The paper pays more attention to fit lifters’ free-riding behavior and with the help of PPM model to make questionnaires to study fit lifters’ free-riding behavior. In the paper, there are two main purposes of study.
First of all, in the e-commerce-based environment, retailers tend to use the multi-channel model to maximize profits. The paper mainly discusses the situation that fit lifters searches information about the clothes they need with the way of trying in a physical store and then purchases at online stores. To make study more authentic and convincing, the paper will take PPM model as the evidence of empirical study. According to the model, the paper will make a questionnaire to survey the motives of fit lifters’ free-riding behavior.
Thus, after drawing conclusions from the questionnaire, retailers can get more chances to learn the fit lifters, and it offers great helps for retailers to take some efficient measures to fulfill the maximum of profits.
What’s more, retailers could take efficient measures to make appropriate strategies to react to fit lifters’ free-riding behavior with the study of fit lifters’ free-riding behavior in a dual environment, which is crucial to retailers’ business strategies.
1.3 Methodology
In the paper , with the help of PPM model, the paper will discuss fit lifters’ free-riding behavior. PPM includes pushing effect, pulling effect and mooring effect. Pushing effect refers to the motives to push fit lifters to leave the original channel. And pulling effect is the motive to pull fit lifters into a different channel. However, mooring effect refers to impede fit lifters’ free-riding behavior.
1.4 Innovations
Nowadays, most studies pay much attention to consumers’ free-riding behavior such as consumers collect information from online shops and then purchase in a physical store. No matter at home or abroad, there are a few study achievements about fit lifters’ free-riding behavior. Therefore, the paper will study fit lifters’ free-riding behavior in a multichannel environment and make suggestions for retailers.
 
Chapter Two  Literature Review

2.1 The definition of fit lifter
With the rapid development of e-commerce, a special group of people have appeared, usually they are called fit lifters. Fit lifters refer to people collect information about the clothes they need with the method of recording the size and article number in a physical store and then buy the clothes at online stores (Chang, 2009).
2.2 The definition of free-riding behavior
Free-riding behavior refers that consumers collect information from online (offline) channels but purchase from offline(online) channels (Tu, 2011). Moreover, consumers can benefit from the free service in one channel.
2.3 Research at home and abroad
Fit lifters choose the way of free-riding because of their features and characteristics. Faced with the phenomenon, many scholars at home and abroad have made scientific and rigorous researches. First of all, fit lifters choose the free-riding behavior, especially when they are faced with some luxurious goods. They are often attracted by the price at online stores (Kang, 2009). Fit lifters are sensitive to price of clothes so when they prepare to buy the clothes with high price and famous brands, they tend to choose the way of free-riding. Then, fit lifters only record the size of clothes or try the clothes but not buy them finally (Kang, 2009). The specific features of fit lifters refer that they experience in a physical shop where they can enjoy the free service and get the suitable suggestion and then purchase at online stores. At abroad, Telser is the first to study the free-riding behavior. He believes that fit lifters can enjoy the service of retailers to meet their needs about the size and color of the clothes they need (Telser, 1960). Fit lifters pay more attention to their self utilities.
At home and abroad, many scholars have discussed different types of free-riding behavior, which are the foundations of our study. Firstly, consumers can collect information from online channels and then buy what they need at offline shops. Secondly, consumers change the way of buying the goods they need from offline to online channels. Thirdly, consumers collect information from offline and then purchase at online shops. Lastly, consumers are likely to buy some products with the way of online shops rather than offline stores (Tu, & Zhou, 2011). Thus, many foreign scholars also study the four types of free-riding behavior. There are four basic types: cross-channel free-riding, single-channel free-riding, cross-channel retention and single-channel retention (Chui， Hsieh，Roan, & Tseng, 2011). What’ more, some studies focus on specific cross-channel free-riding behavior, such as searching for product information in an online store and then purchasing in a competitor’s physical store(Chui, Hsieh, Roan, & Tseng, 2011), searching through a retailer’s physical store but turning to a competitor’s online store for purchasing (Chiou, J. S., Wu, L. Y., & Chou, S. Y., 2012), or both(Van Baal and Dach, 2005).The paper mainly focuses on the study of cross-channel free-riding. PPM模型试衣族搭便车行为研究(3):http://www.751com.cn/yingyu/lunwen_27407.html