Start Date
11-12-2016 12:00 AM
Description
The rise of new technologies has led companies to offer their products and services on multiple channels. This has turned consumers into multi-channel shoppers and rendered their channel choice unpredictable. Yet, a thorough understanding of multi-channel behavior is needed to influence it appropriately. We conducted a systematic literature review on the determinants of multi-channel behavior with a focus on services, and numerically assessed the research frequency of each behavioral influence. Our results show that multi-channel behavior is influenced by the stage of the buying process, the channel characteristics, the consumer attributes and the product category. Moreover, we discovered that services are under-researched compared to the retail sector. Based on these under-researched areas, we derive three research questions that enhance the knowledge on multi-channel behavior in the service industry. Further, we offer an outlook for an upcoming laboratory experiment.
Recommended Citation
Hummel, Dennis; Schacht, Silvia; and Mädche, Alexander, "Determinants of Multi-Channel Behavior: Exploring Avenues for Future Research in the Services Industry" (2016). ICIS 2016 Proceedings. 9.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2016/HumanBehavior/Presentations/9
Determinants of Multi-Channel Behavior: Exploring Avenues for Future Research in the Services Industry
The rise of new technologies has led companies to offer their products and services on multiple channels. This has turned consumers into multi-channel shoppers and rendered their channel choice unpredictable. Yet, a thorough understanding of multi-channel behavior is needed to influence it appropriately. We conducted a systematic literature review on the determinants of multi-channel behavior with a focus on services, and numerically assessed the research frequency of each behavioral influence. Our results show that multi-channel behavior is influenced by the stage of the buying process, the channel characteristics, the consumer attributes and the product category. Moreover, we discovered that services are under-researched compared to the retail sector. Based on these under-researched areas, we derive three research questions that enhance the knowledge on multi-channel behavior in the service industry. Further, we offer an outlook for an upcoming laboratory experiment.