Explaining the role of the concept of touch in the buying behavior of customers of physical and online stores

This research aims to explore the impact of touch concepts and tactile descriptive adjectives on customers' purchase intentions in both physical and online shopping environments. While some products can be accurately perceived through digital media, others may require a tactile experience. In today's market, products are available through virtual and physical stores, where the sense of touch or tactile alternatives plays a crucial role. The study utilized a correlational method and focused on customers of online and physical stores in Tehran. A total of 332 participants were randomly selected from both populations, and data was collected through questionnaires and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings indicate that six key factors related to touch concepts, such as product understanding, physical touch, virtual touch, touch experiences, customer's need for touch, and tactile perceptions, positively and significantly influence customers' purchase intentions. A comparison of the coefficients between the two groups revealed that product understanding and touch experiences were similar, while physical touch and customer's need for touch were more pronounced in physical store customers, and virtual touch and tactile perceptions were more prominent in online customers. This study sheds light on the importance of product touch in both online and physical retail settings for enhancing customer satisfaction.