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Offline to online shopping: shift in volition or escape from violation

Ekta Duggal (Department of Commerce, Motilal Nehru College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India)
Harsh Vardhan Verma (Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi, New Delhi, Delhi, India)

Journal of Indian Business Research

ISSN: 1755-4195

Article publication date: 17 February 2022

Issue publication date: 30 June 2022

583

Abstract

Purpose

Research studies have attributed customer shift from offline to online retail to primarily functional reasons. Indian retailing differs from western counterparts in terms of structure and socio-cultural-historical-economic context. The purpose of this paper is to find whether this shift is instigated by positive or negative drive.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected through group discussions and reflective experiential accounts in the form of text. The textual material was thematically analyzed to develop thematic networks. By this method, the text’s patent structures were explored, and underlying hidden patterns were identified.

Findings

Two global themes of “volition” and “violation” were discovered. At the patent level, customers are attracted to online in volition as it allows them to move to higher or desired value space. However, at the deeper level, customer shifted to online as a means to escape from violations involved in human-to-human dealings with offline retailers.

Practical implications

The way forward for offline retailers is to build their advantage based on human interactions. The salvation of offline retailing does not lie in trying to beat online retailers on their position of strength but in leveraging interactions to build social capital.

Originality/value

This study sought to explore and apprehend the meaning of customer shift from offline to online retail at deeper psycho-socio-cultural level.

Keywords

Citation

Duggal, E. and Verma, H.V. (2022), "Offline to online shopping: shift in volition or escape from violation", Journal of Indian Business Research, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 339-357. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIBR-07-2020-0216

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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