I “showroom” but “webroom” too: investigating cross-shopping behaviour in a developing nation

Abstract

Purpose: The concepts of showrooming and webrooming have been well researched but majorly from the marketing/economic perspectives. The present study explores the socio-psychological motivations and different types of satisfaction derived from “cross-shopping” behaviour namely, showrooming and webrooming in a developing nation. Design/methodology/approach: The study is exploratory and is conducted using an interpretive approach. The researchers conducted 52 in-depth interviews and the collected data were subjected to open and axial coding to generate the conceptual model. Findings: The findings indicate various motivations of cross-shopping such a habit and the joy of discovery while novel aspects of satisfaction emerge such as process satisfaction and social satisfaction. The findings also revealed contextual moderators of the cross-shopping process. Research limitations/implications: The present study contributes to the domain of cross shopping behaviour by illustrating the social motivators behind the same and novel satisfaction outcomes because of the cross-shopping process. Practical implications: The present study has multiple implications that would enable managers to effectively utilize cross shopping behaviour such understanding of satisfaction beyond those derived from the product only. Originality/value: This is one of the first studies to investigate consumer behaviour related to cross shopping based on psycho-social dimensions.