Resumo

Smartphones have been promoting important changes in daily activities. When observing consumers with disabilities, these technological devices have improved their well-being. However, most studies on mobile shopping focus mainly on determinants for the adoption and use of mobile phones and their infrastructure. Recent studies have applied Practice Theory to comprehend how technological devices are used for shopping.

People with disabilities (PwD) represent almost a fifth of the Brazilian population. In shopping activities, consumers with disabilities seek to use technological devices in the search for information, price comparison, and leisure activities. However, there is still a lack of understanding about how consumers with disabilities use smartphones during these in-store shopping activities. This paper aims to understand how the use of smartphones reconfigured consumers with disabilities’ in-store shopping practices.

We theoretically approach studies on m-shopping, practice theory, and disability studies. M-shopping comprises the process of researching, comparing, and purchasing products and services through mobile phones (Groß, 2020). An alternative m-shopping research lens seeks to comprehend the shopping practices through material, competencies, and meaning elements (Shove et al, 2012). Consumers with disabilities use different strategies to make purchases in physical stores (Damascena, 2017). Technologies and digital retail should serve as a way to alleviate some obstacles (Dennis et al., 2016).

Methodologically, the study comprises qualitative research, adopting an interpretive approach. For data collection, we sought to hold virtual focus groups formed by consumers with disabilities in different Brazilian regions. Twenty consumers with disability participated in six different focal groups from May 2021 to November 2021. These groups make it possible to understand socially developed shopping practices. For data analysis, content analysis was held to comprehend the in-store shopping practices.

As result, the device interconnects activities both in planning the displacement, in actions during shopping and in how consumer gives feedback. Smartphone in in-store shopping practices involves different elements from traditional shopping practices. When observing consumers with disabilities, new perceptions are presented in the use of these elements for the performance of practices. Materials (camera, screen size, and accessories), competencies (to use the smartphone and for shopping), and meanings elements (positives and negatives) reconfigure in-store shopping practices.

Smartphones, as central elements in shopping practices, made it possible for consumers to seek alternative skills to assist in making in-store activities. It is integrated into practices within the establishment, such as in contact with other consumers with disabilities or family members through calls and messages, or the collection of product information through QR codes. Payment methods and financial control are also reconfigured. By focusing on studies of shopping practices, understanding the practices becomes an important lens for understanding how consumers make their purchases.

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