Highlights
Abstract
Keywords
1. Introduction
2. Conceptual framework and hypothesis
3. Methods
4. Results
5. Discussion
6. Conclusion
Funding
CRediT authorship contribution statement
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Declaration of Competing Interest
Acknowledgments
Appendix. Supplementary materials
References
Vitae
Abstract
Traditional commerce does not have a great variety of products: it has a more leisurely sale and does not develop impulse buying. The most important factor is the direct relationship established between the seller and the customer, facilitating advice and creating a relationship of trust between the two. Traditional retailers nowadays need digitization, without which they cannot compete technologically with large companies, whereas they can compete in quality, authenticity, proximity, and service. For all these reasons, it seems appropriate to investigate the antecedents that may influence consumers’ attitudes towards online shopping in traditional retailers. To achieve this objective, a research plan was developed based on a cross-sectional descriptive study using primary data from a questionnaire answered by 4,063 individuals who live in Spain. The result shows that store loyalty and word of mouth (WOM) communications are the main drivers of attitudes to online shopping. As intermediaries, the mediating variables of the quality and image of the store are established. Small stores should focus on authenticity; this is built on the dimensions established by theory: heritage, legitimacy, nostalgia, originality, and social commitment. Authenticity allows these stores to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
1. Introduction
Over recent decades, the concept of the experiential economy has been defined and used, not only in the consumer goods environment and shops but also in other areas such as tourism, architecture, and even urban planning. Studies began in the 1980s to give importance to the symbolic, emotional, and emotional part of consumer behavior. In the same decade theories were developed that aimed to increase the attention devoted to consumers’ experiences and the development of authenticity as a product differentiation strategy. This authenticity sought by consumers is related to the variables that determine the marketing management of the retailers and to attitudes to shopping.
There is a consumer tendency to “back to basics,” which has been strengthened by the Covid 19 crisis: the search for the authentic, the true, confidence in the origins of all the products. And greater importance is being attached to the value of experience, slow life, and slow food, concepts that prioritize experience over speed. So, despite the trend towards greater globalization in consumption, counter-trends are emphasizing the original characteristics of products and stores, the predominance of small businesses, local traders near their customers, the authenticity of products and services (Amin and Robins, 1992); Gilmore and Pine, 2007; (Jun Song et al., 2015); García-Henche et al., 2020).