Online Retail Sales Events: Scale Development and Validation

ABSTRACT Online Retail Sales Events (ORSE) like Amazon's Prime Day have become an extension of physical retail sales events (PRSE), like Black Friday and Boxing Day sales. Despite the growth of ORSE globally, no comprehensive tool has been developed to measure the behavior of consumers who participate in these events, thus limiting empirical examinations of this emergent promotional phenomenon. Five studies were undertaken, comprising semi‐structured consumer interviews, a two‐stage, Delphi‐style expert panel review, and three consumer surveys. The results identify a two‐factor, 6‐item ORSE consumer participation scale. The nomological validity of the scale was established by demonstrating that ORSE participation drives consumer cognitive enjoyment, perceptions of ease of use, and control, which in turn positively impacts satisfaction and behavioral loyalty intention. This research contributes a parsimonious, reliable, and valid scale to measure such behaviors, facilitating further scientific inquiry.