Dematerialization retail: Bookstore experience in physical and virtual dimensions

The aim of this study is to understand the role and relevance of the physical store in contemporary integrated retail. The literature suggests that a physical store maintains its relevance as a place of experience, but from the consumer's perspective it does not detail what determines relevance and which experiences emerge from the physical store. Based on the concept of experience co-creation, we argue that each consumer's experience is unique, and that the relevance of the store is determined by the consumer's personal characteristics. We identified emergent experiences from both physical and virtual stores and the role of technology in consumer empowerment. As a managerial contribution, our study provides a direction for physical and virtual integrated retail management. We determined that in bookstores, a segment strongly impacted by dematerialization, the characteristics that determine the relevance of the physical store are related to an appreciation of reading and an attachment to materiality. The experiences that emerge from the store are Buying Place, Gold-Digging, Magical Portal and Home Refuge. Although the results are context-specific, they can drive analysis of the dematerialization of retail in general.