The Effects of Regulatory Focus on Channel Choice and Recommendation:

Abstract

Today, the number of multichannel shoppers, consumers who shop at both physical and online stores, has increased. Previous research has implied that multichannel shoppers’ regulatory focus may affect the store choice. However, there remain two limitations: (1) prior studies have not considered online shopping experience, which influences perceived channel attributes; and (2) they have failed to examine consumers’ recommendation behaviors. To address these limitations, we investigate the effects of multichannel shoppers’ regulatory focus on the store choice and recommendation, and the moderating effects of online shopping experience on the causal relationships. A survey using the scenario method was conducted and a dataset was collected from 241 participants. The results of regression analyses showed that a prevention focus has negative impacts on online store (vs. physical store) choice and recommendation. In contrast, when online shopping experience is high, a promotion focus has positive impacts on the online store (vs. physical store) choice and recommendation. By providing these findings, this study contributes to advancing research on channel choice, word-of-mouth, and regulatory focus theory.

Keywords

• multichannel strategy
• shopping behavior
• word-of-mouth
• regulatory focus theory
• online purchase experience