The evolution of showrooming in emerging fashion markets: value co-creation and co-destruction during digital transformation

This study examines showrooming behaviour and value creation dynamics in South Africa's fashion retail sector across two phases of digital transformation (2019-2022). Using a repeated cross-sectional quantitative design with structural equation modelling, independent samples were collected in 2019 and 2022 to examine how differences in online savviness are associated with customer behaviour in an emerging market undergoing rapid digital adoption. Grounded in service-dominant logic, the study explores associations between value co-creation, co-destruction, and shopping experience as markets shift from nascent to more mature omnichannel contexts. Findings suggest a market-level shift: showrooming was associated with negative shopping experience outcomes in the earlier sample but showed no significant adverse effects in the later sample. Online savviness scores were statistically significantly higher, though modestly so (Cohen's d = 0.30), in phase 2, and the negative association between showrooming and customer experience was no longer significant. Results are consistent with the view that emerging markets may follow accelerated digital adoption trajectories with distinct implications for retail strategy. The findings align with a contextualised extension of service-dominant logic in which institutional conditions moderate value dynamics, with practical implications for fashion retailers navigating digital transformation.