21 Chapter 2 Abstract: Introduction Physical stores are increasingly dependent on impulse visits and the impulse purchases of passers-by. Interactive advertising screens in store windows could help retailers increase impulse-visit urges and impulse-buying urges. However, the effects of interactive screens in physical surroundings have not been studied before. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effect of interactive screens on impulse urges and gain insight into the underlying mechanism that explains the possible effect. An interactive screen was placed in a store window. Using three field experiments, we studied the effect of interactivity-level (high vs low) on the impulse-visit and impulse-buying urges of passers-by, and the mediating role of self-agency in these effects. Highly interactive (compared to less interactive) advertising screens in store windows positively affect impulse-visit and impulse-buying urges through self-agency. Retailers can therefore use interactive advertising screens to increase the number of impulse purchases if feelings of self-agency are activated. This is the first study to examine the extent to which interactive screens in a store window enhance the impulse-visit and impulse-buying urges of passers-by and the mediating factor of these effects. By conducting three field experiments, we achieved a high external validity and managed to share very reliable results owing to the replication of the findings. The digital and physical worlds are increasingly merging in retail settings (Brynjolfsson et al., 2013). Typical online functionalities, such as interactive screens, have started entering physical store environments (e.g., Macy’s, Adidas, and Coca-Cola ; Pantano, 2016). The growing implementation of in-store interactive screens is, arguably, a logical result of 1) the habituation of consumers to shop and communicate through digital screens and other interactive in-store channels, 2) the increasingly active role that consumers play in the communication between brands and consumers, and 3) the fact that interactivity has become a crucial element in marketing practice (Wang, 2021). Remarkably, the effects of such interactive screens in physical storefronts on persuasive outcomes, such as impulse buying, are unclear. Physical stores depend more than ever on impulse visits and impulse purchases of passers-by, owing to the increased competition with online shops (Mehra et al., 2017). Therefore, retailers should use new marketing stimuli, such as interactive innovations (e.g., Berry et al., 2010), to enhance impulse visits and impulse buying (Iyer et al., 2020). Based on a qualitative study, Pantano (2016) suggests that compared to online stores, offering interactive content in shopping windows may improve the competitive positions of physical stores. Although research on interactivity and impulsivity is highly valuable for both researchers and practitioners, the effects of interactive content in storefronts on such visits and purchases have not yet been examined. Therefore, this study aims to answer the following two questions: Can interactive screens in store-windows trigger impulse visits and impulse-buying urges? Moreover, what mechanism could explain this effect if so? By ascertaining the above, this study makes a unique contribution to the interactive-marketing literature and responds to the 2https://www.ecommercenews.nl/winkels-proberen-interactieve-touchscreens/, retrieved 20 March 2019
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