Multi-channel digital retailing and its impact on mall shopper experience

Abstract

The prevalent use of technology in everyday life has given rise to the ‘connected consumer’, with mall developers having to come up with innovative ideas to meet the expectations of an increasingly discerning and tech-savvy crowd. One such solution lies in the active engagement of shoppers along the consumer life cycle via various digital channels, also known as multi-channel retailing. The objective of this study is two-fold: It seeks to identify how consumer perception of shopping value is affected through interaction with such digital channels, and whether malls with stronger digital presence result in a better shopping experience. By integrating the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) within a larger Stimulus-Organism-Response approach widely practiced in consumer retail behaviour studies, the study attempts to determine the linkage between digital channel usage and shopping experience, based on the result of a structured survey questionnaire with sample size of 285 from 5 Orchard Road malls. The proposed multi-channel framework comprises of 7 factors, namely interactive kiosks, websites/social media, mall mobile applications, large screen LCDs, small screen advertising displays, building facades and interior digital art / lighting. Consumer perception will be based on 4 factors measuring both cognitive and hedonic shopping values, such as perceived usefulness, ease-of-use, enjoyment and control. Empirical evidence obtained indicates a positive linear relationship between digital channel usage and enhancement of shopping experience via multiple regression techniques. Further statistical analysis also proves that the strength of digital presence has an impact on the shopping experience. Serving as the pioneer study on multi-channel digital retailing within the Singapore mallscape, this research sheds valuable insight on the role of technology in today’s shopping environment, opening the door to further studies in this area of research.