Feeling Attached? Shopping Motives, Place Attachment, and Behavioural Loyalty in Offline and Online Retail Stores
(A2024-119373)

AUTHORS

Julie Horáková, University of Jyväskylä; Outi Uusitalo, University of Jyväskylä; Juha Munnukka, University of Jyväskylä

ABSTRACT

This study examines the antecedents of place attachment as well as the outcomes of it on the consumers’ side in both offline and online retail environments. We explore the role of both hedonic and utilitarian shopping motives in the formation of consumers’ place attachment bond. Furthermore, we assess the effect of place attachment on consumers’ behavioural loyalty. The survey data of n 1169 was collected and analyzed with the structural equation modelling method. Our data shows that shopping motives indeed play a significant role in the formation of consumers’ attachment to retail stores. Especially, hedonic motives like uniqueness seeking, social interaction, and browsing have a strong positive effect on consumers’ place attachment. Moreover, we confirm the significant effect of place attachment on consumers’ switching intentions and the spreading of positive Word-of-Mouth (WoM) as indicators of consumers’ loyalty in both offline and online retail environments.