Identifying Factors Affecting Webrooming Behavior in the Online Retail Industry

Objective
In the evolving landscape of retail, consumers are increasingly adopting omnichannel behavior to optimize their shopping experience. One prominent behavior within this context is webrooming, which refers to the act of researching products online but completing the purchase in a physical store. This behavior presents both an opportunity and a challenge for businesses: while it signifies consumer interest, it also implies potential lost sales for e-commerce platforms. Despite the widespread presence of webrooming globally, its antecedents and underlying mechanisms remain underexplored in emerging markets, particularly in Iran.
In Iran’s retail environment, which is characterized by rapid digitalization coupled with persistent infrastructural and trust-related barriers, understanding webrooming is crucial. Cultural preferences, digital literacy gaps, and infrastructure deficiencies contribute to unique consumer behaviors. The present study responds to this research gap by qualitatively identifying the factors that influence webrooming behavior among Iranian consumers in the online retail sector.
The main goal of this study is to identify and categorize the underlying drivers of webrooming behavior in the context of Iran's developing online retail sector. More specifically, the study aims to:

Determine the psychological, technological, social, and demographic factors that lead consumers to engage in webrooming.
Develop a conceptual framework that integrates these drivers into coherent categories.
Offer practical recommendations for online retailers to reduce the adverse impact of webrooming on e-commerce performance.
Contribute to the academic literature on omnichannel retailing with context-specific insights from a developing country.

Research Methodology
A qualitative, exploratory research design was employed, given the limited empirical evidence on webrooming in the Iranian context. Data collection involved semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 24 domain experts, including university professors in marketing and strategy, executives of retail chains, and specialists in e-commerce and digital business models. Participants were selected through purposive and snowball sampling to ensure they had significant professional experience (minimum of five years) in the retail and digital commerce sectors.
The interviews, each lasting 45 to 60 minutes, were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic content analysis. The coding process was supported by MaxQDA software and followed Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework: familiarization, coding, generating initial themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and producing the final report.
Findings
The analysis led to the extraction of 14 main themes and 80 sub-themes that collectively explain the drivers of webrooming behavior among Iranian consumers. The main thematic categories include:

Benefits of Online Search: Consumers value the convenience, speed, and access to diverse product information, including user reviews and price comparisons.
Benefits of Offline Purchase: Offline shopping allows for tactile product evaluation, instant acquisition, and interaction with knowledgeable sales personnel, enhancing buyer confidence.
Perceived Risk: Concerns about fraud, fake products, payment insecurity, and return complexities drive consumers to finalize purchases offline.
Weak Performance of Online Retailers: Poor interface design, insufficient product details, slow response rates, and lack of transparency reduce trust in online platforms.
Anticipated Regret: Fear of dissatisfaction with the product quality, delivery delays, and return complications motivate webrooming behavior.
Social and Cultural Factors: In Iran, traditional retail is deeply embedded in consumer culture, and social shopping (shopping with friends or family) remains common.
Technical Challenges in Online Shopping: Inadequate personalization, slow loading times, and complex checkout processes hinder seamless online experiences.
Consumer Habits and Preferences: For many consumers, shopping is a leisure activity and a means of social engagement, making offline retail attractive.
Cognitive and Physical Effort Required: Some consumers perceive online shopping as requiring greater cognitive effort and digital literacy.
Conservatism and Low Risk Tolerance: Risk-averse individuals often default to traditional channels to minimize uncertainty.
Negative Word-of-Mouth: Negative experiences shared by others—particularly on social media—discourages online purchasing.
Demographic Characteristics: Older individuals, those with lower education levels, and residents of non-urban areas are more likely to webroom.
Product-Related Factors: Products with high complexity, high price, or lack of standardization are more likely to be purchased offline after online research.
Intentions and Attitudes toward Webrooming: Some consumers intentionally leverage both channels for perceived optimal outcomes, viewing webrooming as a rational strategy.

 These categories emerged with a high level of thematic saturation, indicating that the qualitative data collection was sufficient and robust.
Discussion & Conclusion
The findings demonstrate that webrooming is not merely a function of online-offline channel interaction, but rather a complex behavioral strategy rooted in risk mitigation, cultural norms, and perceived utility. Iranian consumers use online platforms primarily as informational tools rather than transactional channels, due to a persistent lack of trust in online payment systems and product authenticity. Furthermore, offline environments offer sensory and social experiences that digital platforms currently fail to replicate.
Comparative analysis with prior studies (e.g., Arora & Sahney, 2019; Flavián et al., 2020) suggests both universal and context-specific drivers. While anticipated regret and information search benefits are global phenomena, trust issues and social shopping preferences are particularly salient in Iran. Additionally, the demographic influence on webrooming behavior—especially digital literacy and age—reflects the socio-economic heterogeneity of the Iranian market.
This study contributes a comprehensive, contextually grounded understanding of the multifaceted drivers behind webrooming behavior in Iran’s online retail industry. By identifying and categorizing 14 key dimensions, the research enhances theoretical models of omnichannel behavior and offers actionable insights for practitioners.
To reduce webrooming and enhance online sales, Iranian e-commerce firms should:

Strengthen platform security and payment reliability.
Enhance product descriptions, images, and customer service channels.
Implement user-friendly website design and mobile responsiveness.
Offer hybrid models such as click-and-collect and in-store product trials.

Future research may build on this framework through quantitative validation across various product categories and regional consumer segments.