关键词: 网购情境, 产品不确定性, 线下体验

Abstract:

The consumers’offline experience behavior in the context of online shopping is examined. Specifically， it considers instances where consumers view a brand’s products online intending to purchase them （referred to as the intended product）. Consumers may then enter a physical shop to directly experience the product in question. At this juncture， consumers have a substantial comprehension of the intended product and are cognizant of the desired experience. In this scenario， the consumer’s experience is more circumscribed and targeted， yet also more concentrated and less influenced by the ambiance of the retail establishment， geographical location， and service quality， among other factors.Previously， Lu Tingyu and Zhuang Guijun， recognizing the specificity of such behavior， undertook a detailed investigation through a grounded research approach and developed a comprehensive behavioral model. They discovered that consumers’perceived product uncertainty （including quality uncertainty， fit uncertainty， and preference uncertainty） is a principal and direct antecedent of offline experience. Their study was comprehensive and original， offering interesting and enlightening insights. Their discussion was of particular importance for our understanding of offline experience behavior in the specific context of “online purchase， offline experience”. However， due to the constraints of qualitative research methods， they were unable to quantify the significant impact of consumers’perceived product uncertainty. This topic is developed in this paper. The model and hypotheses are constructed based on the consumer purchase decision model. A scale of consumers’perceived product uncertainty is first developed， and then mathematical and statistical methods are applied to test the impact of perceived product uncertainty on consumers’offline experience and post-purchase behavior in the context of online shopping.Using PLS-SEM to analyze 411 valid questionnaires， it is found that： （1） consumers’perceived product uncertainty has a positive effect on offline experience involvement. In other words， when consumers feel that the information they obtain online is insufficient to remove product-related uncertainty， they will spend more time and effort when conducting an offline experience. （2） Offline experience involvement increases the usefulness of offline experience. The greater the effort consumers invest in their offline experience， the more information they obtain， which in turn facilitates more effective purchase decisions. （3） Offline experience usefulness raises consumer satisfaction with the purchase method and lowers post-purchase regret about the product. In other words， the more consumers perceive that the information obtained from the offline experience is beneficial to their purchase decision， the more satisfied they are with the purchase method， and the less likely they are to experience regret about the product.The theoretical contributions are as follows　First， within the specific context of “online purchase， offline experience”， a product preference uncertainty scale is developed， and a three-dimensional reflective-constitutive second-order scale of product uncertainty is constructed. Secondly， it is established that there is a critical and direct influence of consumers’perceived product uncertainty on their offline experience. Third， the usefulness of the offline experience is identified as a significant factor influencing consumer behavior following a purchase， thereby extending the existing research about offline experiences.

Key words: online shopping, product uncertainty, offline experience