Omnichannel Customer Behavior: Key Drivers of Technology Acceptance and Use and Their Effects on Purchase Intention

TLDR

The rapid expansion of the Internet and emerging technologies has reshaped retail, creating numerous channels that alter consumer habits and prompting the rise of omnichannel strategies that deliver seamless, cross‑channel shopping experiences. This study seeks to identify the factors that shape omnichannel consumers’ behavior by examining their acceptance of and intention to use new technologies during the shopping process. An original model extending UTAUT2 with personal innovativeness and perceived security was developed and tested on 628 Spanish Zara customers who had used at least two channels in their most recent purchase journey. The analysis shows that personal innovativeness, effort expectancy, and performance expectancy are the most important determinants of purchase intention in an omnichannel context, with additional theoretical and managerial implications discussed.

Abstract

The advance of the Internet and new technologies over the last decade has transformed the retailing panorama. More and more channels are emerging, causing consumers to change their habits and shopping behavior. An omnichannel strategy is a form of retailing that, by enabling real interaction, allows customers to shop across channels anywhere and at any time, thereby providing them with a unique, complete, and seamless shopping experience that breaks down the barriers between channels. This paper aims to identify the factors that influence omnichannel consumers' behavior through their acceptance of and intention to use new technologies during the shopping process. To this end, an original model was developed to explain omnichannel shopping behavior based on the variables used in the UTAUT2 model and two additional factors: personal innovativeness and perceived security. The model was tested with a sample of 628 Spanish customers of the store Zara who had used at least two channels during their most recent shopping journey. The results indicate that the key determinants of purchase intention in an omnichannel context are, in order of importance: personal innovativeness, effort expectancy, and performance expectancy. The theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.