Exploring Customers' Likeliness to Use E-Service Touchpoints in Brick and Mortar Retail

Barann Benjamin, Betzing Jan H., Niemann Marco, Hoffmeister Benedikt, Becker Jörg

Abstract
E-commerce has embraced the digital transformation and innovated with e-service touchpoints to improve customers’ experiences. Now some traditional, less-digitalized brick and mortar (BaM) retailers are starting to counteract the increasing competition by adopting digital touchpoints. However, the academic literature offers little in terms of what determines customers’ behavioral intentions toward e-service touchpoints. Therefore, drawing from the dominant design theory, this article first conceptually adapts selected dominant touchpoints of leading e-commerce solutions to BaM retail. Then 250 shoppers are surveyed regarding the likeliness that they will use the selected touchpoints, followed by an exploratory factor analysis to determine the touchpoints’ characteristics that lead to the shoppers’ assessments. The results suggest that customers prefer touchpoints that support product search and selection, provide information, and increase shopping efficiency. The likeliness that surveyed shoppers will use the touchpoints was affected by the functionality provided, the content conveyed, and the mediating device. The results provide a foundation for further research on customers’ behavioral intentions toward BaM e-service touchpoints and provide useful information for BaM retailers.

Keywords
Brick and Mortar; Retail; E-Service; Touchpoint; Acceptance