Price as a variable in online consumer trade‐offs

Abstract

Purpose

To determine the impact of price on consumer decision making in online environments.

Design/methodology/approach

Uses a conjoint experiment to investigate the trade‐offs customers make when choosing and to establish their relative weights in online and offline situations.

Findings

Finds that customers expect prices to be lower in an online environment than in a traditional sales channel.

Research limitations/implications

Despite acknowledged limitations of experimental design and student samples, the findings have both theoretical and practical implications.

Practical implications

Marketing planners can use the intelligence gained from conjoint studies such as this to improve the design and implementation of online retail experiences.

Originality/value

Compares online and offline shopping environments with specific regard to the importance of price in each in the consumer decision‐making processes, a hitherto overlooked issue in marketing research.

Citation

Karlsson, T., Kuttainen, C., Pitt, L. and Spyropoulou, S. (2005), "Price as a variable in online consumer trade‐offs", Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 23 No. 4, pp. 350-358. https://doi.org/10.1108/02634500510603456