The Omnichannel Luxury Retail Experience: Building Mobile Trust and Technology Acceptance of Quick Response (QR) Codes

By drawing upon Symbolic Self-Completion theory and the Technology Acceptance model, a theoretical model is developed for omnichannel luxury retailing. The theoretical model unifies the inner-directed, hedonic aspects of luxury consumption and the cognitive facets of technology acceptance and use. In order to test the model, an online survey is given to a convenience sample of affluent professionals (n = 425) and relevant hypotheses are developed. Respondents are shown prototypes of a luxury window display and mobile website. The prototypes are used to evaluate the respondents' intentions to scan custom QR codes to browse, shop and search a luxury mobile website. Structural equation modeling is used to test the hypotheses. Findings suggest that self-identity and self-hedonism can increase luxury consumers' technology acceptance of custom QR codes, while enhancing the visual appeal of a luxury window display. An interchannel transference of experiences is supported, whereby the visual appeal of the window display and technology acceptance of QR codes relates to mobile trust. Perceived usefulness and visual appeal appear to increase QR code scanning intentions, but mobile trust is not shown to significantly increase scanning intentions. Based upon these findings, implications are discussed and recommendations are provided for academicians and practitioners.