Mobile-assisted showrooming behavior and the (r)evolution of retail: The moderating effect of gender on the adoption of mobile augmented reality

Abstract

The intensive use of smartphones at physical stores has given rise to an increasingly common behavior among omnichannel consumers known as mobile-assisted showrooming (MAS). One of the technologies with the greatest capacity to engage MAS consumers at brick-and-mortar stores is mobile augmented reality (MAR). Studying this combination of customer technology (smartphone) and store technology (MAR) is thus key to reviving physical retail. In this context, this paper tests a Cognitive-Affective-Normative model to explain the intention of MAS consumers to use MAR in a physical store and analyze the moderating effect of gender on this relationship. The model is tested on a sample of 388 MAS men and 417 MAS women. The results show that the main antecedents for MAS men come from the model's cognitive dimension (“performance expectancy,” “effort expectancy”), while MAS women's acceptance is most conditioned by the cognitive dimension (“performance expectancy”) and normative dimension (“social influence”). These findings have theoretical implications for reviving the physical retail sector taking gender differences into account.