For a renewal of the situation concept: The situation of home online shopping

Abstract

Twenty years after the pioneering article devoted to interactive home shopping by Alba et al., this research intends to study the situation of home online shopping (SHOS). An observation is carried out using video recording to examine the real practices that occur behind the screen. Two theoretical approaches are distinguished (classic and participatory). A new conceptualization of the situation is proposed that rests on three factors: the participants, spatial dimension, and time dimension. An analysis of the results highlights a main participant who interacts with other participants and business websites in addition to their spatial mobility and the materiality of the situation with its discontinuous characteristic. The fragmentation of the SHOS is emphasized. In addition to a new conceptualization of the situation, this research aims to relativize the online immersion process (flow) and to integrate the SHOS into a real omni-channel strategy.