Influence of individual characteristics on whether and how much consumers engage in showrooming behavior

摘要

This article investigates a set of individual characteristics that can explain whether and how much a consumer engages in showrooming behavior. The authors conceptualized and empirically examined certain variables' impact on both showrooming probability as well as the extent of behavior. The variables under consideration include consumers' involvement, prior knowledge, perceived risk, price consciousness, Internet usage, access device usage, and certain demographic variables. The results reveal that involvement and price consciousness significantly explain whether a consumer is a potential showroomer. Further, showrooming frequency is found to be affected by prior knowledge, perceived risk, price consciousness, Internet usage, access devise usage, and age. Some implications are discussed regarding how retailers can handle showrooming.