Omni-kanalshandel för ett ökat konsumentvärde? - En kvantitativ studie om konsumtionsbeteende och kanalval i köpprocessen inom klädesbranschen

Sammanfattning: Background: The use of different purchasing channels when looking for a piece of clothing has increased in recent years. Companies adapt to a greater extent to consumers’ growing need for accessibility and flexibility. The purchase process, from discovering needs to the decision of purchase, could be performed through physical store, online on a laptop and desktop computer, or through a mobile device. Consumers have now become accustomed to make available all information and shop freely through different channels independently of context. Today's consumption behaviour that oscillate between different channels have developed the phenomenon of omni-channel. The issue in this study is based on whether the omni-channel really adds consumer value for everyone in the clothing industry. Consumer value can still have different meanings depending on the individual motives of utilitarian or hedonistic character within the different steps of the purchasing process. Purpose: The study aims to examine how the value of consumption appears for people who adopt different behaviours during the purchase process at the integration between physical store, online and mobile commerce. Method: The study is based on a quantitative method where the empirical material consists of 203 web surveys completed by consumers aged 18-60 years. The empirical data has been encoded to acquire the frequency and cross tables, different charts, and tested for significance to ensure relationships in the statistical program SPSS. The empirical data is interpreted and then analyzed together with theories of value creation of utilitarian and hedonistic character, the different stages of the purchasing process and theories of demographic factors of age and gender. Conclusion: The survey shows that the examined consumer groups value omni-channel, but in different ways depending on buying motives. The result shows that age and gender affect the channels being used and the general attitude to channel integration. Women assume a hedonistic motive for omni-channel, while men are more utilitarian. Furthermore is noted that the younger consumers are more positive and values channel integration. They also use the combination of multiple channels to a greater extent, resulting in better conditions for the use of omni-channel.