How do Tourism Souvenir Purchasing Channels Impact Tourists’ Intention to Purchase? The Moderating Role of Souvenir Authenticity

Abstract

Souvenir shopping has always been a subject of significant tourism research, but the impact of different purchase channels, including the Internet, on tourists’ souvenir purchase behavior has been largely ignored. This study proposes that the dual channel of souvenir purchase positively affects tourists’ purchase intention through the serial mediation of perceived convenience and perceived usefulness, and the offline single channel positively affects tourists’ purchase intention through the serial mediation of perceived scarcity and perceived value. The results also revealed that when the authenticity of souvenirs is low, only the dual-channel path plays a role in the model, it has a positive effect on purchasing intention through perceived convenience and perceived usefulness. Conversely when the authenticity of souvenirs is high only the offline single-channel path works, and perceived convenience and perceived usefulness play a sequential mediating role. Important theoretical contributions and practical implications are offered for souvenir merchants’ marketing and decision-making.