 Understanding multichannel shopper journey configuration: An application of goal theoryPatricia Harris, Dall’Olmo Riley, Francesca and Chris Hand Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 2018, vol. 44, issue C, 108-117 Abstract: Shopping motivation is the dominant theoretical framework upon which shopping behaviour research is based. A shopper's motivation is assumed to be fixed and enduring, implying, in turn, homogeneity of shopper journeys. This paper reports on an exploratory, qualitative study of 76 multichannel shopper journeys. Heterogeneity of individual consumers’ shopper journey configuration, in terms of numbers and types of phases and channels, was found both within and across product categories, which cannot be accounted for by motivation theory. For an individual shopper, multichannel shopper journey configuration appears to be driven by multiple goals operating at varying levels of abstraction. Higher level goals are relatively stable but lower level goals vary over time, place and context resulting in heterogeneity of journey configuration. Goal theory is proposed as a more suitable lens through which to examine multichannel shopping behaviour, overcoming the deficiencies inherent in shopping motivation theory. Keywords: Shopper journey; Multichannel shopping; Goal theory; Motivation theory; Shopping motivation (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:joreco:v:44:y:2018:i:c:p:108-117 DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2018.06.005 Access Statistics for this article Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services is currently edited by Harry Timmermans More articles in Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services from Elsevier |
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