The Instant Need to Shop

Sammanfattning: Abstract Title: The Instant need to shop - A qualitative study mapping out retailers perception of instant shopping Course: SMMM40, Service Management: Master’s (Two Years) Thesis (Spring 2022) Authors: Louise Borg & Siri Lindgren Supervisor: Devrim Umut Aslan Date of submission: 2022-05-17 Key words: Instant shopping, Instagram, technology adaptation, retailer-consumer encounter, digital shopping channels, social media, retail industry Aim and research questions: The aim of the study is to examine and get an in-depth understanding of retailers' perception and usage of shopping on social media in relation to consumers and technology adaptation. The research questions for the study is: How do retailers adapt to and use instant shopping? How do retailers perceive the encounter with consumers through instant shopping? Theoretical framework: The theoretical framework that has been applied in the study are technology adaptation, technology acceptance model (TAM) and retailer-consumer interface. Methodology: A qualitative multiple case study has been conducted with an abductive research approach. The data which the analysis is based on has been collected through semi-structured interviews and netnography. Empirical results and analysis: The findings show a positive attitude towards the acceptance and adaptation of instant shopping. Its usage is influenced by the preconception of the social media platform and its ease of use. In relation to the retailer-consumer interface, retailers perceive changes in communication regarding instant shopping's possibility to create inspirational content and directly communicate with consumers. Changes in the retailscape have been found and it shows new ways to conduct product presentations and integrate consumers in content production. Conclusions: As a conclusion, this thesis has shown shopping on social media’s impact on retailers and how they adapt to and use new technologies. Furthermore, it is concluded that shopping on social media provides retailers with the possibility of a constant presence during the entire buying process and how it has shortened the consumer journey.