A Collaborative Channel Strategy of Physical and Virtual Stores for Look-and-feel Products

Some consumers prefer online and others prefer offline. What makes them prefer online or offline? There has been a lack of theoretical development to adequately explain consumers' channel switching behavior between traditional physical stores and new virtual stores. Through consumers' purchase decision processes, this study examined the reasons why consumers changed channels depending on purchase process stages. Consumer's purchase decision process could be divided into three stages: pre-purchase stage, purchase stage, and post-purchase stage. We used the intention of channel selection as a surrogate dependent variable of channel selection. And some constructs, that is, channel function, channel benefits, customer relationship benefits, and perceived behavioral control, were selected as independent variables. In buying look-and-feel products, it was identified that consumers preferred virtual stores to physical stores at pre-purchase stage. To put it concretely, all constructs except channel benefits were more influenced to consumers at virtual stores. This result implied that information searching function, which is a main function at pre-purchase stage, was better supported by virtual stores than physical stores. In purchase stage, consumers preferred physical stores to virtual stores. Specially, all constructs influenced much more to consumers at physical stores. This result implied that although escrow service and trusted third parties were introduced, consumers felt that financial risk, performance risk, social risk, etc. still remained highly online. Finally, consumers did not prefer any channel at post-purchase stage. But three independent variables, i.e. channel function, channel benefits, and customer relationship benefits, were significantly preferred at physical stores rather than virtual stores at post-purchase stage. So we concluded that physical stores were a little more preferred to virtual stores at post-purchase stage. Through this study, it was identified that most consumers might switch channels according to purchase process stages. So, first of all, sales representatives should decide that what benefits should be given them through virtual stores at the pre-purchase stage and through physical stores at the purchase and post-purchase stages, and then devise collaborative channel strategies.

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