Abstract
This study aimed to explore what motivates consumers’ exploratory behavior in an omni-channel context. Specifically, this study tested a conceptual model delineating how each dimension of curiosity (interest vs. deprivation) affects showrooming and webrooming through two mediating variables: market mavenism and consumer innovativeness. A total of 350 participants were recruited and SEM analysis was conducted. The findings from the study is conducive to understanding the underlying mediating process of market mavenism. It was revealed that market mavens motivated by interest curiosity tend to engage in both showrooming and webrooming. While both interest curiosity and deprivation curiosity showed an association with consumer innovativeness, innovativeness was not supported as a mediating variable. This study extended the research scope of consumers’ omni-channel retailing and exploratory behavior based on the epistemic theory of curiosity.
Highlights
Two consumer trends, showrooming and webrooming, have evolved from the growing accessibility of mobile technology (Khan, 2018)
In line with this perspective, this study proposes and tests a conceptual model delineating how each dimension of curiosity affects showrooming and webrooming through two mediating variables, market mavenism and consumer innovativeness
H1: A higher level of interest curiosity will lead to a higher level of: (a) market mavenism and (b) consumer innovativeness
Summary
Two consumer trends, showrooming and webrooming, have evolved from the growing accessibility of mobile technology (Khan, 2018). Berlyne (1954) suggests that EC motivates one’s specific exploration behavior triggering a detailed investigation of novel stimuli to acquire new information. Research suggests that curiosity is a motivational state that leads individuals to seek methods to resolve the arousal it elicits (Loewenstein, 1994), revealing much about information seeking behavior (Litman, 2005) and purchase intention formation (Hill, Fombelle, & Sirianni, 2016) in consumption contexts. In line with this perspective, this study proposes and tests a conceptual model delineating how each dimension of curiosity (interest vs deprivation) affects showrooming and webrooming through two mediating variables, market mavenism and consumer innovativeness.
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