| With the rapid development of the Internet, an increasing number of consumers begin to or even frequently shop on line. Online shopping provides many more choices in addition to more convenient shopping methods for consumers. However, limited by time and cognition, consumers inevitably face uncertainties and risks during online shopping, thus making it more difficult for them to make a choice. Abundant achievements have been made on the research into environments of traditional physical stores and shopping behaviors of consumers as well as mutual influence between them, and the traditional theory does present important reference for explaining the online shopping behaviors. However, the studies on physical stores and shopping behaviors at physical stores and those on online shopping behaviors are relatively separated and independent.Online and physical stores are significant sales channels for enterprises during their marketing practices. These two channels influence one another. With the increasing popularity of online shopping, changes to the motives behind shopping will greatly affect their shopping behaviors at both online and physical stores. In addition, physical store images have great influence on consumers’ online shopping behaviors.The marketing practices indicate the trend of developing online and physical stores at the same time. However, as the relationship between physical store images and online shopping behaviors is still relatively obscure, there is a need for conducting a study to figure out the inherent link between the physical store images and online shopping behaviors. Based on confirmed theories and the empirical research method, the author found out the inherent laws of how physical store environments influence the online shopping behaviors of consumers, which can help and guide enterprises to effectively build online and physical stores, sharpen competitive edges, and create more value for customers.Starting from the analysis of brand cognition, perceptible benefits, and brand trust, the thesis examines the influence of physical store images on online shopping behaviors from the perspective of customers and builds an influence model of physical store image factors on consumers’ willingness to purchase online through empirical analysis and theoretical research on published papers. The model explains the inherent relationships between physical store environments and online shopping behaviors. On the foundation of previous theoretical studies, the author was committed to figuring out the mechanism through which physical store images influence the brand cognition and attitude of consumers’ online shopping behaviors, aiming to provide theoretical guidance for enterprises in their marketing practices.Theoretical development is demonstrated in Chapter Ⅱ, Ⅲ, and Ⅳ. This section mainly sorts out and analyzes the published papers on physical store images and online shopping behaviors, and covers qualitative research on the influence of physical store images on online shopping behaviors through consumer interviews. On the basis of the literature analysis and qualitative research, this section proposes the basic theoretical framework of the thesis. The last section of the thesis, i.e., empirical research, is composed of Chapter Ⅴ, Ⅵ, and Ⅶ. In line with the basic theoretical framework, this section lists variables involved and measurement items and puts forward the hypothesis on the relationships among the variables. To confirm the hypotheses, the author designed a questionnaire, organized field surveys, and statistically analyzed the survey results. Leveraging the SPSS19.0and AMO20.0applications to analyze the validity and reliability of the basic hypotheses, the author confirmed the hypotheses and measured its goodness of fit. After taking all these moves, the author tested and modified the basic hypothesis and theoretical model in the research, building the theoretical model through which physical store images influence online shopping behaviors. Last but not least, the author drew the research conclusions and provided suggestions and prospects for the research.Summary of each chapter is as follows:Chapter Ⅰ—Introduction:This chapter mainly elaborates the research background of the thesis and significance of the topic. As online shopping is gaining more popularity, changes to consumer behaviors generate more urgent requirements for more in-depth research into online shopping and physical store environments. Although both studies in and outside China on physical store images and benefits of online shopping constitute a rich harvest, little research into the relationships between physical store environments and the perceptible value and purchase willingness of online shoppers has been done, not to mention those reaching consistent conclusions. Taking physical stores and online shopping as the context, this study integrates the research achievements on physical store environments with those on online shopping behaviors, which is a great breakthrough of the previous fragmented analysis. As such, the study extends the research scope of theories on online shopping behaviors and enriches the theoretic system. The inherent relationships between physical store images and online shopping behaviors revealed in this thesis provide a theoretical basis for enterprises in selecting and building sales channels, present practical reference for them to launch online marketing activities and build physical store channels. This makes the research results more instructive either in practice or theory.Chapter Ⅱ—Lterature Review:In this chapter, the author reviewed and sorted out important Chinese and foreign literature related to the research on retail store images, store environments, consumer behaviors, online shopping, brand recognition, brand trust, and other factors.Chapter Ⅲ is a qualitative analysis of the influence of physical store images on online shopping behaviors. In this chapter, a questionnaire survey is conducted in addition to interviews. The questionnaire, as an extension of the open-ended interview questions, is mainly aimed to deduce a hypothesis model from basic theories to make qualitative judgments and descriptions. This chapter conducts basic theoretic deduction for the hypothesis model of the mechanism through which physical store images influence online shopping behaviors, providing the basic model, arguments, and basis for subsequent quantitative demonstration and empirical research.Chapter IV builds the theoretic foundation and the hypothesis model. Based on the in-depth study of physical store images and dimensions, composition, and influential factors of online shopping behaviors, this chapter analyzes the influences of physical store image attributes on consumers’ online shopping behaviors and willingness, builds a basic hypothesis model of such influences, and proposes24hypotheses to be confirmed. The analysis in this chapter takes reference from theories about physical store images, perceptible value, and brand cognition and trust.Chapter V is dedicated to designing the empirical research, so as to check the accuracy of the hypothesis model. Based on the hypothesis model of the influences of physical store images on online shopping behaviors, this chapter puts forward measurement items for variables such as physical store images, brand cognition, perceptible benefits, brand trust, and consumers’ willingness to purchase online. A set of questionnaires are designed for these measurement items to obtain samples for the research, so as to confirm whether the hypothesis model is appropriate. The questionnaire design approach and process, as well as variable measurement methods, are elaborated therein. To ensure consistency and accuracy of the questionnaires, the author conducted a pre-survey based on the questionnaire draft and analyzed the reliability and validity of the pre-survey data. After that, the author modified and finalized the questionnaires.Chapter VI provides empirical research results and analysis. To confirm the accuracy of the hypothesis model, the author conducted a formal survey by distributing and collecting questionnaires based on the research design mentioned above. A total of528questionnaires were distributed, among which500were collected. To ensure consistency and accuracy, the author analyzed the reliability and validity (concerning content validity, convergent validity and discriminant validity) of the collected questionnaires. The author also proved the consistency between the factor structure and hypotheses of measurement items through factor analysis, thereby providing reliable sample data for validating the hypothesis model subsequently. Based on the structural equation modeling (SEM) method, the author examined the goodness of fit of the hypothesis model by using the AMOS20.0application. The examination results demonstrate that the hypothesis model is basically acceptable. By identifying, estimating, evaluating, and modifying the hypothesis model, the author finally built a theoretical model through which physical store images influence online shopping willingness and behaviors.Chapter VII draws conclusions and proposes prospects. This chapter thoroughly analyzes the theoretical model through which physical store images influence consumers’ willingness to purchase online. According to the analysis, the five variables of physical store images directly influence brand cognition, perceptible benefits, and brand trust. Direct impacts of brand recognition, perceptible benefits, and brand trust on consumers’ willingness to purchase online are also elaborated. The indirect impacts of physical store image variables on consumers’ willingness to purchase online are also analyzed to expose the indirect influence of physical store images and validate the causal relationships between physical store images and online shopping behaviors. After that, this chapter theoretically analyzes and extracts the research results of this thesis, summarizes the theoretical conclusions, describes innovative ideas and limitations of this thesis, and proposes prospects and suggestions on future research.To sum up, this thesis unprecedentedly links physical store images with consumers’ willingness to purchase online and analyzes the influence mechanism between the two. According to the research results, physical store images indirectly influence consumers’ online shopping willingness and behaviors by affecting brand cognition, perceptible benefits, and brand trust. This research not only provides a new perspective for theoretically studying online shopping behaviors, but also builds a theoretical linkage between physical stores and online shopping behaviors. Hence, this thesis provides theoretical guidance and tactical suggestions for promoting the favorable development of physical stores and online shopping. |
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