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A master's thesis presented to the Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences (BMS) at the University of Twente. The study investigates the impact of music on the online shopping experience of feminine apparel, specifically focusing on online retailers. The research was conducted through interviews with online shoppers, focus groups, and experts. The findings suggest that online retailers must consider the motivations for online shopping, the most appropriate sources and platforms for music introduction, and the importance of the sense of control online shoppers seek in the online shopping experience.
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by Rebeca Dias Amorim Coelho August | 2016 Presented to the Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences (BMS) University of Twente Master of Science in Communication Studies Marketing Communication Supervisors Dr. M. Galetzka Dr. J.J. van Hoof
iv Abstract Background: It is necessary to create a compelling online shopping experience in order to achieve a competitive advantage on the Internet (Novak, Hoffman, & Yung, 2000). Music is one important atmospheric quality that impacts the online shopping experience (Kim & Lennon, 2012). But, while in retail environments music is ubiquitous and it is mainly controlled by the store (Pham, 2014) consumers are the ones in control of music choice and online music sources and/or platforms in the online shopping environment. Which means that, shopping websites should discover smart and innovative solutions to create a brand strategy that will successfully introduce music as part of their online shopping experience. Objective: Firstly, this study explores the different behaviours and perceptions of users regarding the online shopping experience of feminine apparel and online music consumption. Secondly, it explores the perceptions of users regarding different current brand strategies of online apparel retails, which already introduce music as part of their online shopping experience. Lastly, it investigates which are the main concerns and opportunities regarding this theme according to experts. Ultimately, this study aims to answer the overall main research question “Which are the best ways to introduce music as part of the online shopping experience of feminine apparel online retailers?” Method: Qualitative and exploratory study combining three distinct stages: in-depth interviews with users, focus group with users and in-depth interviews with experts. Findings & Implications: Online retails must (1) have a brand positioning which is suitable with the introduction of music, (2) take into account the motivations for online shopping (window-shopping vs. actual shopping), (3) choose the most appropriate sources & platforms for music introduction, (4) and consider the importance of the sense of control online shoppers seek in the online shopping experience. Key words: online shopping experience, feminine apparel online retailers, music, and exploratory study.
1. Introduction The number of online shoppers has increased dramatically (To & Sung, 2014). Indeed, online shopping is gradually moving from a novelty to a routine activity (Yoo & Donthu, 2001). Different shopping related activities might be conducted in the online environment: online users turn to the Internet for researching, browsing, and actual shopping transactions (Horrigan, 2008). Hence, sites should seek differentiation to attract a higher number of consumers and to influence their shopping decisions (Yoo & Donthu, 2001). This study will focus in the specific segment of female apparel shopping websites. According to the website of the Telecompaper Consumer Panel (http://www.telecompaper.com) seventy-five percent of all Dutch women bought clothing, shoes or bags online in 2015. However, overall most of the apparel shopping websites presents a very similar format and content. In order to achieve differentiation, it is necessary to create a compelling online shopping experience (Novak, Hoffman, & Yung, 2000). Certain atmospheric qualities of the online shopping context influence online shopping experience (Eroglu, Machleit, & Davis, 2001). According to Eroglu, Machleit, and Davis (2003) “atmospheric cues of the online store influence shoppers’ emotional and cognitive states, which then affect their shopping outcomes” (p.139). Some examples of atmospheric qualities of a website may be its colors, background patterns, typestyles and fonts, music and sounds - just to name a few. In fact, Eroglu, Machleit, and Davis (2003) considered the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework to explain how the atmospheric cues of online stores can represent the “stimuli” that has significant and measurable effects on the shopping experience. Thus, the intent of this study is to investigate the introduction of one specific atmospheric quality that impacts the online shopping experience: music. The use of the proper background music can help to produce certain desired attitudes from consumers in the marketplace (Milliman, 1982). Also, music can affect consumer’s actions, decision-making, and choices in retail environments (Krishna, 2011). But, while in retail environments music is ubiquitous and it is mainly controlled by the store (Pham, 2014) consumers are the ones in control of background music choice in the online shopping environment. Which means that, websites should discover smart and innovative solutions to create a brand strategy that arouses online
shoppers interest and influence their music choice during the online shopping experience. Two factors that may impact the receptiveness shoppers have when it comes to music introduction in the online shopping experience will be presented in the following. Firstly, it is important to take into account that shoppers may have different motivations while engaging in online shopping: (1) utilitarian (when shoppers are searching for efficiency) and (2) hedonic (when the shopping activity is intended to be fun) motivations (Childers, Carr, Peck & Carson, 2002). As a result, these two different motivations for online shopping reflect different shopping behaviours and therefore may require specific strategies when it comes to introducing music as part of the online shopping experience. Secondly, a fit between the brand and the store's atmospherics is crucial (Beverland et. al, 2006). Thus, given that music is part of the online store atmospherics, the introduction of music in the online shopping experience should also have a fit with the brand positioning of the online apparel website. The main research question of this study is “Which are the best ways to introduce music as part of the online shopping experience of feminine apparel online retailers?” In order to investigate successful ways to introduce music as part of the online shopping experience, a qualitative and exploratory study combining 3 distinct stages was conducted: (1) interviews with online feminine apparel shoppers to understand the different motivations, behaviours and perceptions of users regarding online shopping experience of feminine apparel and online music consumption (2) focus group with online feminine apparel shoppers to investigate the perceptions of users regarding different current brand strategies of online apparel retails, which already introduce music as part of their online shopping experience (3) interviews with apparel online retails and/or online experts to understand the main opportunities and possible concerns related with the introduction of music in the online shopping experience. This combined approach allowed the integration of different perspectives: the individual perceptive - provided by in-depth interviews with users; the group perceptive - provided by a focus group with users; and the expert perspective - provided by in-depth interviews with experts. As a result, the findings of the study present an integrated guide for the best ways to introduce music as part of the online shopping experience.
2.2 Online Shopping Experience It is necessary to create a compelling online shopping experience in order to achieve a competitive advantage on the Internet (Novak, Hoffman, & Yung, 2000). Firstly, one important factor that may impact the online shopping experience is the quality of Internet shopping sites (Yoo & Donthu, 2001). Yoo and Donthu (2001) identified specific items to measure the quality of Internet shopping websites based on the results of a quantitative study with college students. The items identified for the quality of Internet shopping websites were: competitive value, clarity of ordering, product uniqueness, product quality assurance, easy of use, aesthetic design, processing speed, security and brand equity. According to Wood (2000) brand equity is the description of the associations and beliefs the consumer has about the brand. Therefore, the associations and beliefs about a website’s brand will influence the quality perception of a website and consequently its online shopping experience. Overall, in order to create a positive online shopping experience; first of all, companies should guarantee that their websites address the quality items expected by the shoppers – including the brand equity of the website. Secondly, websites should also contain features to provide an enjoyable shopping experience to consumers (Won Jeong, Fiore, Niehm, & Lorenz, 2009). Novak, Hoffman, and Yung (2000) pointed out that “A compelling online customer experience is positively correlated with fun, recreational and experiential uses of the Web, expected use of the Web in the future, and the amount of time consumers spend online” (p. 32). In fact, just as the physical environment in a traditional retail store impacts the overall shopping experience (psychological and behavioral shopping outcomes), certain atmospheric qualities of the online shopping context are also responsible for the online shopping experience (Eroglu, Machleit, & Davis, 2001). Thus, companies should also guarantee that their shoppers not only encounter a high quality website according to positive associations and beliefs about their brands, but also that their websites present specific features that will contribute to a pleasant and enjoyable online shopping experience. That is because, according to Eroglu, Machleit, and Davis (2003) “atmospheric cues of the online store influence shoppers’ emotional and cognitive states, which then affect their shopping outcomes” (p.139). Also, when implementing these specific features with the intent to create a pleasant and enjoyable experience: companies should take into account that the online shopping experience may be influenced by the integration of several online and
offline platforms - other than just the features present in the actual shopping website. Currently, consumers access more than one technology at the same time: computer, mobile phone or television (Phalen & Ducey, 2012). That means, that Internet users are constantly connected to different technologies while performing online activities – and not necessarily all of them are online. Therefore, it is only fair to say that the online shopping environment is composed by both online and offline platforms. Considering online platforms, it is important to point out the importance of social media. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and many others “have transformed the Internet from a platform for information, to a platform for influence” (Hanna, Rohm, & Crittenden, 2011, p.272). In fact, many feminine apparel brands have different profiles in different social media channels, as a way to interact with their consumers. One example is H&M, which presents in its shopping website the icons to access the brand’s profiles in different social media - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Google+ and Pinterest. All of which are part of the online shopping experience of H&M. Nevertheless, merely incorporating social media as standalone elements of a marketing plan, for instance, is no longer successful. Hanna, Rohm, and Crittenden (2011) proposed a systematic way of understanding and conceptualizing online social media, and addressed the conclusion that “companies need to consider both social and traditional media as part of an ecosystem whereby all elements work together toward a common objective” (p.273). Thus, it is clear that companies should consider offline (e.g. traditional media) and online platforms in its brand strategy to create a positive and enjoyable online shopping experience. 2.3 Role of (Background) Music Several studies conducted so far identified how the appropriate choice of music background can have some benefits when it comes to consumer behaviour influence in the retail environment. That is why companies use background music as a marketing tool to influence the unconscious behaviors of shoppers (Pham, 2014). In fact, Allan (2008) point out that some of the investigated effects of music background in the retail environment are changes in mood, pleasure and arousal, salesperson perception and affiliation, store perception, time waiting, time spent, willingness to buy and money spent. Eroglu, Machleit, and Davis (2001) used the stimulus- organism-response (S-O-R) framework to illustrate how the introduction of certain atmospheric elements can have a positive impact in the online shopping experience.
shopping. Also, in order to successfully introduce music in the online shopping experience, feminine apparel online retails should take into consideration the different online shopping behaviours - driven by different online shopping motivations (instrumental vs. hedonic); and their brand strategy - understand if the associations and beliefs consumers have about their brands fit with the introduction of music (Figure 1). Figure 1 This study intends to explore the main research question: (RQ1) which are the best ways to introduce music as part of the online shopping experience of feminine apparel online retailers? This main question can dismember into the following secondary questions: (RQ2) what is important when it comes to the behaviour of users regarding the online shopping experience of feminine apparel and online music consumption? (RQ3) which are the best practices and pitfalls of current brand strategies that already introduce music as part of their online shopping experiences? (RQ4) what are the main concerns and opportunities of introducing music in the online shopping experience according to experts? (Figure 2)
4. Stage 1: In-depth interviews with users In order to understand which are the best ways to introduce music as part of the online shopping experience, it is firstly important to understand which are the main elements involved in this experience. Therefore, the first stage of investigation intends to explore the main aspects related with (1) online shopping experience of feminine apparel and (2) online music consumption. Ultimately, Stage 1 intends to answer (RQ2) what is important when it comes to the behaviour of users regarding the online shopping experience of feminine apparel and online music consumption? 4.1 Procedure In-depth interviews with online feminine apparel shoppers were conducted. The interviews were face-to-face - either in person (n= 19) or by Skype (n=11) - and lasted about 20 minutes on average (the shortest interview lasted for approximately 12 minutes while the longest interview lasted 28 minutes). Further, all participants were recruited online via Facebook. The criterion was to invite as many participants as possible within the desired target (women from 18 years old to 30 years old who had already purchased clothing, shoes or accessories online at least one time). Thus, an announcement about the study was published in the moderator’s timeline - those who responded the announcement and met the sample criteria were invited to take part in the study. Further, all the interviews were recorded and the study included a total of thirty participants. 4.2 Sampling The sample of study participants was composed by young women from 21 years old to 30 years old who had already purchased clothing, shoes or accessories online at least one time before the interview. Among the participants, there are young women from 13 different nationalities, which are current university students or recent graduates from different universities.
4.3 Objects and Data Set A pretest was conducted in order to evaluate the first version (Appendix A) of the interview’s guide for the Stage 1 of the research. After the pretest, the flow of the interview guide was adapted to create a more satisfactory funnel of evaluation. The details of all the adjustments implemented after the pretest revision are included in Appendix B. The final interview guide (Appendix C) explored the following key topics: (1) overall apparel online shopping and (2) music and apparel online shopping experience. The key topics and sub topics explored by the interviews on Stage 1 are described below (Table 2 ). Nevertheless, depending on the interview, the interviewer was able the interview flow or to include specific follow-up questions in order to obtain a deeper and fuller understanding of a certain participant’s meaning (Legard, Keegan & Ward, 2003). Table 2 Topics of investigation: Stage 1
4. 4 Coding & Analysis After the conclusion of all the interviews, the collected data was transcribed. The main objective of the coding phase was to identify patterns among respondents Key Topics Sub Topics Overall Apparel Online Shopping Ø Q1. Frequency Ø Q2. Motivations Ø Q3. Preferences Ø Q4/Q5. Habits Ø Q6/Q7. Overlapping Activities Music & Apparel Online Shopping Experience Ø Q8. Music Background & Online Shopping Ø Q9. Sources & Platforms Ø Q10/Q11. New Music Interest Ø Q12/Q13. Music Suggestions & Online Stores Ø Q14. New Platforms for Music Suggestions Ø Q15. Music Familiarity Ø Q16/Q17/Q18. Music & Clothing fit Ø Q19. Music & Everyday Activities
when asked about the motivations for online shopping a respondent may have answered “fun” and also “inspiration”. Therefore, most of the times, the total number of mentions per sub topic is higher than the total number of respondents (higher than
When it comes to main Habits , online shopping mostly occurs when shoppers are at home and they have some free time - especially during the evenings and on the weekends. Also, most of the participants are alone during online shopping, even though it is common to ask for friend’s opinions about the purchase through online chatting or even personally. However, even though all the participants had previous experiences with apparel online shopping, when it comes to Preferences about shopping for clothing, most of the participants (80%) still prefer the shopping experience in a physical store. On the other hand, price orientation was the main aspect related with a higher preference for online shopping (40%), followed by convenience (36%). Further, some participants also expressed different ways in which they combine the experience of purchasing at physical stores and online stores. For instance, one participant said “But, after trying it [in a physical store] maybe I decide to buy it online later (…) because is cheaper.” Which means that sometimes shoppers combine the best aspects of both offline stores and online stores in their complete shopping experience. Also, another aspect that is part of the online shopping experience is the online window-shopping - when shoppers are just checking online shops for clothing, shoes and accessories without a previous purchase intention. Indeed, some of the most common Motivations for online window-shopping that were identified are (1) Fun (66%) - participants claim that it is fun to browse online for different clothing, shoes and accessories websites even without an objective purchase intention in mind. One of the participants said “Sometimes it is fun just to look at something”; (2) Trends (43%) - online window-shopping allow the shoppers to be up to date with the latest trends about their favorite brands or fashion collections. For instance, one participant said, “Sometimes I just check what are the new trends that they have. But, not necessarily to buy them, just to check”; (3) Entertainment when feeling bored (33%) - unlike when shoppers are merely looking for fun, the entertainment against boredom motivation was clearly expressed as a situation when shoppers encounter themselves in boring moments, places or activities and want to somehow get entertained or feel less bored by looking at apparel online stores. For example, one participant said that she has done online window-shopping during classes in which she has no interest, “Sometimes if we had a boring lecture and I had nothing else to do”. Moreover, there are several Overlapping Activities during the online shopping experience. Participants declared to perform different activities at the same time while
