Online Registration

ISO 9001:2015

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCED RESEARCH IN COMMERCE, MANAGEMENT & SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJARCMSS) [ Vol. 9 | No. 3 (I) | July - September, 2026 ]

Impact of Smart Store Technologies on Purchase Intention: The Mediating Role of User Experience and User Engagement

Dr. Lubna Ambreen, Dhakshitha B K, Dr. Smitha N.S, Dr. Vasantha Kumari.K & Sateesha.C

Smart store technologies are appearing at an unprecedented pace in organized retail stores and have changed the way consumers shop. The current study is focused on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) model on the role of smart store technologies, such as self-checkout kiosks, AI recommendation systems, digital payment platforms, smart shelves, QR code service, and mobile retail applications, on consumers buying intentions. In particular, the study explores the mediating roles of user experience and user engagement between the two. The research methodology employed is quantitative research and the design is of cross-sectional type, with primary data gathered by visiting the Reliance Smart, D-Mart, Croma, Reliance Digital and Decathlon stores in Bengaluru, India and interviewing 300 consumers. The outcomes of the study showed that smart store technologies make significant and positive contributions to user experience which has a significant, positive impact on user engagement and purchase intention. The other positive influence on purchase intentions is user engagement. Both the simple and sequential mediation paths are supported, showing that the effect of smart store technologies on purchase intention is mediated sequentially by user experience and user engagement. The research makes a contribution to the phygital retail environment and provides practical implications for retail managers interested in using smart technologies to engage their users and boost their sales.

Ambreen, L., Dhakshitha, B., Smitha, N., Kumari, V. & Sateesha, C. (2026). Impact of Smart Store Technologies on Purchase Intention: The Mediating Role of User Experience and User Engagement. International Journal of Advanced Research in Commerce, Management & Social Science, 09(03(I)), 183–191. https://doi.org/10.62823/IJARCMSS/9.3(I).9330
  1. Mele, C., Russo Spena, T., Marzullo, M., & Di Bernardo, I. (2023). The phygital transformation: A systematic review and a research agenda. Italian Journal of Marketing, 2023, 323–349. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43039-023-00070-7
  2. Grewal, D., Noble, S. M., Roggeveen, A. L., &Nordfält, J. (2020). The future of in-store technology. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48(1), 96–113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00697-z
  3. van de Sanden, S., Willems, K., & Brengman, M. (2019). In-store location-based marketing with beacons: From inflated expectations to smart use in retailing. Journal of Marketing Management, 35(15–16), 1514–1541. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2019.1689154
  4. Liu, L., & Lee, S. H. (2024). Do people really care if it’s phygital retail? Exploring the relationship between customer experiences and customer behaviors. Asia Marketing Journal, 26(3), 186–200. https://doi.org/10.53728/2765-6500.1637
  5. Nguyen, T. H., Ngo, H. Q., &Dýõng, T. T. (2021). Motivations influencing virtual supermarket shopping: An exploratory study using means-end chains analysis. Cogent Business & Management, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2021.1954491
  6. Verhoef, P. C., Lemon, K. N., Parasuraman, A., Roggeveen, A., Tsiros, M., & Schlesinger, L. A. (2009). Customer experience creation: Determinants, dynamics and management strategies. Journal of Retailing, 85(1), 31–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2008.11.001
  7. Brodie, R. J., Hollebeek, L. D., Juriæ, B., &Iliæ, A. (2011). Customer engagement: Conceptual domain, fundamental propositions, and implications for research. Journal of Service Research, 14(3), 252–271. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670511411703
  8. Kumar, J., Rana, S., Rani, G., Rani, V., et al. (2023). How phygital customers’ experience transforms the retail banking sector? Examining customer engagement and patronage intentions. Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal, 34(1), 92–106. https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-04-2023-0076
  9. Reinartz, W., Wiegand, N., &Imschloss, M. (2019). The impact of digital transformation on the retailing value chain. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 36(3), 350–366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2018.12.002
  10. Willems, K., Smolders, A., Brengman, M., Luyten, K., &Schöning, J. (2017). The path-to-purchase is paved with digital opportunities: An inventory of shopper-oriented retail technologies. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 124, 228–242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2016.10.066
  11. Chopra, K. (2019). Indian shopper motivation to use artificial intelligence: Generating Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation using grounded theory approach. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 47(3), 331–347. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-11-2018-0251
  12. Lemon, K. N., & Verhoef, P. C. (2016). Understanding customer experience throughout the customer journey. Journal of Marketing, 80(6), 69–96. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0420
  13. Guzzetti, A., Crespi, R., & Belvedere, V. (2024). Phygital luxury experiences: A correspondence analysis on retail technologies. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 48(2), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.13008
  14. Nguyen, A. T. V., Akbari, M., Akram, U., Hoang, M. D. T., & others. (2023). Developing trends in showrooming, webrooming, and omnichannel shopping behaviors: Performance analysis, conceptual mapping, and future directions. Journal of Consumer Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2186
  15. Pine, B. J., II, & Gilmore, J. H. (1998). Welcome to the experience economy. Harvard Business Review, 76(4), 97–105.
  16. Schmitt, B. H. (1999). Experiential marketing: How to get customers to sense, feel, think, act, and relate to your company and brands. Free Press.
  17. Hollebeek, L. D., Glynn, M. S., & Brodie, R. J. (2014). Consumer brand engagement in social media: Conceptualization, scale development and validation. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 28(2), 149–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2013.12.002
  18. Nguyen, H. N. (2021). Channel integration quality, customer experience and patronage in omnichannel retailing. Journal of Distribution Science, 19(10), 5–16.
  19. Kumar, J., Rana, S., Rani, G., & Rani, V. (2024). How phygital customers’ experience transforms the retail banking sector? Examining customer engagement and patronage intentions. Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal, 34(1), 92–106. https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-04-2023-0076
  20. van Doorn, J., Lemon, K. N., Mittal, V., Nass, S., Pick, D., Pirner, P., & Verhoef, P. C. (2010). Customer engagement behavior: Theoretical foundations and research directions. Journal of Service Research, 13(3), 253–266. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670510375599
  21. Pansari, A., & Kumar, V. (2017). Customer engagement: The construct, antecedents, and consequences. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45(3), 294–311. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-016-0485-6
  22. Dodds, W. B., Monroe, K. B., & Grewal, D. (1991). Effects of price, brand, and store information on buyers’ product evaluations. Journal of Marketing Research, 28(3), 307–319. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224379102800305
  23. Zeithaml, V. A. (1988). Consumer perceptions of price, quality, and value: A means-end model and synthesis of evidence. Journal of Marketing, 52(3), 2–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224298805200302
  24. Yadav, M., & Rahman, Z. (2017). Measuring consumer perception of social media marketing activities in e-commerce industry: Scale development & validation. Telematics and Informatics, 34(7), 1294–1307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.06.001
  25. Bryman, A., & Bell, E. (2015). Business research methods (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
  26. Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2019). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
  27. Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
  28. Fornell, C., & Cha, J. (1994). Partial least squares. In R. P. Bagozzi (Ed.), Advanced methods of marketing research (pp. 52–78). Blackwell.
  29. Gu, S., Œlusarczyk, B., Hajizada, S., Kovalyova, I., &Sakhbieva, A. (2021). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on online consumer purchasing behavior. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 16(6), 2263–2281. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer16060125
  30. Hollebeek, L. D., Glynn, M. S., & Brodie, R. J. (2014). Consumer brand engagement in social media: Conceptualization, scale development and validation. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 28(2), 149–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2013.12.002

DOI:

Article DOI: 10.62823/IJARCMSS/9.3(I).9330

DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.62823/IJARCMSS/9.3(I).9330

Download Full Paper:

Download