Purpose This research aims to develop a comprehensive typology to classify small retailers based on their technology adoption levels. The study endeavors to map its observations to Rogers' (1995) innovation diffusion theory and, through further data analysis, seeks to elucidate the motivations behind the use of technology in their daily operations. Design/methodology/approach The methodology involved conducting semi-structured interviews with 79 small retailers in North India. Findings A typology was developed to classify small retailers into four categories based on their level of technology adoption: digital starters, digital performers, digitally evolved and digital masters. Rogers' innovation diffusion theory partially explains the heterogeneity in retailers' responses to technology adoption. Research limitations/implications Firms marketing these technologies could develop and propagate case studies of “Digital Masters” to encourage broader adoption. Social implications Small retailers constitute 80–85% of the retail market in most emerging economies and are often protected by government policies. Promoting technology adoption among these retailers could be a key strategy for enhancing their competitiveness, sustainability and tax revenues. Originality/value This research pioneers the proposal of a typology for classifying small retailers based on their technology use. Additionally, it applies Rogers' diffusion of innovation theory to understand their technology adoption behavior and finds that affordability, as an indispensable prerequisite for technology adoption, fundamentally augments Rogers' diffusion of innovation theory by introducing a critical economic dimension.
Purpose This study explores consumer redemption behaviour in linear reward programmes – points-based, savings-type reward programmes in which points are redeemed at a fixed cash-to-points ratio and are subject to a validity period. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts dual process theory to examine how basket-related and expiration-related factors influence redemption behaviour through cognitive evaluation of the focal basket and affective responses, respectively. Specifically, we consider basket-related factors – basket size, non-points discount amount and the proportion of previously unpurchased items – and expiration-related factors – points expiration pressure and recently expired points. We analyse transaction-level purchase and point redemption data from a large-scale linear reward programme using a two-part model of whether consumers redeem points and how much they redeem. Findings Consumers redeem points strategically in response to both basket-related and expiration-related factors. Basket-related factors influence redemption through cognitive evaluation of perceived savings, perceived goal progress and perceived risk in the focal basket, whereas expiration-related factors influence redemption through affective responses associated with anticipated and experienced regret. Originality/value This study refines the understanding of point redemption in linear reward programmes by showing that redemption is shaped jointly by basket-related and expiration-related factors at the transaction level. By integrating these factors within a dual process perspective, it offers new insight into strategic consumer behaviour in point redemption.
Purpose Algorithmic personalisation in online retailing advances rapidly, yet single-funnel models fail to capture the multiple routes consumers use to form purchase intentions. Integrating the throughput model (TPM) with self-determination theory and online presence, this study validates TPM's six algorithmic decision pathways and examines how shopping motivation (intrinsic/extrinsic) and online presence (social presence/telepresence) jointly shape judgement and purchase intention, and whether latent segments activate distinct route combinations. Design/methodology/approach Survey data from 677 young consumers in Vietnam's beauty and personal care retail sector were analysed in two stages. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (SEM) tested aggregate structural relationships, after which a hybrid latent class and causal mediation analyses (LCA-CMA) approach combined LCA with causal mediation analysis to uncover unobserved consumer segments and evaluate TPM pathway activation within each segment. Findings Motivation and presence reinforce one another and jointly elevate judgement, the strongest proximal driver of purchase intention. LCA-CMA identifies four latent segments: three activate all six TPM pathways (direct, mediated and serial), while one affect-driven segment relies exclusively on the presence-to-motivation route, bypassing deliberative judgement. Judgement operates as a segment-varying gateway where consumer autonomy is supported or eroded, explaining why uniform funnels misrepresent this heterogeneity and where personalisation risks exploiting judgement-bypassing consumers. Originality/value This is the first study to integrate TPM with self-determination theory and online presence to map segmented online purchase decision algorithms. It introduces a replicable hybrid analytics template that exposes heterogeneity hidden by aggregate SEM, reframing the pathway map as a normative design principle for transparent, ethically grounded algorithmic personalisation.
Purpose This study fills a gap in consumer insight by developing an open, national-level small-area geodemographic classification. Existing frameworks overlook localised variations and fail to integrate consumer surveys. Our approach delivers a geodemographic classification of consumer behaviour across England and Wales. Design/methodology/approach We integrated the PDV Consumer Lifestyle Survey, 2021 Census and built-environment accessibility metrics. Spatial microsimulation is used to create synthetic populations at the Lower Super Output Area level, aligning individual attributes with PDV data to produce small-area estimates. Eight analytical domains (i.e. household composition, financial resilience, lifestyle, mobility, online engagement, social networks, shopping patterns and socioeconomic status) were derived from a conceptual frame which is then used to define an iterative variable selection. We then apply clustering to demographic and demand variables to derive primary and subclusters of consumer behaviour. Findings Four clusters emerged, each with distinct demand and demographic profiles. Affluent professional consumers, budget-conscious young urbanites, family-oriented suburban consumers and traditional rural consumers form the main clusters, and then nine further subclusters are derived. Results underscore how the domains derived from the conceptual framework shape small-area patterns. Originality/value Insights can inform targeted policy interventions and retail investment strategies by highlighting the spatial distribution of consumer needs. Opportunities for improving retail centre accessibility, fostering digital inclusion and tailoring product offerings can be derived. This classification lays the groundwork for future methodological advances, such as the use of agent-based modelling to simulate dynamic consumer–retail interactions under varying economic, social and environmental scenarios.
Purpose While a seamless experience is widely acknowledged as essential, its role in shaping deeper psychological states, especially the state of flow in the shopping journey, remains an ongoing area of research in marketing. Flow enables customers to immerse themselves in shopping with minimal effort; yet, it alone may not fully drive purchase intentions. Drawing on flow theory and experiential value theory, this study examines how experiential value, together with flow, shapes customer shopping intentions in an omnichannel retail context. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected from 351 omnichannel customers using a structured survey. The data analysis was done using PLS-SEM to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings The findings suggest that a seamless experience significantly contributes to the flow experience, which in turn influences shopping intentions across channels. Additionally, experiential value mediates the relationship between seamless experience and flow experience. Practical implications Omnichannel retailers can leverage the findings of this paper to shape customer-centric strategies that deliver seamless experiences and foster a state of flow. It also highlights the several dimensions of experiential value that customers derive during their omnichannel shopping journey, providing a basis for retailers to design strategies that align more closely with customers’ evolving needs and expectations. Originality/value This study makes a contribution to the omnichannel retailing literature by integrating experiential value theory and flow theory to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the customer shopping intentions in omnichannel retail environments. It advocates the need to move beyond a seamless experience as a functional objective and emphasizes the role of experiential value as a critical factor that enhances flow and drives customer shopping intentions in omnichannel retailing.
Purpose This paper seeks to answer the question: What are the logistics implications when linear retail business models are complemented with circular ones? In particular, this research targets logistics implications perceived as critical for supporting circular business models (CBMs) that are economically viable. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a multiple case study design involving seven Swedish retail companies operating a total of eleven CBMs, including second-hand sales, rentals and repair services. Empirical data were mainly collected through semi-structured interviews, and the analysis followed a Gioia-inspired approach informed by a narrative literature review on logistics implications that arise when retailers combine their forward and reverse logistics operations. Findings The study identifies 16 empirically grounded logistics implications across the four reverse logistics (RL) activities of collection, sorting, recovery and redistribution. The results reveal the coexistence of two overarching perspectives on logistics implications when combining forward and reverse logistics: an extension perspective emphasising challenges, and a design perspective highlighting various design areas for integration. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to Swedish retailers. Further studies in other geographical contexts are suggested. Originality/value The research goes beyond the existing, often generic and conceptual literature on barriers to RL operations and provides a more granular view of the role of logistics in retail CBMs. By articulating complementary analytical perspectives, the study advances theory on the integration of forward and reverse logistics in a retail setting.
Purpose This study investigates how omnichannel retail integration, specifically the alignment of online, physical store, and mobile channels, shapes customer experience, satisfaction, and loyalty. It further examines the mediating role of mobile integration quality in translating omnichannel strategies into customer value.Design/methodology/approach A survey of 428 consumers with recent omnichannel shopping experience was conducted. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), the study tested relationships among perceived omnichannel integration, mobile integration quality, customer experience, satisfaction, and loyalty. Mediation was assessed using a bootstrapping approach with 5,000 resamples.Findings Results demonstrate that omnichannel integration significantly enhances customer experience both directly and indirectly through mobile integration quality. Mobile integration serves as a critical mediator linking channel coordination to experiential outcomes. Customer experience strongly predicts satisfaction, which in turn drives loyalty. The structural model explains substantial variance in customer experience (54%), satisfaction (50%), and loyalty (53%).Originality/value This study provides empirical evidence clarifying how omnichannel integration mechanisms operate at the consumer level, highlighting mobile technology as a key connective driver of seamless shopping experiences. It advances omnichannel retail literature by integrating mobile service quality as a mediating construct and offers actionable insights for retailers seeking to optimize online-store-mobile integration to strengthen customer experience and loyalty.
Purpose As retail environments rapidly evolve, the integration of physical and digital channels - known as phygital retail - has become central to contemporary consumer experience. This study examines how environmental phygitality (low vs. high) influences consumer evaluations of the retail environment and their intentions to visit the store, drawing on self-expansion theory.Design/methodology/approach Based on a controlled online experiment (N = 212) comparing low- and high-phygital fashion retail environments, we examined the sequential mediating roles of perceived playfulness, perceived usefulness and self-expansion on consumers' intentions to visit a store.Findings Higher phygitality of the retail environment increases store visit intention through both hedonic and utilitarian routes that foster a sense of personal growth. The direct effect of phygitality on visit intention is not significant, indicating that its influence operates through these psychological mechanisms. Moreover, these effects are significantly attenuated among consumers who are less comfortable with emerging technologies.Research limitations/implications This study used a controlled three-dimensional (3D) virtual store presented through pre-recorded videos to ensure consistent exposure; however, this approach limited the realism of interactive navigation. Future research could employ immersive, metaverse-based environments to examine consumer behaviour under more natural conditions. The sample focused on younger U.S. consumers (18-39), limiting generalizability across age groups and cultural contexts. Future studies may also extend the moderating scope from technology avoidance to broader technology readiness and adopt cross-cultural or longitudinal designs to further validate the self-expansion mechanism.Practical implications Retailers can strengthen store visit intentions by integrating interactive technologies that support both hedonic and utilitarian engagement. Features such as interactive mirrors, digital kiosks and adaptive displays can enhance perceptions of playfulness and usefulness, fostering richer customer experiences. For consumers with higher technology avoidance, simplified interfaces and optional staff assistance can reduce discomfort and encourage participation. By combining personalization, creativity and social interaction within in-store technologies, retailers can transform physical stores into experiential platforms that deepen customer engagement and support stronger relationships with the brand.Social implications By framing technology-enhanced shopping as a form of self-expansion, this study highlights retail's potential to support consumers' psychological well-being. Thoughtfully designed phygital environments can foster self-expression, learning and social connection rather than intensify digital fatigue or exclusion. Recognizing differences in technological comfort, retailers and designers can promote digital inclusion through intuitive, human-centred systems. Such environments may broaden participation among technology-averse users and support more equitable access to digitally integrated retail experiences across diverse consumer groups.Originality/value By conceptualizing phygitality at the environmental level and identifying the utilitarian-identity nexus, this study extends self-expansion theory to hybrid retail settings. We clarify the psychological processes through which digitally integrated shopping environments stimulate store visit intention by demonstrating how functional utility facilitates personal growth.
Purpose This study systematically reviews how consumers in Europe engage with food delivery applications (FDAs), identifying factors influencing adoption, continued use and the values and meanings attached to digital food provisioning. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review was conducted using Consumer Value Theory (CVT) to analyse functional, ethical, social and symbolic dimensions shaping consumer engagement with FDAs in retail contexts. Findings FDA use reflects eight consumer value theory value dimensions. Efficiency and excellence continue to drive adoption, while less examined dimensions such as aesthetics, play, and spirituality also shape engagement, indicating that FDAs function as sources of identity expression, moral alignment, and emotional satisfaction beyond transactional convenience. Research limitations/implications The European focus limits broader generalisability; future studies should examine diverse retail environments. Practical implications Platform designers and policymakers should incorporate both functional and affective–moral drivers when developing inclusive and value-aligned digital food retail services. Originality/value This is the first study to apply CVT systematically to FDAs in retail food provision. It advances understanding beyond traditional adoption models by highlighting experiential and symbolic aspects of digital food consumption.
Purpose The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the retail industry enhances business efficiency and improves customer service. However, the existing literature lacks a comprehensive framework that captures how AI tools are driving digital transformation, digital business model innovation (DBMI) and organizational performance. Therefore, this study examines the role of AI tools in digital transformation and DBMI in shaping retail performance. Design/methodology/approach This research is quantitative, and a self-administered questionnaire was utilized to collect data from 350 retail managers in China. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis. Findings The study's findings indicate that AI tools significantly influence the exploitative digital transformation and exploratory digital transformation. The findings also confirm the positive influence of exploitative and exploratory digital transformation on DBMI that lead to market agility, organizational agility and organizational performance. The findings also show the moderating effect of innovation capability on relationship between exploratory digital transformation and DBMI. Originality/value This study examines the role of AI-driven digital transformation in DBMI, which is crucial for market and operational agility and organizational performance. Furthermore, this study offers fresh insight by incorporating innovation capabilities as a moderator, revealing that higher innovation capabilities strengthen the connection between digital transformation and DBMI.
Purpose The retail industry faces above-average turnover, partly due to its working conditions and poor reputation as an employer. However, skilled and loyal employees are crucial, as retail competes for talent and requires evolving skills to meet store-based retail challenges amid online and low-cost competitors. While research examines employee retention and loyalty at the organisational level, industry-level effects remain unexplored. This paper investigates how working conditions affect employees’ loyalty to the whole retail industry. Design/methodology/approach The study draws on data from a web-based survey of 1,006 frontline retail employees aged 16+ and employs variance-based SEM to test the proposed research model. Findings The findings reveal that salary and growth opportunities have the strongest impact on industry loyalty. However, customer interactions also play a key role, followed by tasks, team and work-life balance. Results highlight clear distinctions between loyalty to the employer and to the industry, as well as the influence of personal- and work-related moderators. Practical implications As this study explores how retail working conditions influence industry loyalty, it offers insights into employee priorities in making a long-term commitment. These insights support the implementation of tailored strategies that address employees’ needs, helping retail compete with other industries while fostering a stable, dedicated workforce. Originality/value This research is among the first to investigate employee loyalty from an industry-wide perspective in retail, offering insights that go beyond individual employers and guiding strategies that could strengthen retention and loyalty across the sector.
Purpose The article adds urban tourist demand into the classic production-constrained spatial interaction model (SIM) to improve performance predictions for both existing and new grocery stores in urban tourist areas. Design/methodology/approach The new tourist SIM model is built upon four disaggregated tourist grocery demand layers across London. The model is calibrated by using origin-destination flows from large-scale survey and social media data. The additional tourist SIM is used to estimate store-level revenue uplifts and operationalise three “what-if” scenarios for retail location planning. Findings The article shows the benefit of incorporating additional tourist demand within the retail planning process, highlighting the revenue uplift from tourism and how the tourist SIM offers deeper insights into local demand composition, assisting retail decision-making. Research limitations/implications Due to the lack of empirical store sales and performance data, individual store calibration was limited. Practical implications The article includes implications for retail decision-making in destinations where urban tourist demand is common and important. Investment in areas with insufficient tourist food shopping provision may not only bring potential profit to local food retailers but could also improve the tourist experience. Originality/value The article addresses the importance of incorporating tourist demand into retail location analysis to provide more accurate and actionable insights for retail planning in urban destinations.
Purpose Although augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) are increasingly used to enhance in-store retail experiences, their distinct effects on shopper decision-making remain underexplored. Drawing on flow theory and the technology acceptance model (TAM), this research examines the cognitive, experiential and behavioural pathways through which AR and MR shape purchase outcomes across shopper segments.Design/methodology/approach Two sequential studies were conducted. Study 1 (N = 276) employed a between-subjects experiment in a physical retail store and used PLS-SEM to examine psychological pathways in AR and MR. Study 2 (N = 100) analysed behavioural logs using regression, exploratory breakpoint analysis and cluster analysis to examine non-linear interaction patterns and segment-specific engagement.Findings The research reveals a dual-path mechanism: MR creates a focused pathway where flow and usefulness directly enhance purchase outcomes, while AR triggers broader but less efficient engagement associated with cognitive friction. MR demonstrates a "high-barrier-high-reward" pattern with stronger behavioural persistence, particularly benefiting technologically fluent users and indicating gender-related variation in selected pathway strengths across environments.Originality/value This research links psychological mechanisms, exploratory behavioural breakpoints, and shopper segmentation in immersive retail. It distinguishes "cognitive efficiency" (AR) from "experiential depth" (MR) to guide deployment by shopper profile and product context.
Purpose This paper examines how retail managers understand and approach issues of privacy and personalisation. Specifically, it explores how managers understand these issues in their daily work, how they envision their future development and how these understandings shape the actions that are considered possible or legitimate. Design/methodology/approach Adopting sociotechnical imaginaries as a theoretical lens, the paper draws on a thematic analysis of 21 semi-structured interviews with retail managers across 12 Swedish companies, representing diverse retail categories and roles. Findings Four imaginaries of personalisation-privacy are identified: value exchange maximisation, compliance focused risk mitigation, privacy as advantage and pragmatic market realism. The study shows how these collectively stabilised visions legitimise certain actions and foreclose others before deliberate choices are made, thereby shaping how managers interpret and approach the personalisation-privacy tension. Originality/value While previous literature on privacy and personalisation has primarily focused on consumers, regulations or conceptual frameworks, this paper examines how retail managers interpret and approach the tension between personalisation and privacy. It shows how privacy and personalisation strategies are shaped by competing collective visions that cut across organisational boundaries, coexisting within the same firm and across professional roles. In doing so, it contributes to research on privacy and personalisation in retail and offers a two-dimensional heuristic with practical diagnostic value for retail strategy.
Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate how dimensions related to the usage of smart retail technologies (SRT) are transferable into the physical outcome of shopping centre patronage intentions. Design/methodology/approach A scale that integrated items from existing technology acceptance model (TAM) and stimulus-organism-response (SOR) measures was utilised and applied to measure influencers of SRT usage, and how it would affect patronage intentions, with e-satisfaction as a moderator. Data was collected from 850 participants and analysed using exploratory factory analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM). Findings The results of the factor analysis confirmed the psychometric soundness of the adapted scale, and the partial least square equation modelling PLS-SEM results indicated that hedonic factors of SRTs exerted a stronger influence on shopping centre patronage intentions over utilitarian factors. Originality/value This study extends knowledge regarding TAM and SOR in a physical shopping centre setting and reaffirms that hedonic functions of SRT are more important than those of utilitarian value. The practical implications of this finding emphasise incorporating SRTs into physical retail spaces to shape customer perceptions and foster positive behavioural responses.
Purpose This study investigates how chatbot media richness shapes shoppers' perceptions of social presence, emotions, trust and their willingness to recommend e-retailers’ chatbots. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from a random sample of 460 pre-recruited online shoppers in South Africa. A structured online survey was deployed. To test the research model, ADANCO was applied to run confirmatory composite analysis using modern partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings The results reveal perceived media richness positively and significantly influences perceived social presence, emotions and trust in chatbots. Our study concedes on the effects of social presence on human emotions, yet challenges how the former inform users' trust perceptions, suggesting other possible mechanisms for trust formation in chatbot contexts. Trust and emotions are significant predictors of the willingness to recommend chatbots. Research limitations/implications A cross-sectional, single-country study via self-reports was conducted with online shoppers, which could limit the findings' generalisability. Future research could validate the findings through longitudinal designs and cross-cultural replications. Practical implications Our study provides significant insights into the complex dynamics of human–chatbot interactions, yielding unique psychological and behavioural outcomes. The study offers practical implications for chatbot design, fostering emotional connections and trust-yielding social presence and informing chatbot usage recommendations. Social implications Nevertheless, chatbot-mediated environments may produce complex, and sometimes contradictory societal implications, including privacy concerns, emotional overreliance and the displacement of some human-human interactions. Originality/value This study advances theory and practice by clarifying how media richness, emotional engagement, social presence, trust, shoppers and user outcomes interact within the context of e-retailers’ chatbots.
Purpose Retailers increasingly invest in shelf-visibility technologies to improve on-shelf availability (OSA), yet the levels of out-of-stocks in grocery and nongrocery retail consumables stubbornly remain about 8%. This study examines how retailers orchestrate complementary operational capabilities: digital sensing tools, execution routines and frontline empowerment structures to achieve high OSA performance. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on survey data from 55 international retailers from the grocery and nongrocery consumables sector, the study assesses the usage and implementation of five core shelf signals, including traditional gap scans, inventory records data, lost sales predictions, pick rate data and shelf images. The study adopts a configurational approach grounded in organizational complementarity and resource capability theory, where the shelf signals, execution practices and empowerment mechanisms are grouped into capability domains and compared across retailers exhibiting higher versus lower OSA performance. Findings Recommending a 95% OSA boundary optimum target, the analysis reveals that OSA performance emerges not from the adoption of any particular signaling technology, but from the alignment and reinforcement of sensing, execution and empowerment capabilities. High OSA retailers demonstrate stronger complementarity among these domains, while lower or developing OSA retailers exhibit capability gaps or misalignment that restrict the value of digital visibility. Originality/value The study highlights the importance of examining retail execution through a configurational lens, and retailers should view OSA improvement as a capability alignment challenge rather than as a technology problem. Investments in digital visibility must be matched by disciplined routines and empowered associates to generate operational value. This study shifts the discussion of OSA from a focus on technologies to a focus on complementary operational capabilities, providing an explanation for why some retailers translate digital visibility into shelf performance while others do not.
Purpose This study examines the aspects driving the formation of effective brand-human-AI connections. It explores the impact of consumers' trust in AI-enabled e-commerce chatbots on their buying intention, e-loyalty (EL) and reuse intention (RUI). The study develops a conceptual model, drawing on social support theory, psychological reactance theory and the uncanny valley effect.Design/methodology/approach We collected data from 429 AI-enabled shopping chatbot users in Malaysia, employing a convenience sampling approach within a specific purposive frame, and analysed them using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS4.Findings Findings indicate that user autonomy with the chatbot and social role enhances consumers' trust in chatbots. This trust, in turn, positively impacts customers' purchase intentions, e-loyalty and chatbot RUI. However, the chatbot's humanlikeness does not affect consumers' trust in chatbots. The study also revealed that increasing a chatbot agent's humanlike qualities increases users' perception of eeriness, which decreases users' trust in chatbots. Nevertheless, the chatbot's humanlike attributes and user eeriness were significantly influenced by users' familiarity with it.Originality/value This study's theoretical and practical implications offer valuable insights for enhancing the online shopping experience through anthropomorphised chatbot agents in e-commerce.
Purpose This study was conducted with the aim of examining the relationship between salespeople’s perceptions of point-of-sale innovativeness (marketing innovation, relational innovation and product innovation) and their innovative behaviour, incorporating the mediating effects of sales and service ambidexterity and job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of 362 business-to-business and business-to-consumer salespeople in Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States, the relationships were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings The results reveal that salespeople's perceptions of point-of-sale innovativeness positively influence their innovative behaviour, and that both sales-service ambidexterity and job satisfaction act as mediators that strengthen this relationship. Practical implications It presents practical implications for the design of more innovative points of sale (such as creative atmospheres or novel promotions) to promote an environment that supports the development of multiple skills among salespeople. It highlights the importance of fostering ambidexterity and strengthening employee satisfaction as key factors for encouraging innovative behaviour in daily work. Originality/value Based on the job demands and resources model, the self-determination theory and the componential theory, this study contributes to various areas of academic literature by offering a new insight into the perception of innovation at the point of sale from the perspective of salespeople and how this influences their behaviour. In this way, it provides relevant knowledge on how to foster innovation in the commercial environment, considering the mediating role of ambidexterity and job satisfaction, factors that have not often been explored together.
Purpose This study examines how different consumer motivations for interacting with collective retail agglomeration digital touchpoints (e.g. websites, social media pages, mobile apps) influence the customer experience of the agglomeration visit, satisfaction and patronage intention. While prior research has shown that such touchpoints can support the visit, little is known about how motivational mechanisms shape experience and related outcomes in this collective, place-based context. Drawing on Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), the study examines motivation-driven interaction with these touchpoints.Design/methodology/approach Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), the study examines the effects of four motivations for interacting with collective digital touchpoints (entertainment, convenience, rewards and place-support) on customer experience, satisfaction and patronage intention. It also tests age and gender as moderators of the relationships between motivations and customer experience. Data were collected from 178 Dutch consumers who had interacted with the collective digital touchpoints of a retail agglomeration they had also visited.Findings The results show that the four motivations for interacting with collective digital touchpoints influence the customer experience of the agglomeration visit differently. Entertainment had the strongest positive effect, followed by place-support-seeking and then convenience. Reward-seeking showed no overall significant effect and was negative among consumers aged 50 and above. Customer experience strongly predicted satisfaction, which in turn predicted patronage intention, indicating a mediating role of satisfaction.Practical implications Practitioners involved in the marketing and management of retail agglomerations should align collective digital touchpoints with entertainment-, place-supporting- and convenience-driven motivations. Reward strategies may require tailoring to specific demographic segments, particularly older consumers.Originality/value This study applies UGT in a novel context, namely, place-based retail agglomerations, by examining how consumer motivations for interacting with collective digital touchpoints relate to the customer experience of the agglomeration visit and subsequent outcomes. In addition to the standard entertainment, convenience and reward motivations derived from UGT, the study incorporates a place-support motivation to capture consumers' desire to contribute to the continuity of the retail agglomeration and its retailers. The findings identify place-support-seeking as a distinct and influential motivation in shaping the retail agglomeration visit experience, alongside the strong effect of entertainment-seeking. In doing so, the study specifies UGT for the context of place-based retail agglomerations by showing that consumers derive experiential value not only from personal benefits but also from supporting the agglomeration and its local retailers.
