MEDIATING ROLE OF PERCEIVED USEFULNESS OF WEBROOMING IN THE IMPACT OF PERCEIVED EASE OF SEARCHING ONLINE ON ATTITUDE TOWARD WEBROOMING

“Webrooming” refers to the practice where consumers search products online before purchasing them in a physical store. Webrooming is a complex behavior driven by the need for detailed research, the desire for a tangible product experience, convenience, trust, and social considerations. The main purpose of this study is to examine the effect of Internet users’ perceived ease of searching online (PESO) on their attitudes toward Webrooming (ATW) while analyzing the possible mediating role of perceived usefulness of webrooming (PUW) in this effect. Besides, difference analyses are adopted to understand whether PESO, ATW and PUW values change according to gender, age, education, marital status and income level. 322 surveys collected online by convenience sampling method were analyzed. The results show that perceived ease of search in the online environment affects the attitude toward webrooming. In addition, the perceived usefulness of webrooming is a full mediator in the effect of perceived ease of searching online on attitude toward webrooming. This finding suggests the convenience and effectiveness of online research translate into a perceived benefit, enhancing the overall attractiveness of webrooming.