Unlocking Digital Collections: How Convenience and Personal Traits Shape Consumer Choices

Digital collections are growing, yet consumers still default to physical formats. We use Goal-Directed Behavior Theory (GDBT) to explain when this default shifts. Across five studies—a baseline survey (Study 1), an archival text analysis of online discussions (Study 2a), a field choice task (Study 2b), and three experiments (Studies 3–5)—we show that making convenience salient increases preference for digital (vs. physical) collections. Study 3 demonstrates that this effect operates through an efficiency-driven decision policy rather than broader technology trust or innovation liking. Studies 4 and 5 establish boundary conditions: the convenience effect attenuates when physical delivery is fast and strengthens when it is slow; it is also larger among consumers higher in openness to experience. The findings extend GDBT to collecting by specifying a convenience → efficiency pathway and identifying situational and dispositional moderators. Practically, emphasizing time- and effort-saving benefits can increase adoption of digital collections, especially when physical fulfillment is slower or among high-openness segments.