Gift shopping behavior in a multichannel retail environment: The role of personal purchase experiences

Abstract

Purpose

To date, most research focused on understanding the meanings and mechanism of gift giving behavior and there is little literature on channel usage behavior for gift shopping. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between consumers' retail purchase experiences for their own use and their gift shopping for others in a multichannel retail context.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a self‐administered survey method, the paper obtained 171 usable responses from females in a large US Midwestern University. Data are analyzed employing descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling.

Findings

The findings of this paper showed that for all five retail channels (i.e. internet, mail‐order catalog, TV shopping, local stores, and non‐local stores), there are significant and positive relationships between consumers' product purchase experiences for their own use and their gift purchase experiences. Managerial and theoretical implications are provided.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations of the present study include sampling, which prevent the generalization of results to all gift shoppers, and gift product categories focus on in the present study.

Originality/value

As little is known about the consumer gift shopping behavior in a multichannel retail environment, the study provides valuable strategy for multichannel retailers.

Citation

Lee, H. and Kim, J. (2009), "Gift shopping behavior in a multichannel retail environment: The role of personal purchase experiences", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 37 No. 5, pp. 420-439. https://doi.org/10.1108/09590550910954919