Determining antecedents to omnichannel shopping intention among fast fashion consumers in Thailand: a mixed methods approach

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the variables of customer experience, personal innovativeness, perceived innovation characteristics, perceived risk, attitude, and omnichannel shopping intentions, among fast fashion consumers in Thailand. A mixed methods approach was applied to develop the study’s research instrument, conducting a pilot study and focus group interviews. Data were subsequently collected from 690 fast fashion consumers with experience in using omnichannel retail services in Thailand, using online questionnaires and convenience sampling. However, only 449 responses were deemed usable for the analysis which used Mixed Methods research techniques, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Results revealed that only personal innovativeness, perceived innovation characteristics, and attitude, had a significant statistical relationship with omnichannel shopping intentions, while no significant relationship was found for customer experience and perceived risk. Findings also verified that the relationship between omnichannel shopping intentions and customer experience, as well as the relationship with personal innovativeness, was mediated by perceived innovation characteristics. Additionally, new sets of sub-variables were identified for customer experience and perceived innovation characteristics that were unique to the Thai culture and retail context using mixed methods and EFA. It was found that there were seven dimensions of omnichannel customer experience, namely consistency, connectivity, personalisation, accessibility, order fulfilment, flexibility, and retailer responsiveness. Regarding perceived innovation characteristics, the study confirmed that usefulness, compatibility, and ease of use, remained suitable subcomponents.