Crafting the customer e-journey: The role of digital anticipation nudges in a seamless delivery experience and actual purchasing behavior online

Despite the boom in e-commerce, dropout rates between the stages of the e-commerce customer journey are high. Although prior research has assumed that these stages flow seamlessly, it has yet to examine how one can actively shape stage transitions. We address this gap by theorizing and demonstrating how digital anticipation nudges can facilitate the progression between e-journey stages. In particular, the use of digital nudges to provide informational cues about future journey stages could help customers complete their entire e-journey and influence actual purchases. Based on anticipation and digital nudging principles, our research encompasses five studies conducted in collaboration with a major e-retailer: a qualitative study, three large-scale field experiments, and a controlled experiment. Applying this methodology, we explain how digital anticipation nudges can be used as an approach to smoothing e-journey stage transitions, reducing consumer risk perception through anticipation, and thus impacting both intended and actual purchasing behaviors. Our results further show that the extent of moderating effects depends on product type, nudge type, and psychologically close nudge information. Finally, our findings contribute to a nuanced understanding of customer e-journeys that highlights the strategic use of anticipation nudges to facilitate consumers’ journey progression.