There is, however, a substantial amount of research that focuses on who is the actual consumer of the internet. Some research suggest that the online consumer depends on demographics such as income, education and age (Sorce et al. 2005). Others suggest that age affects the level of pre-purchase search in manner that it is negatively correlated but positively correlated when online purchases (Sorce et al. 2005). This means that as age increases, the level of purchases increases but the level of pre-purchase research decreases.

2.2 The Brick-and-Mortar Shopping Experience

Brick-and-mortar is defined as ‘a traditional street-side business that deals with its customers face to face in an office or store that the business owns or rents’ (Investopedia n.d.). Even if this type of shopping medium does not offer the 24/7 convenience of an online shop, it offer consumers the ability to first hand interact with the environment and goods at hand (Mokhtarian 2004).

2.2.1 The Brick-and-Mortar Shopping Environment

Shopping can take various goals such as ‘doing shopping’ and ‘going shopping’ (Genco et al. 2013; Settle & Alreck 2002). Depending on these goals, the customers are able to make up an experience through their perception of the retail environment and the overall satisfaction of the experience (Price et al. 2009).

Predominately the more shopping is seen as a chore the less the consumer is consciously aware of the marketing efforts (Genco et al. 2013). These different types of goals explain why customers have different types of shopping behaviours which in turn show retailers the need to restructure or opening new stores based on these goals (Price et al. 2009).

A positive shopping experience in brick-and-mortar shopping environment is a result of the senses triggered while shopping (Mokhtarian 2004; Genco et al. 2013). This includes the ability for the consumers to physical go to a store (touch); the effect of light (sight); scents (smell) and music and/or noise (hearing) in a store CITE.

However, senses are just part of the influences consumers’ experience. In fact, the shopping experience can be also affected by the ‘impact of consumer personality, temperament, and behavioural style on shopping behaviour and outcome’ (Genco et al. 2013).

2.2.2 The Brick-and-Mortar Shopping Motivations

‘One of the earliest efforts to identify and classify the reasons people shop (Tauber 1972) suggests that personal and social needs motivate shopping, beyond the simple need to acquire some product’ (Price et al., 2009 p. 16).

Even if consumers are bound with limited opening hours, the main benefits of shopping from brick-a