Exploring consumer value of multi‐channel shopping: a perspective of means‐end theory
Purpose – With advances in information technology, multi‐channel shopping (MCS) has become a prevailing purchasing pattern today. Although MCS provides more benefits than single‐channel shopping, there is a need to investigate consumer values in the MCS context. This study aims to develop a consumer value hierarchy that represents how consumers think and pursue when performing MCS.Design/methodology/approach – The research framework was developed from a perspective of means‐end theory. Two studies were designed to elicit and evaluate a consumer value hierarchy of MCS. First, a qualitative study was conducted to explore means‐end elements of MCS. Then, a hierarchical value map of MCS was constructed with 314 usable responses from an empirical survey in Taiwan. The impacts of past shopping experience on consumers' value perceptions were also examined.Findings – In the hierarchical value map (HVM) of MCS, the results indicate 18 means‐end chains from ten MCS attributes resulting in nine consequences derived ...