Voice commerce (VC) is gaining momentum as a new channel and consumer touchpoint, with popular e-retailers adding it as an additional interface option on their websites. Its adoption and continuous usage are currently limited to low-involvement purchases. This research explores consumers' buying journey of high-involvement products using VC to understand how it influences actual buying behaviour.
A qualitative self-report diary was used to collect data. A total of 23 respondents completed the process with eight different products over 8 weeks.
Findings reveal that consumer behaviour in VC for high-involvement purchases is a self-reinforcement loop where consumer attitude and trust, arising from personal experiences, modify intentions and behaviour in VC. Further, this study identified learning-by-doing and immersive shopping experiences as drivers of consumers' preference for VC in high-involvement purchases. Also, individual factors such as regulatory focus and technophilic orientation moderate the behaviour.
This research contributes by extending the Stimulus-Organism-Behaviour-Consequence framework in explaining consumers buying behaviour in high-involvement products using VC. It identifies a self-reinforcement loop through the learning-by-doing effect and an immersive shopping experience as organismic factors that alter trust, making it a dynamic psychological mechanism that influences consumer behaviour in VC. Further, it uncovers the role of individual factors, such as a technophilic orientation and regulatory focus.
