Abstract
The retail industry is facing the challenge of digitization. On the one hand, the share of online shopping in total retail sales is increasing. On the other hand, consumers increasingly expect digital services. At the same time, the spread of smartphones and therefore also mobile apps has been growing for years. More and more retailers are therefore offering mobile apps, which as multi-channel apps combine aspects of online shopping and stationary retail. While the acceptance and use of mobile apps has already been extensively researched, there is little knowledge about the users themselves and user-types. This explorative research classifies users of mobile apps in multi-channel retail. Based on a survey of 101 consumers who were asked to assess the personal relevance of various app functions in a multi-channel retail context, four user types can be identified with the help of a cluster analysis. The results provide practitioners with important information for the future development of mobile apps in retail.
Highlights
Not just since the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, but for several years the retail sector—especially brick-and-mortar retail—has been under pressure worldwide
Still other users seem to enjoy trying out innovative functionality [26], [27]. These findings indicate that user expectations of mobile apps in retail and multi-channel retail are quite heterogeneous
Against the background of the ever increasing relevance of mobile apps in the digitization of the retail sector, this research aims to close an important research gap regarding the study of app usage behavior
Summary
Not just since the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, but for several years the retail sector—especially brick-and-mortar retail—has been under pressure worldwide. The retail trade is experiencing in some cases severe sales declines [2]. This effect is reinforced by the increasing online share of total retail sales [3]. Sales area productivity in terms of sales per square meter decreases [4]. Digitization is proceeding and more and more retailers are offering an online store or digital services for local shopping [5], [6]. Many retailers try to use mobile apps for their business purposes [10]: Mobile apps serve as a digital bridge between stationary retail and the internet [11]
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