The New In-Store Consumer: Digital, Engagement, Innovativeness Impact on Unplanned Grocery Shopping and Spending Behavior

Abstract

Digital technologies are having a profound effect on the grocery retail environment worldwide. Marketers have been intrigued by potential for digital technologies to influence consumers at the point of purchase, yet little is known about how digital technologies impact consumer purchasing decisions. An exploratory PLS-SEM model is used to analyze U. S. panel data and the effect of in-store digital use, consumer innovativeness and engagement on unplanned grocery shopping behavior and spending. This study finds that consumer engagement, rather than in-store digital use, is found to be the key variable when it comes to predicting unplanned shopping and spending. Findings identify an ancillary role for in-store digital use as it directly affects engagement and indirectly affects unplanned shopping and spending. Finally, this study finds that gender moderates the relationship of innovativeness and digital use, digital use and engagement, and digital use and total spending. As a result, the effects of consumer engagement and in-store digital use on unplanned purchase behavior have been clarified.