Please do not disturb: the effect of Zero-Contact Marketing on Korean consumers' decision-making process

This study examines the effectiveness of Zero-Contact Marketing that minimizes contact between employees and consumers in marketplaces by adopting an integrated research framework of motivation theory, servicescape model and the theory of reasoned action (TRA).

This study randomly collected 314 respondents through an online survey in May 2020 in South Korea. Structural equation modeling (SEM) assessed the overall hypothetical research model.

Zero-Contact Marketing facilitates the positive impacts of Korean consumers' motivations (intrinsic and extrinsic) and service environment on their word-of-mouth (WOM) intention to spread information about a store offering Zero-Contact Marketing service and the store revisit intention. In addition, consumers' attitude toward Zero-Contact Marketing and shopping pleasure (SPL) has stronger impacts on consumers' WOM intention than they do on the store revisit intention.

The limitation of this study lies in that the survey participants responded only in South Korea, which may lead to biased results. To provide a more generalized insight, this study should be extended by considering consumers in other countries, since many consumers around the world tend to minimize face-to-face interaction and avoid unnecessary interruptions under the current pandemic.

By minimizing the social interaction between employees and consumers, Zero-Contact Marketing may increase consumers' shopping satisfaction with free shopping moments and no disturbance, especially under the COVID-19 pandemic.

The findings provide theoretical contributions by empirically validating the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations and service environment on consumers' internal and external responses in a Zero-Contact retail setting.