Purpose: Mixed emotions (i.e. consumer ambivalence) play a central role in approach‐avoidance conflicts in retailing. In order to assess how consumer ambivalence impacts shopping behaviour, this paper seeks to conceptualize and investigate the multi‐dimensional antecedents of approach‐avoidance conflicts, experienced by shoppers in changing retail environments, and the importance of approach‐avoidance conflicts for consumers' decision to stay and complete their purchase in that particular shopping channel.Design/methodology/approach: Using a cross‐country study, which compared online and offline consumers, the paper tested the influence of the situation, product, and reference group on shoppers' intentions; and identified how consumers' mixed emotions influenced approach‐avoidance conflicts in different retail settings.Findings: Whereas some distinctions could be drawn between online and offline contexts when examining the impact of market‐related, product‐related and social factors on consumers' decision to shop (H1, H2, H3 and H4), no clear distinction could be drawn between online and offline channels in terms of mediating effects of mixed emotions (H5,H6andH7). Mixed emotions (ambivalence) did mediate the impact of certain product‐related, market‐related and personal factors on consumers' intention to purchase.Practical implications: Retailers need to reduce the impact of consumers' emotional responses to the retail setting where mixed emotions are likely to lead to consumers leaving the stores. For online shops, those retailers are successful who are able to induce behavioural reactions that make consumers return and explore the web site and not use it for search only.Originality/value: Responding to calls for further research on mixed emotions and their consequences, the paper captures the complex impact of consumers' mixed emotions on approach‐avoidance conflicts, and thereby extends earlier work on consumer ambivalence.

Purpose: To provide guidance for the formalised analysis of qualitative data and observations, to raise awareness about systematic analysis and illustrate promising avenues for the application of qualitative methodologies in international marketing research.Design/methodology/approach: Conceptually, the nature of qualitative research, globalisation and its implications for the research landscape, text‐data as a source for international research and equivalence issues in international qualitative research are discussed. The methodology section applies these concepts and analysis challenges to a real‐world example using N*Vivo software.Findings: A 14‐step analytic design is developed, introducing procedures of data analysis and interpretation which help to formalise qualitative research of textual data.Research limitations/implications: The use of software programs (e.g. N*Vivo) helps to substantiate the analysis and interpretation process of textual data.Practical implications: Step‐by‐step guidance on performing qualitative analysis of textual data and documenting findings.Originality/value: The paper is valuable for researchers and practitioners looking for guidance in analysing and interpreting textual data from interviews. Specific support is given for N*Vivo software and its application.