Bridging the Sensory Gap: How is eCommerce Compensating for the Lack of Physical Touch?
摘要
Retailers use various channel models to sell products: some operate physical stores, others sell exclusively online (e-only), and some use both channel models, known as brick-and-click (B&C). For e-only and B&C retailers, a wealth of Compensatory Product Presentation Technologies (CPPTs) are available to display their products. These technologies compensate for the consumer’s inability to touch products before making a purchase decision. However, despite academic research on the benefits of CPPTs, their current prevalence is unclear. This study analyses website product listings for top fashion and clothing brands in Great Britain during Q1 2024, focusing on one product category. Data was collected against a CPPT coding sheet and then analysed using IBM SPSS. A chi-square analysis was conducted on e-only and B&C retailer product listings to identify any associations with their use of CPPTs. The analysis reveals a low prevalence of several CPPTs on product listings, including product presentation videos, customer garment images, and the display of garments on different body shapes. No instances of customer garment videos, tactile simulation imagery, or rotatable 3D views were found. The chi-square analysis revealed some significant associations between B&C product listings and the inclusion of garment care instructions, sizing measurement conversions and previous purchasers’ experiences. E-only product listings were significantly associated with textual descriptions of fabric pattern. The study’s findings suggest that despite the benefits of several CPPTs, identified in academic research, eCommerce retailers are not implementing them on their product listings. This may indicate a gap in knowledge exchange that requires further exploration.