Title: Assessing multi-channel consumers' convenience expectations of online order/in-store pickup service

Authors: Hao Ma; Yong Su; Lih-Bin Oh

Addresses: School of Management, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China ' School of Management, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China ' School of Management, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China

Abstract: 'Online order/in-store pickup (OOIP)' service allows customers to self-collect their online orders from the retailers' physical store at their convenience. This service brings unprecedented control to multi-channel consumers in the order fulfilment process. This paper examines how the need for control, a fundamental psychological trait, impacts multi-channel consumers' expectation of the level of service convenience that OOIP provides. Data were collected from 351 Chinese consumers to assess the effect of a need for control on decision convenience, access convenience, transaction convenience and post-benefit convenience. Findings suggest that consumers' need for control positively affected their expectations on all four types of service convenience. We provide theoretical and managerial implications arising from the findings.

Keywords: multi-channel retailing; online orders; in-store pickup services; OOIP; service convenience; consumer convenience; consumer expectations; online ordering services; need for control; China; decision convenience; access convenience; transaction convenience; post-benefit convenience.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNVO.2014.065084

International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations, 2014 Vol.14 No.1/2, pp.146 - 159

Received: 09 Dec 2013
Accepted: 04 May 2014
Published online: 29 Oct 2014 *

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