Dual-source interactivity and self-construction in phygital retail: outcome pathways

Purpose Phygital retail research has largely treated physical–digital convergence as a technological design challenge, leaving consumers’ self-construction underexplored. This study aims to examine how physical and digital interactivity relate to self-extension and self-expansion, and how these pathways connect to shopping well-being and place and brand attachment. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on socio-technical systems theory and self-construction theory, the authors conceptualize phygital retail as a dual-source interaction system centered on consumer self-construction. Survey data from 634 consumers with recent phygital retail experience were analyzed using covariance-based structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis. Findings Self-construction does not map onto a fixed physical or digital source; effects depend on whether interaction affirms the existing self (self-extension) or opens new self-possibilities (self-expansion). Both pathways positively relate to shopping well-being in phygital retail, which supports place and brand attachment, with self-expansion showing the stronger association. Practical implications Service managers should avoid assuming that more interactivity automatically produces stronger customer outcomes. Phygital service design should instead prioritize interaction cues that help customers either incorporate the service environment into the self or expand their perceived capabilities. Originality/value This study reframes phygital retail from an integration-centered system to a consumer-centered system of self-construction. Rather than privileging technological integration as the primary analytical lens, it foregrounds how consumers draw on distinct physical and digital interaction sources to construct the self and generate downstream outcomes.