Beyond the Middlemen - Exploring the Role of Channel Attributes and Product-Related Factors in Shaping Consumer Choice for Online D2C Sales Channels of Established Brand Manufacturers

Sammanfattning: Background: In light of the multitude of different channel options consumers have at hand and the rapidly advancing vertical integration of established brand manufacturers across industries, the question arises as to the basis on which consumers make their channel decision for a manufacturers direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales channel. Scholars have found that channel attributes and product-related factors generally play a pivotal role in consumer channel choice and have shown the influence they have on offline versus online channel choice. However, research in the context of established brand manufacturers offering D2C sales channels is so far underrepresented in the consumer channel choice literature despite its high current relevance. Purpose: This study investigates which channel attributes and product-related factors influence a consumer’s decision to fulfill a purchase through a manufacturer’s online D2C channel and how they do so, in order to gain insights into this so far insufficiently studied research context. Method: The data of this qualitative, explorative study was generated through semi-structured interviews with 16 purposefully selected samples. The sample was segmented demographically into four groups ranging from Baby Boomers to Generation Z, in which men and women are equally represented to create a heterogenous sample set. The data analysis followed an inductive approach using thematic analysis. Conclusion: This study found that 12 channel attributes and 8 product-related factors are relevant to consumer channel choice in the context of established manufacturers’ D2C channels.  Furthermore, it was found that channel choice is not exclusively based on the aforementioned, but that the individual factors are also interrelated. Particularly important are also influencing factors, which further affect consumer channel choice. Lastly, all identified factors are evaluated in tandem. A conceptual framework depicting these findings was developed.