Mobile Integrated Kiosks: How Communication Content Increases Unplanned Spending

Mobile integrated kiosks in retail settings help information flow seamlessly across in-store technology, the retailer’s website, and mobile apps. A better understanding of their effects on shopper behavior can help retailers leverage them to encourage unplanned spending and sales. Noting the theoretical and managerial importance of the relative effects of inspirational (i.e., content that sparks ideas or shows creative product uses) versus promotional (i.e., content that provides customers deals and offers) communications, this article predicts varied effects of different content. The hypotheses tests involve to field experiments and multiple follow-up lab studies. The results reveal that inspirational communication content increases unplanned spending and sales more than promotional communication content does. In line with categorization theory, these effects are mediated by the activation of category-related thoughts and purchases of substitute products related to inspirational communication content. The effects also are more pronounced for shoppers who spend lesson groceries or who process information concretely. Retailers thus might increase sales by offering inspirational ideas to shoppers through mobile integrated kiosks and by targeting low-budget, frequent shoppers by providing inspirational information in a more concrete way.