Omnichannel Retailing Research Articles

Coupon promotion and inventory strategies of a supplier considering an e-commerce platform's omnichannel coupons

Omnichannel coupons that are issued by an e-commerce platform and can be used either online or offline have been gaining popularity with the emergence of omnichannel retailing to provide consistent shopping experiences for consumers. This paper investigates the coupon promotion and inventory strategies of a supplier that operates the online-only, store, and BOPS channels considering a platform's omnichannel coupons in the post-pandemic era because consumers are more price-sensitive. The conditions for joint promotional activities where both parties issue coupons are explored. Newsvendor models under six strategies are constructed based on the combination of the two players' coupon promotion strategies to capture the aggregate demand uncertainty. Utilizing the game theory, the optimal decisions of the platform and the supplier are obtained under different strategies. The results indicate that the equilibrium outcome varies from online joint promotion to omnichannel joint promotion that the platform issues omnichannel coupons and the supplier distributes online coupons to only the platform offers omnichannel coupons with the increase in the supplier's loss from returns when consumers' valuation difference is relatively large in a general heterogeneous scenario. Moreover, compared to unilateral promotion, joint promotion allows consumers to receive deeper price discounts and reduces the costs of promotional entities. As the supplier's return loss expands, the platform tends to switch from offering traditional online coupons to issuing omnichannel coupons, resulting in an increase in store inventory.

Does service journey quality explain omnichannel shoppers' online engagement behaviors? The role of customer-store identification and gratitude toward the store

PurposeThe different dimensions of the online engagement behaviors exhibited by omnichannel shoppers, who mainly rely on the online channel for information search, are still understudied. This study aims to investigate how service journey quality (SJQ) has an impact on the overall omnichannel customer experience leading to customer identification (CI) with the store, subsequently leading to their exhibition of online engagement behaviors (writing online reviews, blogging, rating products and service online and indulging in customer-to-customer online interactions.Design/methodology/approachThe research is cross-sectional, quantitative and descriptive. Purposive sampling was used to choose the research's participants. Data were collected from 591 Indian omnichannel customers who had previously made an omnichannel purchase that included the concurrent usage of various channels of a retailer using a verified self-administered survey. Using the Smart PLS 4.0 software, the proposed conceptual model has been evaluated.FindingsThe results indicate that omnichannel customer experience mediates the relationship between SJQ and CI with the store, subsequently leading to their exhibition of online engagement behaviors (writing online reviews, blogging, rating products and service online and indulging in customer-to-customer online interactions). The perceived customer gratitude toward the store significantly and positively moderated the direct relationship between SJQ and different online engagement behaviors (writing online reviews, blogging, rating products and service online and indulging in customer-to-customer online interactions).Research limitations/implicationsThe study relied upon the omnichannel shoppers of only Indian population and relied on a cross-sectional data collection procedure for this research.Originality/valuePost-pandemic, with highly dynamic shifts in customer preferences, the need for channel-agnostic shopping leading to the unpredictability of purchase patterns has made SJQ the only dimension to achieve sustainable loyalty intentions through value co-creation in an omnichannel retail context. Emphasizing post-purchase behaviors like different online engagement behaviors (writing online reviews, blogging, rating products and services online and indulging in customer-to-customer online interactions), this study is the first to show that SJQ might affect four different online customer engagement behaviors through omnichannel shopping experience and CI with the store. The moderating effect of customer-perceived gratitude toward the retailer on a few proposed hypotheses was also tested to give managerial recommendations. The study also answers the call to investigate the moderating role of customer gratitude in determining service quality-driven engagement behaviors.

Role of Omni Channel Attributes and Perceived Behavioral Control in Omni Channel Selection

The retailing industry worldwide is transitioning from multi-channel retailing to omni channel retailing. In contrast to multi-channel retailing which provides offerings through different and separate channels, all channels are essentially well integrated in omni channel retailing. In the middle eastern region, the transition from multi-channel to omni channel retailing is rapidly taking place in Saudi Arabia. However, managing channels synergistically for providing seamless customer experience is proving out to be challenging task for omni channel retailers. What omni channel attributes are valued necessary by consumers in making them seamlessly choose omni channels for shopping are not explicit in the literature especially in Saudi Arabian context. In order to better integrate and coordinate channels it is very important for omni channel retailers to first understand the behavior of omni channel shoppers. The omni channel retailers need to know what omni channel attributes influence consumer’s perception of ease and ability in selecting omni channels for shopping. This study examines how omni channel attributes namely omni channel transparency, omni channel convenience and omni channel uniformity help in influencing consumer’s perception in selecting omni channels. The study employed snowball sampling method for collecting the sample of omni shoppers from different regions of Saudi Arabia. The study sample comprised of 551 respondents who actively shopped through various omni channel retailers of Saudi Arabia. All hypothesized relationships of the study were tested simultaneously using structural equation modelling technique. The study reported that omni channel transparency, omni channel convenience and omni channel uniformity positively influence consumer’s perception in selecting omni channels in Saudi Arabia. This study tries to combine consumer and omni channel retailer perspectives for the better understanding of shopping behaviors across omni channels. With the better understanding of consumer shopping behaviors, omni channel retailers would be thus able to better integrate their channels and coordinate their supply chains to the best satisfaction of their consumers.

Demonstrating the influencing factors and outcomes of customer experience in omnichannel retail

As omnichannel retailing becomes a more prominent and pervasive shopping method, customers’ retail experiences are also changing. A key factor in developing customer loyalty is their level of satisfaction with the entire shopping experience provided by omnichannel retailers. Therefore, this study investigated the influencing factors of customer experience from the perspectives of objective omnichannel characteristics and subjective individual characteristics. The survey was conducted using a questionnaire from June 15 to July 15, 2022. Based on the data collected from 356 respondents, reliability, validity, path, structural equation model, and mediation analyses were verified using SPSS (27.0) and AMOS (27.0). The results demonstrated that among the omnichannel characteristics, only personalization positively affected the hedonic experience, while connectivity positively affected the utilitarian experience. Regarding individual characteristics, both personal innovativeness and self-efficacy had a positive impact on the hedonic experience, while only self-efficacy was shown to impact the utilitarian experience. Hedonic and utilitarian experiences both exhibited an influence on customer loyalty as components of customer experience. Furthermore, the mediation analysis revealed the mediating role of customer experience when omnichannel and individual characteristics affected customer loyalty. This study contributes to the research in the field of omnichannel customer experience and offers insightful implications for omnichannel retailers to provide optimal customer experience to improve customer loyalty.

Innovations in retail delivery: Current trends and future directions

Spurred on by the transition to omnichannel retailing and advances in technology, retail delivery process has seen many innovations in recent years. The delivery process, broadly defined, is the set of tasks needed to deliver the product from the retailer to the final consumer. Innovations pertain to modes of delivery, locations of delivery, and trade-offs between delivery speed and delivery charges. We attempt to build a typology of innovations and their use, and summarize their potential costs and benefits to retailers and consumers. It is easily seen that many of the innovations can be labor saving for retailers. But there has been little evidence on consumer reactions. For this purpose, we conduct a national survey to examine the likelihood of adoption of a number of innovations in delivery. We find that although overall interest in these innovations is not high at this early stage, there is a significantly large segment of customers who are more likely to adopt these innovations. These customers are predominantly millennials, have higher incomes, and they are tech-savvy, innovative, environmentally conscious, and value quality. The findings suggest that retailers need to be strategic about choosing targets for successfully propagating these innovations.

Exploring omnichannel strategies: a path to improve customer experiences

PurposeIn today's world, retailers must embrace technological devices to provide fluid, convenient and complete customer experiences. Therefore, combining the offline and online spaces into a single strategy becomes essential, representing a significant opportunity for retailers to improve customer experience. Therefore, this study aims to explore and compare the importance of digital elements in an omnichannel experience by companies in the luxury and non-luxury segments.Design/methodology/approachThe research offers a model to explore and compare the omnichannel strategies that brands use, considering six dimensions that cover recent technological advances, thus offering a complete experience to their customers. A multiple case study was selected based on a sample of six international companies from two different price segments (luxury and non-luxury).FindingsThe data collected allowed the authors to verify the presence of some dimensions, even though some had little evidence. Nevertheless, the dimensions connectivity, innovativeness and flexibility (only in luxury segment companies) were not present. Overall, and even though they present just little evidence, the results showed that retailers for the luxury segment invest more in delivering digital experiences within omnichannel strategies than the non-luxury ones.Originality/valueThis study improves the existing knowledge of omnichannel retailing. By analysing and comparing the omnichannel experiences, companies can identify areas for improvement and enhance the overall customer journey. Additionally, the model allows managers to compare and re-evaluate their omnichannel strategies with other competitors to gain competitiveness in an ever-evolving market.

Influences of omnichannel integration and value congruence on customer patronage: the flow theory perspective

ABSTRACT Omnichannel retailers face the elusive challenge of maintaining customer patronage in the current competitive business environment. Drawing upon the flow theory and literature on omnichannel integration, this study investigated how different types of omnichannel integration (i.e. informational, transactional, and relational integration) influence customer patronage through the flow experience. Additionally, this study examined the potential moderating role of retailer-customer value congruence in the impact of omnichannel integration. We collected survey data from 292 omnichannel customers to test our research model. The results showed that the flow experience mediated the positive effects of transactional integration and relational integration on customer patronage. Additionally, value congruence positively moderated the effects of informational integration and relational integration on the flow experience. The implications and limitations of this study are further discussed.

Omnichannel quality: the new imperative of purchase intention among fashion retail market

The challenge for the new normal era lies in the changing habits of fashion retail consumers after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigates how omnichannel service quality influences consumer purchase intention for fashion products in the post-pandemic era. The research method used was verification, with 400 retail fashion SME consumers in Indonesia as respondents during the pandemic. Path analysis was employed as the data analysis technique. The results indicate that the level of omnichannel service quality has a significant impact on purchase intention among fashion retail consumers. Additionally, this study contributes to understanding the dimensions of omnichannel retailing service quality that positively influence purchase intention.

Optimal sales strategies for an omni-channel manufacturer in livestreaming demonstration trends

In practice, online livestreaming demonstration and in-store demonstration services for product sales have experienced rapid development. In response to consumers’ cross-channel access to product demonstration and showrooming behavior of purchasing products at the lowest price via each channel, manufacturers increasingly offer consumers more comprehensive product demonstration services by establishing an omni-channel market. Considering this emerging trend, this paper analyzes the optimal sales strategies for the livestreaming demonstration modes and the pricing strategies for an omni-channel manufacturer. Additionally, this paper further digs into the manufacturer’s dilemma under the influence of omni-channel retailing and consumer showrooming behavior when adopting livestreaming demonstrations. Initially, we consider a scenario where a manufacturer sells a product through the omni-channel, demonstrating its products in the offline store and hiring an online shopping influencer as the sales agent for the livestreaming demonstration. Subsequently, three modes are examined: non-livestreaming mode, basic livestreaming mode, and time-limited livestreaming mode. Through game theory modeling, we compare each mode’s optimal pricing strategies and analyze the omni-channel manufacturer’s preference for livestreaming demonstration modes and the influencing factors. The results indicate that while livestreaming demonstrations enhance consumers’ product valuation, the manufacturer cannot always achieve higher profits through the livestreaming demonstration. Besides, the time-limited promotion measures of the livestreaming mode are not always beneficial to the manufacturer. Furthermore, the impact of the livestreaming demonstration effort level of the sales agent, the browsing cost of different channels, and the impact of the livestreaming demonstration on product suitability are analyzed.

Omni-channel inventory management of perishable products under transshipment and substitution

We consider a retailer selling two substitutable products through an offline and online channel. The products are stored at separate inventory locations and transshipments from the offline channel to online customers are possible, i.e. we propose a two-location inventory model incorporating customer-driven inventory interactions (demand substitution initiated by the customer) and retailer-driven inventory interactions (transshipment, i.e. demand substitution initiated by the retailer). We compare this model to a system incorporating customer-driven substitution only and use empirical data about customers’ preferences and perceptions of grocery shopping in online and offline channels to understand the trade-offs between various substitution forms in omni-channel retailing. In a numerical study, we discuss the optimal order quantities and resulting expected profits and quantify the value of a retailer-driven transshipment strategy. Although the empirical results reveal that online demands are relatively low and product substitution rates are particularly high, our results confirm that a transshipment system can achieve higher expected profits than when considering customer substitution only. Finally, we discuss the performance of policies that ignore product and/or channel substitution. We find that having complete information about product substitution is crucial for a grocery retailer’s omni-channel order quantity decision.

Bilevel Programming for Manufacturers Operating in an Omnichannel Retailing Environment

In this article, we present a joint production, pricing, and inventory control problem that can help manufacturers manage revenue in an omnichannel environment. This article puts forward a multiperiod Stackelberg game between a manufacturer and a retailer, assuming the former to be the leader. The leader–follower game is formulated as a mixed-integer nonlinear bilevel optimization problem wherein both players seek to maximize their respective profits. The article envisions an omnichannel retailing environment where online, offline, direct, and drop-shipping channels coexist. It then investigates how enabling showrooming and webrooming on the drop-shipping channel account can affect the supply-chain profitabilities. The analyses suggest that when the customers are aided with showrooming and webrooming services and are allowed to place drop-shipping orders from retailers’ stores, additional profit can be generated in the supply chain. To solve the proposed bilevel optimization problem, we investigate single-level reduction using Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions and hierarchical optimization technique based on the simulated annealing and randomized decomposition solver. To assess the efficacy of the solution techniques, a comparative analysis is carried out. Thereafter, with the aid of numerical experiments and sensitivity analyses, this article draws the key managerial insights for manufacturers.

Fostering supply chain resilience for omni-channel retailers: A two-phase approach for supplier selection and demand allocation under disruption risks

This study aims to optimize supplier selection and demand allocation decisions for omni-channel (OC) retailers to achieve supply chain resilience under the potential disruption risks. A two-phase approach with resilience factors that covers three main sourcing issues (i.e., supplier evaluation, supplier selection, and demand allocation) is proposed to support the decision-making. In the first phase, we construct a five-dimensional evaluation framework for OC retailers to identify supplier preferences and a hybrid model that combines the best–worst method to determine the weights of the evaluation criteria and evidential reasoning to evaluate potential suppliers. In the second phase, the preferences obtained from multiple suppliers are integrated into a multi-objective mixed-integer linear programming model aiming to minimize expected cost and maximize total purchasing value and geographical segregation based on three key resilience strategies of multiple sourcing, geographic diversification, and local sourcing. The efficiency of the aforementioned resilience strategies as well as the solvability of the proposed model are then validated numerically using a real-world case study and various MOEAs. The outcomes could be used as a decision-making tool to assist OC retailers in the performance assessment and optimal demand allocation among the alternative suppliers by considering costs, purchase value, and resilience simultaneously.

Unveiling The Significance of Omnichannel: Exploring The Impact Of Retailer's Identity Attractiveness On Customer Retention

Grounded in the Push-Pull-Mooring (PPM) theory of migration, this study employs the PPM model as a pivotal framework to investigate the dynamics of omnichannel retailing. The primary aim is to advance our understanding of omnichannel strategies and their role in fostering a strong customer base to promote customer retention. This research explores the autonomous components of omnichannel, with specific emphasis on the intervening factor of Pull, which is represented by the concept of "Retailer's Identity Attractiveness." The findings of this study highlight a positive correlation between omnichannel practices and customer retention, emphasizing how systematic employment of omnichannel strategies can lead to increased sales profitability and enriched shopping experiences. Furthermore, our investigation reveals that "Retailer's Identity Attractiveness" acts as a mediator, offering partial insights into the impact of omnichannel strategies on customer retention. In summary, this research illuminates how retailers can harness omnichannel approaches and the appeal of their identity to proficiently sustain and expand their customer base.

Driving customer engagement and citizenship behaviour in omnichannel retailing: evidence from the fashion sector

Purpose This study, grounded in the SOR theory, aims to enrich the understanding of customer citizenship behaviour in omnichannel fashion retail by examining how different customer experiences enhance customer engagement and how that engagement leads to customer citizenship behaviour. The influence of return policies on the relationship between customer engagement and customer citizenship behaviour was also examined. Design/methodology/approach Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) is used to examine the framework of the proposed study with data collected through a survey (n = 251) to examine the opinions of the respondents about the variables mentioned. The authors also assessed the proposed framework using predictive power assessment using PLS predict. Findings The study results reveal that customers’ experiences of integration and flexibility in omnichannel retail are positively associated with their engagement. However, customer experiences of connectivity, consistency and personalization do not appear to affect customer engagement significantly in omnichannel retail. The return policy positively moderates the relationship between customer engagement and customer citizenship behaviour in the omnichannel fashion retail context. Predictive power assessment shows that the proposed model has high prediction accuracy. Originality/value This study contributes to the marketing literature by investigating different dimensions of consumer experience collectively and its impact on customer engagement and citizenship behaviour. Furthermore, the study contributes to omnichannel retail in fashion industry by testing the return policy as a moderator variable on the relationship between customer engagement and citizenship behaviour.

Does integrated store service quality explain omnichannel shoppers' online brand advocacy behaviors?: role of memorable shopping experiences, store attachment, and relationship strength

PurposeThe online brand advocacy behaviors of omnichannel shoppers, who mainly rely on integrated brick-and-mortar stores (recognized as a vital channel for delivering a seamless shopping experience and meeting the dynamic needs of the shoppers), are still understudied. This study aims to investigate how integrated store service quality (ISSQ) may elicit both positive and negative emotions that contribute to a memorable omnichannel shopping experience and have an impact on shoppers' attachment to the store, leading to their exhibition of online brand advocacy behaviors (brand defense, brand positivity, brand knowledge sharing and virtual positive expression).Design/methodology/approachThe study is a cross-sectional, descriptive and quantitative investigation. The research participants were chosen using a purposive sampling technique. Using a validated self-administered questionnaire, data were gathered from 886 Indian omnichannel shoppers who often purchase at the integrated brick-and-mortar store. The proposed conceptual model was tested using Smart PLS software for partial least squares-structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results indicate that positive and negative emotions mediate the relationship between ISSQ and memorable omnichannel shopping experiences, subsequently impacting omnichannel shoppers' attachment to the store and leading to online brand advocacy behaviors. The relationship strength perceived by shoppers significantly positively moderated the relationship between store attachment and different online brand advocacy behaviors (brand defense, brand positivity, brand knowledge sharing and virtual positive expression).Research limitations/implicationsThe study relied upon single cross-sectional data from the Indian population, where omnichannel retailing is still nascent.Originality/valueThis study addresses the need to investigate the different emotions that arise while evaluating service quality in omnichannel retail purchase journeys leading to memorable shopping experiences. Emphasizing post-purchase behaviors like different online brand advocacy behaviors (brand defense, brand positivity, brand knowledge sharing and virtual positive expression), this study is the first to show that ISSQ might affect four different OBAs through memorable omnichannel shopping experience and the shopper's sense of attachment to the store. The moderating effect of relationship strength perceived by shoppers with the retailer on a few proposed hypotheses was also tested to give managerial recommendations.

On-demand last-mile distribution network design with omnichannel inventory

E-commerce delivery deadlines are getting increasingly tight, driven by a growing ‘I-want-it-now’ instant gratification mindset of consumers and the desire of online and omnichannel retailers to capitalize on the growth of on-demand e-commerce. On-demand deliveries with delivery deadlines as tight as one or two hours force companies to rethink their last-mile distribution network, since tight delivery deadlines require decentralization of order picking and inventory holding to ensure close proximity to consumers. This fundamentally changes the strategic design process of last-mile distribution networks. We study the impact of incorporating inventory order-up-to level decisions into the strategic design process of last-mile distribution networks with tight delivery deadlines. We develop an approximate inventory model by including an estimate of the cost of late delivery and additional transportation due to local stock-outs in a newsvendor formulation. Such local stock-outs require an order to be delivered from a more distant facility, which may lead to late delivery and additional transportation cost. We integrate our approximate inventory model and a location–allocation mixed-integer program that determines optimal facility locations, associated order-up-to inventory levels, and fleet composition, into a metamodel simulation-based optimization approach. Our numerical analyses demonstrate that pooling the additional online inventory with brick-and-mortar (B&M) inventories leads to cannibalization by the B&M network and higher B&M service levels. However, the pooling benefits to the online network outweigh the cost of inventory cannibalization. Furthermore, we show under which circumstances omnichannel retailers may have an incentive to consolidate online inventory in specific B&M facilities.

Learning efficient in-store picking strategies to reduce customer encounters in omnichannel retail

Omnichannel retailers are reinventing stores to meet the growing demand of the online channel. Several retailers now use stores as supporting distribution centers to offer quicker Buy-Online-Pickup-In-Store (BOPS) and Ship-From-Store (SFS) services. They resort to in-store picking to serve online orders using existing assets. However, in-store picking operations require picker carts traveling through store aisles, competing for store space, and possibly harming the offline customer experience. To learn picking policies that acknowledge interactions between pickers and offline customers, we formalize a new problem called Dynamic In-store Picker Routing Problem (diPRP). This problem considers a picker that tries to pick online orders (seeking) while minimizing customer encounters (hiding) – preserving the offline customer experience. We model the problem as a Markov Decision Process (MDP) and solve it using a hybrid solution approach comprising mathematical programming and reinforcement learning components. Computational experiments on synthetic instances suggest that the algorithm converges to efficient policies. We apply our solution approach in the context of a large European retailer to assess the proposed policies regarding the number of orders picked and customers encountered. The learned policies are also tested in six different retail settings, demonstrating the flexibility of the proposed approach. Our work suggests that retailers should be able to scale the in-store picking of online orders without jeopardizing the experience of offline customers. The policies learned using the proposed solution approach reduced the number of customer encounters by up to 50%, compared to policies solely focused on picking orders. Thus, to pursue omnichannel strategies that adequately trade-off operational efficiency and customer experience, retailers cannot rely on actual simplistic picking strategies, such as choosing the shortest possible route.

Does integrated store service quality turn omnichannel shoppers into price-insensitive, cross-category purchasers, and loyal webroomers? Moderating role of perceived relationship investment and alternative retailer attractiveness

PurposeBuilding on stimulus organism response theory, this study aims to examine the influence of Integrated store service quality (ISSQ) on omnichannel shoppers’ attachment to the integrated store with the mediating role of omnichannel customer engagement (CE) dimensions (absorptive attention, enthusiastic participation and social connection). This research demonstrates the effect of customers’ attachment to the integrated store on the willingness to pay more for omnichannel services and products of the retailer, their cross-buying behaviors in future purchases and loyal webrooming intentions. The moderating role of perceived relationship investment and alternative retailer attractiveness (ARA) in a few proposed relationships was also tested.Design/methodology/approachThe research is descriptive, quantitative and cross-sectional investigation. A purposive sampling technique was used for selecting the study respondents. The data was collected from n = 589 Indian omnichannel shoppers who have experience shopping in the brick and mortar store of channel-integrated stores using a validated self-administered questionnaire. The proposed conceptual model was tested using PLS-SEM.FindingsThe results indicate that omnichannel CE dimensions (absorptive attention, enthusiastic participation and social connection) positively mediate the relationship between ISSQ and customer attachment to the store. Customer attachment to the store significantly impacts their willingness to pay more, cross-buying behaviors and loyal webrooming intentions. The moderating effect of the customer-perceived relationship investment and ARA revealed that it significantly impacted the relationship between ISSQ and willingness to pay more, cross-buying behaviors and loyal webrooming intentions. This research also demonstrated the direct impact of ISSQ on willingness to pay more, cross-buying behaviors, loyal webrooming intentions and the indirect impact through different CE dimensions and attachment with the store.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is conducted in the Indian population, where omnichannel retailing is still nascent.Originality/valueThis study addresses the need to investigate the impact of CE and their attachment to stores driven by the in-store service quality of integrated stores on the various postpurchase consumer behaviors. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to show that ISSQ might affect their willingness to pay more, cross-buying behaviors and loyal webrooming intentions through different CE dimensions and their attachment to the store. The moderating effect of customer-perceived ARA and their perception of retailers’ investment in a relationship on proposed hypotheses was also tested.

HOW PLATFORM FEATURES DRIVE CONSUMER BEHAVIOR ON OMNICHANNEL IN INDONESIA

This study investigates the relationship between platform features, customer engagement, satisfaction, purchase and repurchase intentions, and customer types in omnichannel retail. A survey of 250 participants utilized an online questionnaire, analyzed with statistical methods. Results show that platform convenience and advanced features drive satisfaction, purchase, and repurchase intentions. Impact on customer engagement varies by customer type. Ease of use indirectly affects satisfaction, purchase, and repurchase via engagement and customer type. The research underscores considering customer type when assessing ease of use and design impact on outcomes. It reveals intricate relationships, surpassing prior research by illustrating how platform features affect diverse customer engagement. Ease of use indirectly influences loyalty via engagement and customer type. This underscores a multifaceted loyalty formation. Businesses must factor engagement and customer type in platform refinement for target audience needs. Study underscores understanding platform features, engagement, and loyalty interplay for enhanced customer experiences and business success. It establishes a foundation for future research and practical omnichannel retail improvements.

The Agency of Consumer Value and Behavioral Reasoning Patterns in Shaping Webrooming Behaviors in Omnichannel Retail Environments

With tremendous technological advancements, traditional retailing has progressively been transformed into an omnichannel retail environment. While making an appeal to the behavioral reasoning theory, this paper explicates consumers’ (hedonic and utilitarian) value expectations and behavioral reasoning patterns as key antecedents of the maturing of their webrooming intentions in omnichannel environments. Performing PLS-based structural equation modeling on survey data obtained from 470 consumers, it has been found that both the (perceived) value and behavioral reasoning patterns of the consumers exhibit significant direct and indirect effects on building favorable attitudes toward webrooming that eventually lead to the culmination of pro-webrooming intentions. Besides expanding our understanding of the phenomena of interest, this study offers useful insights to marketers/retailers on how to boost pro-webrooming attitudes, intentions, and behaviors by ensuring a superior alignment with (utilitarian and hedonic) value perceptions and pro- and counter-webrooming reasoning patterns of the consumers.