An exploratory study of touchpoints shaping the phygital shopping experience in France: a thematic and sentiment analysis approach

Consumers increasingly seek more seamless shopping experiences through "phygital" store environments that integrate physical and digital touchpoints. However, managers' strategies for digitizing interaction points remain challenging and complex. This study aims to explore and compare the salient touchpoints influencing perceived shopping experiences in traditional versus phygital retail environments, specifically in the French cosmetics and lingerie sectors. By conducting thematic and semantic analyses of user-generated content across both traditional and phygital store contexts, we investigate how digital integration transforms consumer perceptions and interactions. The results reveal that consumers primarily articulate their positive and negative experiences through human touchpoints and interactions, highlighting the nuanced impact of digital enhancements on retail experience. This study contributes to the phygital retailing literature by exploring the multidimensional factors that influence phygital shopping experience. The findings provide critical managerial insights helping store owners better understand and strategically implement touchpoints that significantly influence consumer perceptions in emerging phygital retail environments.