From an online shopping experience to online purchase intentions: do showroomers differ? A study of a brand-owned D2C e-commerce store

With omnichannel shopping journeys becoming more prevalent, manufacturers are opting to create their own branded direct-to-consumer (D2C) e-commerce stores, rather than solely relying on multi-brand retailers. This research examines the customer shopping experience within these e-commerce stores and its impact on attitudes and behaviors. The model establishes a link between a perceived e-servicescape, attitudinal loyalty, and online purchase intention, suggesting that customers who have already evaluated products in a physical store (“showroomers”) respond differently to the e-servicescape than other customers do. The empirical results of a prominent technical sportswear brand’s e-commerce store support the hypothesized differences in the e-servicescape’s impacts.