Marketing and business communication researchers have neglected the wayfinding capabilities of digital out-of-home communication\nin the retailing landscape. The current study focuses on digital wayfinding screens in the South African shopping mall\nenvironment.Theaim is understanding usersâ?? experience of digital wayfinding screens, guided by the uses and gratification theory.\nShoppers were interviewed about their views and actions while engaging in the wayfinding process in large upmarket shopping\nmalls. The in-depth semistructured interviews were recorded and then the content was analysed. The findings provide a rich and\ncomprehensive understanding of shoppersâ?? content gratifications and process gratifications when utilising this contemporary\nmedium. The current study identifies four uses and gratifications for digital wayfinding screens: convenient process gratifications,\ninteractive process gratifications, informational content gratification, and entertaining content gratifications. Understanding the\ngratification dimensions of digital wayfinding screens contributes to contemporary media research and forms the basis of valuable\nguidelines for practitioners in retail media and design.
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