Will Online Shopping Lead to More Brand Loyalty Than Offline Shopping? The Role of Uncertainty Avoidance

Abstract

Although the growing transformation from offline to online shopping urges marketers to understand the impacts of this shift on brand loyalty, conclusions from the existing marketing literature have been inconsistent. Drawing on the distinctions between online and offline shopping, the authors develop a theoretical framework that focuses on uncertainty avoidance (UA) to reconcile the inconsistencies in the literature. Specifically, the authors argue that high-UA (vs. low-UA) individuals are more (vs. less) brand loyal when shopping online than when shopping offline because the product experience is less predictable in the former (vs. latter), a distinction between online and offline shopping that increases (reduces) high-UA (low-UA) individuals’ tendency to stay with the brands. In findings consistent with this logic, the authors uncover that intangible value salience, a theoretically and managerially relevant boundary condition, attenuates the interplay between online (vs. offline) shopping and UA. Across eight studies that consist of secondary data, field studies, and online and laboratory experiments, the authors find converging evidence to support this theoretical stance. This research contributes insights to the loyalty literature and cross-cultural research. The managerial implications are also discussed.