributes of mobile shopping apps, reliability, enjoyment and ease of use were found to have a significant impact on shopping flow and fashion product purchase intention, while shopping flow had a significant impact on fashion product purchase intention. Product diversity and usefulness of shopping apps didn’t show a significant effect. After examining the mediation effect, reliability, enjoyment, and ease of use were shown to have indirect effects by showing partial mediation effects. Conclusions : Studies show that consumers are not putting much emphasis on how diverse a product line is available and how useful a mobile shopping app is when they shop for fashion products on mobile devices. Factors that affect consumers’ purchase intention are reliability, enjoyment and ease of use of shopping apps. These results shows that it is important to provide reliable information about fashion products, provide reliability to customers by setting up means for safe transactions, and provide a wider variety of services and information to make using the mobile shopping app enjoyable. In addition, there is a need to make it easy to find a fashion product that consumers like and make it easy to purchase when consumers find out fashion products that they like, and to configure how to use the app easily. Consequently, consumers become immersed in shopping which is also able to improve consumers’ purchase intention on fashion products when a reliable, enjoyable and easy to use mobile shopping app is provided.