One of the main findings in this study was that the respondents used a combination of multiple channels in their pre-purchase decision-making process. Thus, the results suggest that one channel alone cannot satisfy consumers’ needs to make an informed decision any longer. Quite the contrary, the analysis found clear signs of that the respondents searched for information in an active and conscious manner.
Active behavior seemed above all to stem from a desire to obtain a high level of control over the outcome of the decision (Van Dijk et al., 2007). In order to gain control, consumers for the most part moved voluntarily between different channels. Contact with service personnel was only considered when problems arose. Such problems could contain that consumers are not sure
79 if they understood the information correctly and needed reassurance. The findings thus agree with the work of Sasse and Kirlappos (2014), who pointed out that technological-mediated interactions enhance complexity of trust. Yet, even when personal contact was demanded, consumers enjoyed to be able to choose the channel that best suited them in order to contact the service provider. Consequently, the use of multiple channels seems to empower consumers in their problem solving, in that they can adjust the channels exactly to their needs (Gustafsson &
Johnson, 2003). One specific element of empowerment was identified in the act of finding flaws via consumer dominated channels. To do so, the respondents in this study utilized both traditional WOM and eWOM, which implies that those play an important role in the pre-purchase decision-making process (Almana & Mirza, 2013). Further, the identified activities constitute for the need of constant evaluation and thus parallel Grönroos’ definition of service as a solution to customer problems (2007, p. 52). Through an active approach the respondents in this study thus co-created value for themselves, in that they were able to “make an informed, confident choice” (Hawley, 2012, p. 90) and were able to achieve a particular goal (Payne et al., 2008).
An active approach towards different channels also extended the notion of that respondents seemed rather comfortable and enjoyed taking initiative to solve their problems themselves, before asking for help. The findings thus affirm the picture of a contemporary consumer as problem solver. This is in line with Black et al. (2002) who pointed out the influence of consumers’ confidence in their ability to use different channels. At least the younger generation does not seem to have problems navigating the Web and they are very confident in how to judge the information they read. Earlier conducted studies, such as the one by Gupta et al. (2004) suggested that one’s risk perception help explain channel preferences. Even though most respondents in this study did not consider themselves expert regarding mobile subscriptions, they felt confident in making a decision because they felt they could identify and understand relevant and credible information. This confidence suggests that telecommunication providers could implement more self-service offers, as it was apparent from the respondents’ explanation that they rather try to solve a problem themselves instead of asking a service assistant. In consideration with a post-industrialized consumer who enjoys freedom of choice (Van Dijk et al., 2007), the current findings further indicate that consumers in a service context not only have been moving away from a push to a pull approach in their information search, but are even starting to get irritated by push activities. Here, it is important to recall that the respondents in both the interviews and the survey do not represent the entire population of Norwegian
80
telecommunication consumers, also not the totality of young telecommunication consumers (review also Ch. 3.4.3 about generalizability of this study).
Apart from being active, the respondents were also found to act highly conscious in the way they chose different communication channels. Conscious in this context means both knowledgeable and sophisticated. According to Nordmann (2001), this is a consequence of the proliferation of channels and becomes moreover apparent through the fact that the interview respondents had an increased awareness of the dynamics of the seller-buyer relationship. They seemed very well aware of how providers want to influence them and might therefore have approached non-commercial sources (Hoyer et al., 2012). Many of the interviewees expressed they were skeptical towards trusting sources who wanted to obviously sell them something.
Rather the respondents valued critical and independent opinions (Hawley, 2012, p. 90). Several respondents reported for example that they were aware of that clicking on suggested Facebook feeds could lead to enhanced advertising. As discussed in chapter two, while college students where highly biased by personalized search via search engines (Simpson, 2014), this does not seem to be true for social media sites. It can at least be stated, that the respondents in this study were aware and skeptical towards using this channel for information search.
Eventually, the combination of an active and conscious consumer indicate that consumers are complex and dynamic in their pre-purchase behavior. The need for empowerment and control as well as the need for freedom of choice might be one possible explanation for the voluntary movement between different channels. Moreover, being aware of those needs helps also to understand why respondents have high expectations and demands towards different channels.
They want information when and how they prefer it and value information that is relevant to them. As of today and portrayed in chapter two, the multi-channel form is prevalent (Waldron, 2014). Yet, since consumers’ demands grow, the findings indicate that simple information offers on different channels might not be enough in the future. This could mean that businesses might be forced to change their business models and approach omni-channel formats in order to meet their consumers’ needs, namely memorizing their interactions on all channels (Arson
& Camiade, 2013). It also suggests that consumers highly appreciate smooth transitions across channels and service providers thus need to think about more integrated solutions in order to serve their consumers.
81