Shopping behaviour in online and offline channels – analysis and implications for retail enterprises

The purpose of this study was to identify the shopping behaviour of Polish shoppers in online and offline channels, as well as to identify the implications for companies that operate in retail. In the theoretical part, the literature was reviewed and issues related to consumer shopping behaviour in the aforementioned channels were discussed, and the development of multi-channel systems offered by enterprises was presented. The next part of the paper describes the methodology of the study, which presents the principles of qualitative content analysis used in the study and discusses the procedure of the empirical research conducted. An indepth interview technique was used, which was conducted with a sample of 12 Polish consumers. The empirical part presents the respondents' perceived advantages and disadvantages of online and offline channels, their preferred forms of payment and the groups of products purchased in each channel. The final part of the study includes a summary, which embraces conclusions and implications for retail businesses resulting from the identification of shopping behaviour, as well as limitations of this research. Among other things, business entities should pay attention to diversifying the payment method in online stores, increasing the attractiveness of stationary retail spaces, and integrating both the online and offline channels and marketing activities in this area.

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