Multichannel Retailing: A Review and Research Agenda

Abstract

The emergence of multiple channels is reshaping consumers’ purchase behavior and retailers’ marketing styles. We synthesize existing research on multichannel retailing based on more than 150 articles published in peer-reviewed marketing journals, most after 2006. From this synthesis, we reveal conditions under which both consumers and retailers can benefit from a multichannel context. More specifically, we identify multichannel retailing as a win-win game contingent on market environments, retailer characteristics, channel attributes, product categories, social and situational factors, and customer heterogeneity. Last, we highlight multiple directions for future research.