Driving customer inspiration to foster loyalty: a study on showroomers

Purpose This paper aims at understanding the role of customer inspiration in driving loyal (versus competitive) showrooming behaviour and positive word of mouth towards a retailer. Design/methodology/approach This paper designed a model of customer inspiration in the showrooming context and tested it with data from more than 600 showroomers. Findings Showroomers are inspired in-store by salesperson quality and offline-to-online integration services. Inspired-by is positively related to inspired-to, which in turn drives loyal showrooming behaviour and positive word of mouth. Originality/value This paper develops the construct of customer inspiration in an omnichannel context and uncovers novel antecedents and consequences. The outcome provides useful implications for retailers in dealing with showroomers, with the aim of increasing their loyalty.