1. business.uts.edu.au
Channels for search and
purchase: Does mobile Internet
matter?
Sonika Singh
Lecturer, UTS

2. Channels for search and purchase: Does mobile Internet
matter?
Published: Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services
Sonika Singh (UTS)
Joffre Swait (Erasmus University)
We examine the patterns of search and purchase in digital and
offline channels.

3. Device Usage: Mobile-First World
Source: Think with Google 2016
INTRODUCTION
For marketers, more usage
across more devices means
there are more touchpoints
to engage with audiences
than ever before.

4. What do we know about channel relationships?
Online-offline patterns of search and purchase
Search channel Purchase channel
Electronics, beauty
products etc.
INTRODUCTION

5. Search channelPurchase channel
Jewelry, apparels etc.
What do we know about channel relationships?
Online-offline patterns of search and purchase
• Research shopping phenomenon: consumers search in online channel
and purchase in offline channel i.e. complimentary relationship.
INTRODUCTION

6. Substitutes
What do we know about channel relationships?
Patterns of purchase
INTRODUCTION

7. What do we know about channel relationships given that mobile
is an increasingly used channel?
INTRODUCTION

8. RQ2. Which product categories do people tend
to buy more of using their mobile phones and
what types of products are more searched for
on a mobile, then bought via desktop or in store
- and why?
Shopping
Channels
RQ1. Where does the mobile channel fit in the
online and offline channel combinations that
shoppers use when searching for and then
buying a product?
Research Questions
INTRODUCTION

9. DATA
Utilitarian Hedonic
HighRisk
Computing Equipment
Telecom Equipment
Electronics
Music Instruments
Photography & Video
Sports Equipment
Jewelry
Beauty & Cosmetics
Wines
Collectibles
Apparels and Accessories
LowRisk
Automotive Accessories
Pet Items
Craft Supplies
Home & Garden
Office Supplies
Home Furnishings
Toys and Games
Arts
Gifts & Holidays
CD’s & DVD’s
Books
Utilitarian categories mostly
have search attributes and
involve considerable cognitive
effort (Novak et al., 2003).
Hedonic categories,
categories in which
consumers seek variety or
enjoyment, have a greater
promotion focus and may
indulge in impulse buying
and variety seeking (Novak
et al., 2003).

10. DATA

11. Modeling Framework for Drivers of Search and Purchase
Channel Combinations
MODELING

12. RESULTS
• An increase in perceived mobile search
convenience relative to search costs
significantly increases the choice of channel
combinations that include mobile search
relative to other channel combinations.
• 42% consumers have used mobile devices in
conjunction with desktops and store search,
but only 19% purchased using mobile device.
• We find that desktop and store channels are
the most commonly used channels for
purchasing products.
Finding 1: Mobile plays a bigger role in helping people search for a product
than to buy a product.
RQ1. Where does the mobile channel fit in the online and offline channel
combinations that shoppers use when searching for and then buying a product?

13. Propensity to search in digital and store channel and gains from search
RESULTS
Mobile plays a bigger role in helping people search for a product, than to buy
a product. Why?

14. Finding: Mobile is a useful medium to search primarily for utilitarian products.
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
28.57%
24.11%
16.96%
9.82%
4.46% 4.46% 4.46%
3.57%
2.68%
0.89%
Percentofrespondents
Categories
Consumer search for utilitarian categories
RESULTS

15. RQ2. Which product categories do people tend to buy more of using their mobile
phones and what types of products are more searched for on a mobile, then bought
via desktop or in store - and why?
RESULTS
Finding: Although mobile is a useful medium to search primarily for utilitarian products, it can be useful
search medium for select hedonic products.
25
12
10
10
8
7
5 5
16
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Apparel and
accessories
Gifts and
Holidays
Toys and games Electronics Computing
equipment
Beauty and
cosmetics
Home furnishing CD’s and DVD’s Other categories
Percentage
Categories searched for on mobile
Categories searched for on mobile and purchased via desktop/store

16. RQ2. Which product categories do people tend to buy more of using their mobile
phones and what types of products are more searched for on a mobile, then bought
via desktop or in store - and why?
RESULTS
20 20
15
14
8
5 5
13
0
5
10
15
20
25
Apparel and
accessories
Electronics Toys and games Beauty and
cosmetics
Gifts and
Holidays
Computing
equipment
Telecom
equipment
Other categories
Percentage
Category
Mobile category purchases

17. MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS
Finding 1: An increase in perceived mobile search convenience relative to search costs significantly increases
the choice of channel combinations that include mobile search relative to other channel combinations.
78.35
8.537
6.402
3.354
.9146
.9146
.3049
.3049
.3049
.3049
.3049
0
20406080
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26
mobile Internet search time (hours)
1.6
0.6
0.3
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
Morning Afternoon Evening
Digital device usage by time of day
Odds of Mobile/Desktop search time
Implication: The increased use of mobile devices due to convenience of mobile Internet is likely to influence
consumer shopping behaviors such as time spent to search in various channels and patterns of use of digital devices.

18. 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Firm website Video sites Firm-social media
webpage
Mobile search and
display ads
Social networking site Independent website
61%
47%
40%
33%
18% 17%
PercentofRespondents
Mobile Internet Source
Mobile Internet Source Use
MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS
Implication:
▪ Examine consumer search habits
▪ Reduce consumer search costs

19. MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS
Finding 2:Mobile is a useful medium to search primarily for utilitarian products.
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
28.57%
24.11%
16.96%
9.82%
4.46% 4.46% 4.46%
3.57%
2.68%
0.89%
Percentofrespondents
Categories
Consumer search for utilitarian categories

20. MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
Collect info from m/f
website
Mobile call Visit firm social media
webpage to obtain
coupon and learn about
promotions
Request price quotes Engage in live chat
42.24%
30% 30%
21%
2.50%
Percentofrespondents
Type of mobile Internet engagement
Mobile user engagement
Implication:
▪ Mobile brand engagement is
relevant to influence brand
consideration for utilitarian
categories.
▪ Mobile shopping Information,
promotions, deals! for both hedonic
and utilitarian products

21. Questions?

22. Thank You!

23. Source: Smart Insights 2018
Types of websites visited on Smartphones
Source: Statista 2018
93% of consumers make a purchase after
product research on their smartphone.
MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS