Online consumer behavior is different from in store consumer behavior. Our communication first brings to light that attributes helping consumers to differentiate physical and online brands differ significantly: reliability is a key element when buying online whereas information, advice and product test dominate in store. Secondly, we show that a virtual product test brings hedonic and informational services to the online consumer. However, only hedonic elements explain consumer's choice to buy online instead of in physical store. These results reveal that retailing on and off line are complementary rather than online substitute to physical stores since virtual tests bring hedonic service whereas information and advice elements remain physical store attributes.
