Researchbackgroundandstatementof theproblem
Overthelastfewyears,retailinghasadvanceddramatically,whiletechnologicalad vancementhasenabledretailerstoconnectandconducttransactionsw i t h their customersthrough variouschannelssuch aswebsites,mobileapps, socialmedia,a n d s o o n Thewayr e t a i l e r s i n t e r a c t w i t h t h e i r c u s t o m e r s h a s a l s o b e e n r e s h a p e d completely.Forinstance,withartificialintelligence,itispredictedthat90
%o f traditional humanretailinteractionswillbereplacedbyonlineshopbot s;meanwhile,v i r t u a l a n d a u g m e n t e d r e a l i t y w i l l a l l o w c u s t o m e r s t o s e e a n d t o u c h merchandisev i r t u a l l y ( P i l k i n g t o n , 2 0 1 9 ) W i t h m u l t i p l e c h a n n e l s a n d i n t e r a c t i v e touchpointsduringcustomershoppingjourneys,itiscrucialfor retailerstoapply o m n i c h a n n e l strategiestoservecustomerswithseamlessswitc hingamongalla v a i l a b l e ch a n n e ls a n d a c r o s s everytouchpoint( S h e n e t a l ,
Morris(2019),about67%ofU.S.retailersconsidertheomnichannelstrategyto beatop pr io ri ty , asi thelpst he mcapture th e contemporary showrooming an dwebr oomingshoppingtrendsofcustomerswhilemaintainingcompetitiveadvantages(Graham,2017;Ra dial,2016;Leeetal.,2019).ArecentreportbyIDCRetailInsightsindicatesthatretailershavegained anincreasein15–35%inaveragetransactionsizea n d 5–
InVietnam,accordingtoWeAreSocial’sreport,thenumberofinternetusersh a s r e a c h e d 64million,equivalentto67%ofthepopulation.
Meanwhile,therateofo w n i n g i nt er ne taccess d e v i c e s amongV i e t n a m e s e co n sum ers ha s i n c r e a s e d ( i e , 7 2 %oftheVietnameseadultpopulationusesmartphone,
(Kemp,2018).Alongwiththeserapiddevelopment,o m n i c h a n n e l retailinghasr ecentlyemergedasanewtrendinVietnam(AnhHoa,2 0 1 7 ) Accordingtoastudyc onductedbySapo– anomnichannelretailingplatformo p e r a t i n g inVietnam,97%ofretailstoreowner sappliedomnichannelstrategytotheirbusinessin2018(TuyetAn,2019).Omnic hannelapproachisalsoconsidered asanewweapontohelpV i e t n a me s e re tai le rs maintainandexpandmarketsha r e ( V i e t n a m n e t , 2017).
Omnichannel retailers utilize a business model that operates across multiple channels and touchpoints, ensuring a synergistic management approach that transcends traditional boundaries (Lee et al., 2019; Verhoef et al., 2015; Zhang et al., 2018) The primary goal of these retailers is to create a cohesive and unified customer experience that is accessible anytime and anywhere, through any channel (Frazer and Stiehler, 2014; Jocevskie et al., 2019) The concept of customer experience has been explored in various retail contexts, including physical stores (Bockström and Johansson, 2017; Jones et al., 2010; Sachdeva and Goel, 2015; Terblanche, 2018), e-retailing (Martinez et al., 2015; Pandey and Chawla, 2018; Rose et al., 2012), and m-retailing (McLean et al., 2018; Tseng and Yazdanifard, 2015), as well as multichannel retailing (Blázquez, 2014; Lemon and Verhoef, 2016) In the realm of omnichannel retailing, the emphasis is on delivering a seamless customer experience that elicits both cognitive and emotional responses from customers (McLean et al., 2020).
Omnichannel retailing continues to pose challenges for both practitioners and academia, with nearly 80% of retailers acknowledging their failure to provide customers with a unified experience across channels (Periscope, 2016) A recent TNS survey revealed that 61% of U.S customers find it difficult to switch between channels when interacting with omnichannel retailers (Dreyer, 2014), while 87% of global customers believe brands should make greater efforts to deliver a seamless experience (Zendesk, 2013) On the academic front, research on the omnichannel experience remains limited, and the mechanisms underlying a seamless customer experience are not fully understood (Lemon and Verhoef, 2016) Existing studies that have attempted to conceptualize the omnichannel experience are primarily qualitative and exploratory (Cook, 2014; Frazer and Stiehler, 2014; Melero et al., 2016; Parise et al., 2016; Peltola et al., 2015) Consequently, significant uncertainty persists regarding the formation of the omnichannel customer experience and its impact on behavioral outcomes, such as patronage intention.
Channel Integration Quality (CIQ) is crucial for omnichannel retailers in managing customer relationships and providing a seamless purchasing experience throughout the shopping journey CIQ consists of two key components: channel-service configuration, which refers to the diverse and flexible combination of online and offline services, and integrated interactions, which focus on the consistency of content and processes across different channels Recently, omnichannel retailers have introduced innovative service combinations and features related to CIQ Notably, major retailers like Walmart and Target have successfully implemented services such as "buy online, pick up in-store" or "click and collect."
To provide customers with a seamless shopping experience and eliminate natural boundaries between channels, omnichannel retailers are investing in various in-store technologies such as interactive digital kiosks, fitting rooms, and price-checkers, along with robust mobile app features like scan-and-go and push notifications for promotions For instance, Tesco's ScanPayGo app enables customers to scan and pay for purchases using their smartphones, bypassing the cashier, while Amazon Go offers a checkout-free shopping experience In Vietnam, retailers like VinMart and Co.opmart are leading the way in scan-and-go technology, allowing customers to save time with quick payment options Given these significant advancements aimed at enhancing customer interaction quality (CIQ), it is crucial to assess how effectively CIQ contributes to a seamless customer experience in the realm of omnichannel retailing.
Customerempowermentreferstothelevelofcontroloverwhere,whenandhowto s h o p a n d t o g e t d e l i v e r y thatc u s t o m e r s r e c e i v e d u r i n g t h e i r s h o p p i n g j o u r n e y ( Z h a n g etal.,2018).AccordingtoPrenticeetal.
In 2016, the rise of the internet and advanced technologies has empowered businesses to enhance customer experiences at their fingertips Today's consumers are tech-savvy and frequently engage with various touchpoints, making customer empowerment essential for online businesses This study emphasizes the significant role of customer empowerment in shaping the omnichannel experience, suggesting that integrating online and physical channels should allow customers greater autonomy in their shopping journeys Furthermore, customer empowerment is expected to mediate the connection between customer information quality (CIQ) and a seamless omnichannel experience, a concept that will be explored in this research Additionally, research by Chang and Chen (2008) indicates that customers who spend more time online tend to accumulate more internet-related benefits.
Researchobjectives
Givent h e a b o v e v o i d s i n t h e e x t a n t l i t e r a t u r e , t h e c u r r e n t s t u d y aimst o contributet o t h e s c a r c el i t e r a t u r e o n c u s t o m e r s ’ s e a m l e s s e x p e r i e n c e w i t h o m n i c h a n n e l retailersbyofferingrelevantinsightsintot hedynamicmechanismsofformingt h e o m n i c h a n n e l e x p e r i e n c e a n d i t s s u b s e q u e n t p a t r o n a g e b e h a v i o r I n p a r t i c u l a r , thisempiricalstudyattemp tsto:
(1) ExaminetheeffectsofthetwocomponentsofCIQ(i.e.,channel- servicec o n f i g u r a t i o n andintegratedinteractions)onthecustomerexperience.
(3) Identifythemo de rat in g roleofi nt er ne t u s a ge onthe effects ofC I Q a ndcustomerempowermentonthecustomerexperience.
Thefindingsofthisworkofferimportantpracticalknowledgeforomnichannelr e t a i l e r s tooptimize t h e i r channel m a n a ge m e n t thatde li ve rs as ea m l e ss shoppin gex p e r i en c e totheircustomers.
Subjectandscopeofresearch
Thes u b j e c t o f thisr e s e a r c h isc u s t o m e r s w h o u s e d t o h a v e e x p e r i e n c e o f shoppingwithomnichannelretailers.Wetargetscustomersfromfou rwell- knowno m n i c h a n n e l retailers(i.e.,NguyenKim,FPTShop,TheGioiDiDong,Co ncung).Besides,respondentscanalsoself- declaredtheomnichannelretailertheyaremostfamiliarwith.Dataforthecurrentthes iswerecollectedatthefivebusiestshoppingmallandofficebuildingsinthemetropolitanareaof Ho-Chi-
MinhCity(i.e.,VincomC e n t e r , S a i g o n S q u a r e , TakashimayaV i e t n a m ; D i a m o n d P l a z a ; P a r k s o n P l a z a ) R e s e a r c h wasconductedfrom06/2019to11/2019.
Researchmethod
SEM)approachisappliedtoquantitativelyexaminet h e d y n a m i c mechanismso f f o r m i n g t h e customere x p e r i e n c e a n d i t s subsequentpatronagebehaviorino mnichannelretailerscontext.AccordingtoHaire t al.
SEM:measurementtheoryandstructuraltheory.Theformerrepresentsh o w t h e s t u d i e d c o n s t r u c t s a r e measured,w h i l e t h e l a t e r d e s c r i b e s t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p s betweenthem.Inthisstudy,allstudiedconstructsaremodeledbasedo n areflective measurementmodel,whichthescalesareadoptedfrompriorstudies.
Froml i t e r a t u r e r e v i e w , a s t r u c t u r a l modelf o r t h i s w o r k isa l s o d r a w n u p o n t h e s t i m u l u s - o r g a n i s m - r e s p o n s e (SOR)framework.
AftertranslatingallmeasurementscalesintoVietnamese- theofficiallanguageofthecurrentresearchcontext,aquestionnaireisdesigned,pre- testedwith2 0 customersandthenmodifiedtoensureitsclarity beforedistributio n.Thenextstageist o c o n d u c t a p a p e r - b a s e d s u r v e y ford a t a c o l l e c t i o n T h e n , t h e d a t a s e t isanalyzedusingSmartPL S3.2.8andconsistedofthefollowingsteps:assessmentofm e a s u r e m e n t model,tes tforcommonmethodbias(CMB),assessmentofthestructuralmodelw i t h hypothesest e s t i n g , a n d t h e F I M I X a n a l y s i s f o r d a t a heterogeneity.
Researchcontribution
F i r s t o f a l l , t h e c u r r e n t t h e s i s empiricallydemonstratesthecentralityo fawell- integratedexperienceino m n i c h a n n e l s t r a t e g i e s I n a d d i t i o n , w h i l e p r e v i o u s r e s e a r c h e s o n c u s t o m e r exp eri ence i n o m n i c h a n n e l r e t a i l i n g c o n t e x t s a r e g e n e r a l l y q u a l i t a t i v e a n d e x p lo r a t o r y innature,thisstudymakesama jorcontributiontotheexistingliteraturebyq u a n t i t a t i v e l y e x a m i n i n g t h e d y n a m i c mechanismso f formingc u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e anditssubsequentpatronage behavior.Andfinally,thefindingsofthisw o r k offersomeimportantinsightsintooptim izingthechannelmanagementtohelpo m n i c h a n n e l retailers deliveringa s e a m l e s s ,con sis ten t andunifiedshopping e x p e r i e n c e totheircustomers.
Researchstructure
Literaturereviewandhypothesisdevelopment:Thissection(1)givesabriefo verviewoftherecenthistoryofomnichannelretailersandcustomere x p e r i e n c e, aswellasdefiningtheterm“channelintegrationquality”(CIQ)andits dimensions/sub-dimensions;(2)reviewsfivestudiesthatarerelevanttothisthesis;
(3)introducesthe stimulus- organism–response(SOR) framework;andfinally(4)p r e s e n t s theresearchmodelandtheassociatedhypotheses.
Researchmethod:Thischapterisconcernedwiththemethodusedf o r t h e c u r r e n t t h e s i s , i n c l u d i n g t h e r es e a r c h p r o c e s s , measurementscales,q u e s t i o n n a i r e design,sa mpleanddatacollection,aswellasthesamplecharacteristicsa n d dataanalysismethod.
Dataanalysisandresults:Thissectionanalyzesthedatasetoftheresearch.Itconsistsofth efollowingsteps:assessmentofmeasurementmodel,testforcommonmethodbias ,assessmentofstructuralmodel,andFIMIXanalysisfordataheterogeneity.
Discussionandconclusion:Thisfinalchapterbriefstheimportantresultsofthecurrentthesisand providesactionableinsightsforomnichannelretailerstoo p t i m i z e t h e i r c h a n n e l management.Moreover,t h e r e s e a r c h l i m i t a t i o n s a n d r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s forfurtherresearcharealsomentioned.
LITERATURE REVIEW AND
Channelintegrationqualitywith omnichannelretailers
Channelintegrationquality(CIQ)isregardedasakeyfactorthatdetermine o m n i ch a n n el retailers’abilitytomanagecustomerrelationshipsacrosschannelsandd e l i v e r customerswithaseamlesspurchasingexperienceduringtheirentireshoppingjour ney(c.f.,L eeetal.,2019).Intheirmajorstudy,S o u s a andVoss(2006)proposea conceptualframew orkforCIQingeneralcontextwithtwodimensions:channel- serviceconfigurationandintegratedinteractions.Eachofthemhastwosub- d i m e n s i o n s asshownparticularlyinTable2.1.
Thed e g r e e t o w h i c h c ustomersc a n c h o o s e a lternativechannelsforagi vens e r v i c e o r c a n ac complishp r e f e r r e d ta sksthroughanindividual channel.
It’sveryeasyforcustom erstoknowthep r od u c t detailsthroughbothth e re tai le r’ s onlinean dofflinechannels.
Thed e g r e e t o w h i c h c ustomersareawareofthe exi ste nce ch a n n e ls an dservicesaswellasthedi erffer encesbetweensuchserviceat tributesacrossch ann el s.
Customerscancometop hysicals t o r e s t o f i n d andevaluateproductsb utfinishthepurchase online.
Theconsistencyofcont ento f f e r e d byretailer sacrosschannels, whi challowscustomertorecei vethesameresponseto a n e n q u i r y p o s t e d through di erffer entch annels.
Priceandpromotionar ec o n s i s t e n t f o r b o t h theretailer’sonlineandoff linechannels.
Thedegreeofconsistency o f r e l e v a n t andcomp arableprocessattributesac rosschannels(e.g.,thefeel,i mage,andd el iv ery s p e e d o f services).
Regardlessofwhichcus tomerscallthecustomer carehotlineo na r e t a i l e r ' s w e b s i t e orm eets t a f f a t t h e physi cals t o r e t o a s k a b out productwarranty,theyar eservedsimilarly.
Todate,serveralstudieshaveattemptedtoexaminethecriticalroleplayedbyCIQin differentcontextssuchasmultichannelbankingservice(Hsiehetal.,2012;SeckandPhil ippe,2013),multichannelretailers(LeeandKim,2010;WuandChang,
2016),omnichannelcateringservice(Shenetal.,2018),omnichannelretailing(Leee t al., 2019).DrawinguponSousaandVoss(2006)’sframeworkandinlinewiththe sepreviousstudies,thecurrentthesisdefineschannel- serviceconfigurationandintegratedinteractionsasthetwocomponentsof CIQ. Theformerreferstothewider a n g e andflexiblecombinationofvariousonlineandofflinech annelservices,whilethe l a t e r d e s c r i b e s t h e c o n s i s t e n c y a n d u n i f o r m i t y o f b o t h c o n t e n t a n d p r o c e s s attributesthroughdifferentchannelsprovidedb yonnichannelretailers.
Customerexperiencewithomnichannelretailers
Modernc u s t o m e r s ’ b e h a v i o r b e c o m e e v e n morec o m p l e x a n d s o p h i s t i c a t e d nowadays.Insteadofshopping onanindividualchannel,theymoveacrosschannelsanytime,anywhere,atanystagesduringtheir purchasingprocess(Zhangetal.,2018).F o r i n s t a n c e , theymaysear ch f o r i n f o r m a t i o n o n w e b s i t e s , c h e c k p r i c e s o n t h e i r mobileapps,andorderproductsatphysicals tores,ortheycandothingstheotherwaysaround.Customersareexpectedtoobtainse rvicesfromanychannelwiththesamec u s t o m e r i d e n t i t y / a c c o u n t ( Z h a n g eta l , 2 0 1 8 ) , a n d allo f t h e s u p p o r t s a n d o ffering s r e q u i r e c o n s i s t e n c y i n multiplet o u c h p o i n t s a c r o s s c h a n n e l s ( I e v a a n d
Z i l i a n i , 2018).Thesechangesincustomerbehaviorandexpectationsrequireretailerstointegr atealltheirchannelactivitiesacrossareasofinformationexchange, jointo p er atio ns, logistics,pricing,promotion,inventories,orderfulfillmentandevenafter- salesservicesthroughtheiromnichannelstrategy(Leeetal.,2019;Lietal.,2018).D e l i v e r i n g customerswithseamless,consistent,andunifiedexperiencesregardlesso f thechannelorpurchasingstageiscitedasatoppriorityofomnichannelretailers(Fr aze randStiehler,2014;Leeetal.,2019).
The concept of customer experience has been explored across various retail contexts, including physical stores, e-retailing, and m-retailing Notably, McLean et al (2018) introduced a "Mobile Application Customer Experience Model," emphasizing the significance of utilitarian technology factors on customer experience when using mobile applications Additionally, recent studies have examined customer experience in the realms of multichannel retailing and marketing, with Lemon and Verhoef (2016) offering a comprehensive view of customer experience throughout the customer journey across multiple touchpoints This highlights the increasing complexity of customer behavior in a multichannel environment.
Despitepractitioners’consistentemphasisonthecrucialroleofcreatingan dmanagingcustomerexperiencethroughouttheentireshoppingjourney,accordingtoLemon andVerhoef(2016)theextantcustomerexperienceliterature isstillinitsn a s c e n t stage;assuch,thecustomerexperiencewillbeoneofthemostchallengingr e s e a r c h t o p i c s i n t h e comingyears.I n t h e c o n t e x t o f o m n i c h a n n e l r e t a i l e r s , t h e e m p i r i c a l worksdirectlyrelatedtothecustomerexperienceareevenscarcer.Thefewexistingstudi esattempttoconceptualizeanddescribethecustomer experience,thusb e i n g q u a l i t a t i v e a n d e x p l o r a t o r y i n n a t u r e Inp a r t i c u l a r , M e l e r o e t a l
( 2 0 1 6 ) approachthisphenomenonfrommarketing’sviewpointandpointoutkeychalleng est o d e v e l o p ani n t e g r a t e d o m n i c h a n n e l c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e , i n c l u d i n g a d o p t i n g a customercentricapproach,unifyingalltouchpointsacrossallcha nnels,deliveringp e r s o n a l i z e d customerexperiences,integratingtheavailablechan nelsanddelightingcustomersacrosschannels.Similarly,someotherstudiessuchasCook(2014),Fraz era n d Stiehler(2014),Pariseetal.(2016),Peltolaetal.
(2015)qualitativelyexplorethecustomerexperiencefromdifferentperspectives,suc hasin- storeexperience,experientialm a r k e t i n g , o p e r a t i o n a l m a n a g e m e n t a n d d i g i t a l t e c h n o l o g y T h e literaturereviewalsorevealstwoquantitativestudiesbyAz hariandBennett
(2015)a n d IevaandZiliani(2018)ontheomnichannelexperience.Usingthed escriptivestatisticsmethod,AzhariandBennett(2015)exploretheroleofdigitaltechnolo gyinphysicalstorestocreateanemotionalandsensoryexperience;whileIevaandZiliani
(2018)focusonthecustomerexperiencemanagementperspective,usinglatentclassc l u s t e r a n a l y s i s t o s e g m e n t customers.O v e r a l l t o d a t e , w h a t w e k n o w a b o u t t h e o mn ich an nel e x p e r i e n c e comesfromq u a l i t a t i v e p e r s p e c t i v e s ; w h i l e a f e w q u a n t i t a t i v e studiesfocussolelyontheindividualchannelexperie nce(AzhariandB e n n e t t , 2 0 1 5 ) o r e x a m i n e d i t f r o m o n e o f managementp e r p s e c t i v e s ( I e v a a n d Z i l i a n i , 2 0 1 8 ) S u c h a p p r o a c h e s , h o w e v e r , f a i l t o e m p i r i c a l l y a d d r e s s a s e a m l e s s e x p e r i e n c e crossallavailablechannels, aswell astounderstandthedynamicm ech an is m s offormingcustomerexperienceandits subsequentpatronagebehaviorinthecontextofomnichannelretailers.
Althoughanumberof definitions ofcustomerexperienceexistinthe literature(alsosee,LemonandVerhoef,2016;McLeanetal.,2018;Roseetal.,2 012),themajorstreamofresearchadvocatesthatthecustomerexperienceisholisticinnature a n d definedasamultidimensionalpsychologicalperspective(AzhariandBenn ett,2 0 1 5 ; Brunetal.,2017;FrazerandStiehler,2014;IevaandZiliani,2018;LemonandVerhoe f,2016;McLeanetal.,2018).AccordingtoMcLeanetal.
(2018),customere x p e r i e n c e iscomprisedofcognitiveandaffectivedimensionstha tcustomershavew i t h acompanythroughallcuesandtouchpointsamongtheentirecustomerjo urney.Customersatisfactionwithanexperiencereflectstheircognitivecomponen tofthee x p e r i e n c e (Lemkeetal.,2011;LemonandVerhoef,2016),whilecustomeremotionsc an representtheaffectiveaspectoftheexperience(Oliver,1993).
Anumbero f a u t h o r s h a v e c o n s i d e r e d c u s t o m e r s a t i s f a c t i o n t o b e a c e n t r a l elementi n u n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e ( L e m o n a n d V e r h o e f , 2 0 1 6 ; M c L e a n etal.,2018).Furthermore,customeremoti onshavebeenalsostudiedasadimensiont o measurec u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e i n v a r i o u s r e t a i l i n g s e t t i n g s s u c h asphysicalstore retailing(Graceand O’Cass,
2005), e-retailing(Kimetal.,2007)andm- retailing(McLeanetal.,2018).Consistentwiththepriorrelevantretailingr e s e a r c h , t hecurrentthesisdefinestheomnichannelexperienceas asecond- orderc o n s t r u c t oftwodimensions,satisfactionwithexperienceandpositiveemotions.Thisa p p r o a c h allowsustonotonlyinvestigatecustomers’cognitiveevaluationaboutthe overallexperiencethatomnichannel retailers offertothem(referring tothe
“ s a t i s f a c t i o n withexperience”dimension),butalsoexaminecustomera f f e c t i o n s / e m o t i o n s duringthepurchasejourneyacrossallavailabletouchpointswitho m n i ch a n n el retaile rs(referringtothe“positiveemotions”dimension).
Priorrelevantstudies
Thiss t u d y e x p l o r e s t h e i n f l u e n c e s o f c h a n n e l i n t e g r a t i o n q u a l i t y ( C I Q ) oncustomere n g a g e m e n t i n o m n i c h a n n e l r e t a i l i n g c o n t e x t , a s w e l l a s t h e p o s i t i v e outcomesresulting fromsuch engagement.Basedonsocialexchange theory, Leeeta l
( 2 0 1 9 ) p o s i t twod i m e n s i o n s o f CIQ( i e , c h a n n e l - s e r v i c e c o n f i g u r a t i o n a n d integratedinteractions,withtwosub- dimensionsforeachofthem)astheantecedentso f customerengagement;whilecustomeren gagementisasecond- orderconstruct( i n c l u d i n g consciousattention,enthusedparticipation,and socialconnection).Theoutcomesarerepurchaseintentionandpositiveword-of- mouth(seeFigure2.1).
Data analysis from 490 U.S shoppers indicates that all dimensions of Customer Interaction Quality (CIQ) positively influence customer engagement, which subsequently leads to increased purchase intentions and positive word-of-mouth However, the impact varies significantly between high-involvement products, such as Apple, and low-involvement products, represented by Kroger These findings contribute valuable insights to the field of customer engagement within omnichannel retailing and offer practical strategies for retailers to enhance customer engagement across various channels.
BCSC Conscious attention Social connection
Control variables: Physical store quality Virtual store quality Demographics
Note:CSC:Channel-serviceconfiguration,BCSC:Breadthofchannel- servicechoice,TCSC:Transparencyofchannel- serviceconfiguration,InI:Integratedinteractions,CC:Contentconsistency,PC:Processconsistency,WO
Thepurposeofthispaperistoexaminetheimpactofchannelintegrationonc onsumerresponesinthecontextofomnichannelretailing;andthemediatingroleofconsumerem powermentinthisrelationship.Drawinguponthestimulus–organism
- response(SOR)framework, Z ha ng etal.
(2018)define ch a n n e l i n t e g r a t i o n as a second– orderformativeconstructwhichpromotesconsumerempowerment;inturn
Consumer perception of channel integration H 1
Dataanalysisfrom155Chineseshoppersdemonstratesthatchannelintegrationh a s apositi verelationshipwithconsumerpatronageintentionandthisrelationshipismediatedbyc o n s u m e r e m p o w e r m e n t M o r e o v e r , c o n s u m e r e m p o w e r m e n t isp o s i t i v e l y r e l a t e d t o p e r c e i v e d t r u s t a n d s a t i s f a c t i o n T h i s s t u d y makesa majorc o n t r i b u t i o n t o r e s e a r c h o n omnichannelr e t a i l i n g byn o t onlyd e m o n s t r a t i n g t h e c r i t i c al roleofchannelintegrationbutalsoexplaininghowitcanenhancepo sitiveconsumerresponesandpatronagebehavior.
Thisresearchattemptstoexaminecustomer experience inthecontexto fm-commercebydevelopingaMobileApplicationsCustomerExperienceModel.Based
Moderators: Gender, Screen size Enjoyment
+ Satisfaction with the experience + Positive emotions Frequency of use
Timeliness onT e c h n o l o g y A c c e p t a n c e M o d e l , FlowTheorya n d E x p e c t a n c y C o n f i r m a t i o n T h e o r y withInformationTechnology,McLeanetal.
(2018)positutilitarianfactorso f t e c h n o l o g y ( i n c l u d i n g t h r e e dimensions:e a s e of use,c o n v e n i e n c e andcustomisation), timelinessandenjoymentasthekeyvaria blesinfluencingcustomere x p e r i e n c e , whichinturnresultsincustomers’frequencyofus e(seeFigure2.3).
Dataarecollectedfrom1024UKconsumers,inthecontextofshoppingwiththe fourretailers’mobileapplications(i.e.,H&M,Next,JohnLewisandMarks&Sp encer).Theresultshighlighttheimportanceofutilitarianfactorsindeliveringane x c e l l e n t customerexperience.Moreover,thispaperrevealsthatcustomershaveane gativeexperienceiftheyperceivetospendlongertimethannecessarywhenusingthemobilea pplication.Ontheotherhand,genderandsmartphonescreen- sizeplayamoderatingr o l e o n t h e customere x p e r i e n c e T h i s p r o j e c t p r o v i d e s a n importanto p p o r t u n i t y t o a d v a n c e t h e u n d e r s t a n d i n g ofcustomere x p e r i e n c e i n m - r e t a i l i n g throughM o b i l e A p p l i c a t i o n s C u s t o m e r E x p e r i e n c e M o d e l a n d p r o v i d e t h e keyinsightsforretailersonhowtoenrichtheircustomerexpe riencewithmobileapplicationchannel.
(4) Channeli n t e g r a t i o n q u a l i t y , p e r c e i v e d f l u e n c y a n d o m n i c h a n n e l s e r v i c e usag e: T he m od era ti ng rolesof internaland external usage experience(Shenet al.,2 0 1 8 )
Thisp a p e r i n v e s t i g a t e s t h e f a c t o r s t h a t a f f e c t o m n i c h a n n e l s e r v i c e u s a g e FollowingWixom &Toddframework,Shenetal. (2018)developaresearchframeworki n c l u d i n g o b j e c t - b a s e d b e l i e f s ( w h i c h i s r e p r e s e n t e d byc h a n n e l integrationq ual it y wit hfourdimensions:channelchoicebreadth, ch an nel servicetransparency,co ntentconsistencyandprocessconsistency)andbehavioralbeliefs ( w h i c h i s r e p r e s e n t e d byp e r c e i v e d f l u e n c y ) B e s i d e s , b e h a v i o r - b a s e d t r a i t s ( i e , internalandexternalusageexperience)areconsideredasmo deratorsforther e l a t i o n s h i p betweenbehavioralbeliefsandusagebehavior(seeFigure2. 4).
Dataarecollectedfrom401usersofanomnichannelcateringserviceplatformsinM a i n l a n d C h i n a T h e f i n d i n g s i n d i c a t e t h a t c h a n n e l i n t e g r a t i o n q u a l i t y s i g n i f i c a n t l y af fec ts customers’p e r c e i v e d fluencya c r os s c h a n n e l s , w h i c h i n t u r n l e a d s toomnichannelserviceusage.Moreover,internalusageexpe rienceweakens,w h i l e externalusageexperiencestrengthensthepositiverelatio nshipbetweenper cei v ed fluencyandusagebehavior.Thisprojectprovidesanimportantopportunit yt o a d v a n c e t h e u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f o m n i c h a n n e l s e r v i c e fromc u s t o m e r b e h a v i o r ’ s v i e w p o i n t andalsosuggests severalinsightsforomnichan nelserviceproviders tooptimizetheirchannelmanagementfordeliveringas moothserviceexperiencetotheircustomers.
Omnichannel service usage Perceived fluency
Object-based beliefs Behavior-based traits
(5) Customer'sreactiontocross- channelintegrationinomnichannelretailing:T h e me di at in gr ole s ofre ta ile ru ncert ai nt y, i d e n t i t y at tr act ive ness, a n d sw itc hi ng co st s (Lietal.,2018)
Thispapergivesanaccountofthemechanismsthroughwhichcustomersreacttocross- channelintegration(CCI)inthecontextofomnichannelretailing.FollowingthePush-Pull-
Mooringframework,Lietal.(2018)developaresearchframeworkw h i c h r e t a i l e r uncertainty,identityattractiveness,andswitchingcostsplaypushing,p u l l i n g, andmooringroles,respectively,inshapingcustomers’responestoCCI(i.e.,customerretentiona ndinterestinalternatives);whileshowroomingbehavioractsasa moderatorintheserelationsh ips(seeFigure2.5).
Cross- channel integration Identity attractiveness
Interest in alternatives Switching costs
Theanalysisresultsof259Chineseshoppersrevealthatretaileruncertain ty,identit y attractiveness,a n d switching co sts partially mediatetheeffect of
C C I oncustomerretention,whilefullymediatingtherelationshipbetweenCCIandinter estinalternatives.Furthermore,theshowroomingbehaviorisfoundtostrengt henthenegat iv e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n C C I a n d r e t a i l e r u n c e r t a i n t y Thise m p i r i c a l w o r k presentedhereprovidesaninvestigationintohowcustomersreactt oCCIthroughthedynamicmechanismsandpointsoutimportantinsightsforomnichannelr etailerstoimplementtheirCCIstrategy.
Researchframeworkandhypothesisdevelopment
2.5.1 Stimulus-Organism–Response(SOR)framework
TheSORframework(MehrabianandRussell,1974)isoneofthemostextensive lyadoptedtheoreticalframeworksforexplainingcustomershoppingb e h a v i o r s invariouscontextsofretailingsuchasofflineretailing(Morinetal.,2007),e- r et a i l i n g (Erogluetal.,2001;Wangetal.,2011;Wuetal.,2013),multichannelr e t a i l i n g (Hsiehetal.,2012;PantanoandViassone,2015)andomnichannelretailing(Lazar isetal.,2017;Zhangetal.,2018).Thisframeworkpointsouttherelationshipa m o n g thestim ulus(S),consumers’internalstates(O)andsubsequentbehavior(R).T h e stimulusaffectsconsume rs’internalstates,whichinturnresultsintheirrespones.
Inparticular,stimulusreferstotheretailenvironmentalstimuli,suchasin- storemusic,storeatmosphere,channelavailability,channelintegration(Morinetal.,2007;P a n t a n o an dViassone,2015;Zhangetal.,2018).InlinewithLeeetal.
(2019),inthecurrentthesis,t w o c o m p o n e n t s o f C I Q ( i e , c h a n n e l - s e r v i c e c o n f i g u r a t i o n a n d integratedinteractions)areconsideredtobethesti mulus.Inaddition,accordingtoZ h a n g etal.
(2018),organismrepresentscustomers’internalstates,whichconsistofn o t onlyinternal activities (e.g., perception, feelingand thinking)butalso affective,emotionala n d c o g n i t i v e s t a t e s ( e g , p l e a s u r e a n d s a t i s f a c t i o n ) T h u s , c u s t o m e r e m p o w e r m e n t andcustomerexperienceareregarde dastheorganismintheresearchframework.Finally,customerpatronagei n t e n t i o n isp r o p o s e d tostandfort h e b e h a v i o r a l responseintheSORframework.Insummary,the currentstudy’sresearchframework(Figure2.6)isprimarilydrawnfromtheSORframeworkthat servesasab a s i s forthedevelopmentofthefollowinghypotheses.
Channelintegrationqualityreferstothedegreetowhicharetailercoordinateso p e r a t i o n s andinteractionsacrossitsmultiplechannelstoprovideaunifiedshoppingj o u r n e y forits customers(Zhangetal.,2018).BasedontheSORframework,CIQas anenvironmentalstimulusisexpectedtoaffectcustomers’internalstates,sucha scustomerexperience.SinceCIQofomnichannelretailersarecomprisedofchannel- serviceconfigurationandintegratedinteractions(SousaandVoss,2006),customere x p e r i e n c e shouldbedeterminedbythesetwocharacteristics.
Channel service configuration reflects the structure of available channels and flexible combinations offered by omnichannel retailers (Lee et al., 2019) A well-integrated channel configuration allows customers to select alternative channels for a given service, enabling them to accomplish their preferred tasks through their chosen channels (Shen et al., 2018) According to Sousa and Voss (2006), the wide range of channels provided by retailers facilitates flexible shopping experiences Customers can enjoy hassle-free choices at all shopping stages and can seamlessly switch between available channels based on their preferences This approach ensures that the selected service or shopping combinations best meet their needs (Lee and Kim, 2010) Consequently, customers are likely to experience positive emotions such as pleasure, encouragement, and satisfaction throughout their shopping journey with these diverse omnichannel retailers.
The availability of diverse alternative channels, along with clear comparisons of their similarities and differences, enriches customer understanding and enhances their shopping experience (Shen et al., 2018) Well-informed customers feel more confident when engaging with retailers that offer effective channel-service configurations (Lee et al., 2019) This results in a more valuable experience for customers compared to omnichannel retailers that lack such extensive options and transparency in their service offerings Therefore, we hypothesize that
Integrated interactions in retail refer to the consistency and uniformity of content and processes across various channels, which helps reduce customer confusion during their shopping journey (Lee et al., 2019; Sousa and Voss, 2006) When retailers provide consistent information, such as pricing and product details, it facilitates smoother purchasing decisions and enhances customer experience by minimizing the time spent comparing options (Li et al., 2018) Additionally, a unified approach to service attributes—like the overall feel, branding, and delivery speed—creates a frictionless purchasing experience, leading to higher customer satisfaction Recently, shoppers have engaged with omnichannel retailers through various platforms, including call centers and online live chat systems, to receive consistent content (Rae, 2017) These online live chats enable real-time interaction with human representatives, further enhancing the customer experience by providing immediate assistance (McLean and Osei).
Frimpong (2017) highlights that customers receive real-time service, similar to interactions with staff in physical stores, which enhances customer satisfaction (Rae, 2017) Furthermore, virtual and augmented reality technologies enable omnichannel retailers to overcome the limitations of physical boundaries, creating a seamless service experience between online and offline channels by allowing customers to virtually see and touch merchandise (Brynjolfsson et al., 2013; Pilkington, 2019) Empirical evidence indicates that maintaining process consistency between online and offline channels positively influences the perceived value of online shopping (Wu and Chang, 2016).
(2018)alsoidentifiedt h a t t h e i n t e g r a t e d i n f o r m a t i o n a n d f u n c t i o n s o f multiplec h a n n e l s s i g n i f i c a n t l y e n h a n c e s identityattractivenesswhiled iminishingretaileruncertainty.Inthesame vein,wepositthatomnichannelretailerswithahighlevelofintegratedinteractionscan bri ngabetterexperiencetotheircustomers.
H 1b I n t e g r a t e di n t e r a c t i o n s a r e p o s i t i v e l y assoc ia ted w i t h t h e c u s t o m e r experience.
Customer empowerment is defined as the extent to which customers have control during their shopping journey (Zhang et al., 2018) Compared to omnichannel retailers with low Customer Interaction Quality (CIQ), those with high CIQ offer customers more shopping choices and consistent content and processes (Broniarczyk and Griffin, 2014) Key factors influencing customer empowerment include choice freedom and extensive information When customers can utilize any channels suited to their needs at their convenience, they feel strongly empowered (Lee and Kim, 2010) Additionally, cross-channel integration in a multichannel context allows customers to shop freely among channels (Lietal, 2018) Omnichannel retailers can enhance CIQ by implementing new technologies like scan-and-go, which enables shoppers to scan, pack, and pay for products via smartphone apps without visiting a cashier (Wallis, 2017) This technology allows omnichannel customers to gain full control over their shopping experience (Grewal et al., 2017) Therefore, a high level of CIQ in omnichannel retailers can significantly increase customer empowerment.
AsnotedbyLemonandVerhoef(2016),ashumanbeingsarecontinuallytryingt o pursueaut onomy,customerempowermentisthusdeemedanimportantdriveroft h ei r perceivede xperience.Priorempiricalstudiesalsoconfirmthatcustomerempowermentwillenh ancecustomers’perceptionofasatisfactorye x p e r i e n c e (Castillo,2018,2017;Hunt erandGarnefeld,2008).Retailersthatfocusoncustomer empowermentwilltrytoprovidemorepersonalizedservicesandcustomizedoptionsthatmakec ustomersfeelliketheretailersofferthemexactlywhattheyneed.Theh i g h levelo fcontrolcangiverisetoclosematchingbetweencustomerdemandandtheo f f e r i n g s o fr e t a i l e r s ( Z h a n g e t a l , 2 0 1 8 ) T h i s f i t c a n l e a v e customersw i t h p o s i t i v e e m o t i o n s andsatisfiedshoppingoutcomes,endowing theshoppingjourneywithanoverallpositiveexperience.
CI Q c a n p r o v i d e c u s t o m e r s w i t h g r e a t e r e m p o w e r m e n t , w h i c h int u r n l e a d s t o a higherlevelofpositivecustomerexperience.Thus,thenexthypothesisiss tatedasfollows:
H 2 CustomerempowermentmediatestheinfluencesofCIQ(consistingof(a)c h a n n el - s e r v i c econfigurationand(b)integratedinteractions)onthecustomerexperienc e.
Internet usage refers to the duration customers spend online, which can influence their knowledge and experience with the internet (Park and Jun, 2003) Research has shown that internet experience often acts as a moderator in various contexts, including website shopping behavior (Chang and Chen, 2008) and customer preferences during their shopping journey (Frambach et al., 2007) Customers who spend more time online tend to accumulate greater online experiences, leading to different perceptions and judgments regarding online and offline marketing channels (Chang and Chen, 2008) Thus, internet usage can serve as a significant moderating variable in studies evaluating omnichannel retailers.
According to Daunt and Harris (2017), customers with limited internet experience may lack confidence in navigating the various channels offered by omnichannel retailers Conversely, those with extensive exposure to interactive interfaces are better equipped to understand the features and functions of both online and physical channels This familiarity enhances their ability to leverage omnichannel integration for their shopping needs Internet-savvy customers feel more comfortable and in control during interactions with omnichannel retailers, leading them to appreciate the benefits of high-quality omnichannel integration and ultimately increasing their satisfaction with the retail experience Consequently, it is anticipated that internet usage will positively influence the effects of channel integration quality, which encompasses service configuration, integrated interactions, and customer empowerment within the omnichannel retail context Thus, we propose the following hypothesis:
( b ) integratedinteractions,and( c ) c u s t o m e re m p o w e r m e n t r e g a r d i n g thecus tomerexperience.
Accordingt o t h e S O R f r a m e w o r k , c u s t o m e r s ’ i n t e r n a l s t a t e s ( i e , cu stomere x p e r i e n c e ) couldresultintheirresponsetoomnichannelretailers (i. e.,patronageintention).Previousstudiesdemonstratet h a t experientialvaluespositivel yaffectw e b s i t e patronageintentionsinthee- retailingcontext(Shobeirietal.,2015),whileov er all customerexperiencesignifican tlyenhancesthefrequencyofusingretailers’mobileappsinm- retailing(McLeanetal.,2018).Asmentionedabove,thecurrents t u d y definescust omerexperienceasasecond- orderconstructoftwodimensions:s a t i s f a c t i o n w i t h t h e e x p e r i e n c e a n d p o s i t i v e e m o t i o n s A n u m b e r o f s u p p o r t i v e argumentsandextensivee mpiricalevidencearefoundforthepositiveimpactsoft h e s e t w o d i m e n s i o n s o n t h e b e h a v i o r a l i n t e n t i o n s o f customers.F o r e x a m p l e ,
AndersonandSullivan(1993)arguethatahigherlevelofsatisfactionwillleadtoahighe rlevelofcustomerretention.ThisviewisalsoconfirmedbyRanaweeraandPrab hu( 2 0 0 3 ) w h o d e c l a r e t h a t s a t i s f a c t i o n s i g n i f i c a n t l y enhances c u s t o m e r r et e n t i o n Similarly,s e v e r a l s t u d i e s h a v e s h o w n t h a t s a t i s f a c t i o n isa n i m p o r t a n t a n t e c e d e n t o f c u s t o m e r r e p u r c h a s e b e h a v i o r ( F a n g e t a l ,
2 0 1 1 ; L e e e t al.,2 0 0 9 ; Olsen ,2002).Intheretailingindustry,alargenumberofresearchp rojectshavebeenc o n d u c t e d t o c o n f i r m t h e positivei m p a c t o f s a t i s f a c t i o n o n p a t r o n a g e i n t e n t i o n (Changet al.,2015;GraceandO’Cass,2005;Wang,2009).Withrespecttoanothercomponento f c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e , p o s i t i v e e m o t i o n s , a c c o r d i n g t o G r a c e a n d O ’ C a s s ( 2 0 0 5 ) , c o n s u m p t i o n f e e l i n g s / e m o t i o n s s u c h asp l e a s u r e o r e x c i t e m e n t i n physicals t o r e r e t a i l i n g h a v e a s i g n i f i c a n t p o s i t i v e e f f e c t o n p a t r o n a g e i n t e n t i o n s Similarly,Wang( 2 0 0 9 ) confirmst h a t a p o s i t i v e a t t i t u d e w i l l l e a d t o customerp a t r o n a g e in tentions.Inane-retailingcontext,datafromtheresearchofKimetal.
(2007)indicatethatahigherlevelofshoppingenjoymentwillleadtoahigherlevelo f patr onageintention Basedontheaforementionedarguments andevidence,wep osit t h a t t h e g r e a t e r t h e d e g r e e t o w h i c h c u s t o m e r s e x p e r i e n c e s a t i s f a c t i o n a n d positiveemotions, the h i g h e r theirintention t o patronizean o mnichannel retailer Ov er al l, wehypothesize:
Breadth of channel- service choice Internet usage
H 3c Transparency of channel- service configuration
Customer experience Patronage intention Customer empwerment
Integrated interaction First-order constructs
Process consistency Second-order constructs
Overall,thischapterpresentedtheresearchframeworkwhichbedrawnupon theSORframeworkandtheliteraturereviewoneachconstructoftheresearchmodel,a s wellasfive studiesthatarerelevanttothisthesis.Futhermore,fourhypotheseswerepropos ed.First,CIQ’sdimensions(i.e.,(a)channel-serviceconfigurationand
(b)integratedinteractions)arepositivelyassociatedwiththecustomerexperien ce.S e c o n d , customerempowermentmediatestheinfluencesofCIQ(consisting of(a)channel- s e r v i c e c o n f i g u r a t i o n a n d ( b ) i n t e g r a t e d i n t e r a c t i o n s ) ont h e c u s t o m e r experience.Third,customerinternetusagestrengthensthepositivein fluenceof(a)c h a n n e l - s e r v i c e configuration,
(b)integratedinteractions,and(c)customere m p ow e r m en t r e g a r d i n g t h e c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e A n d f i n a l l y , t h e c u s t o m e r e x p e ri e n c e ispositivelyassociatedw ithpatronageintention.Thenextchapterwouldbe concernedwiththemethodusedforthecurre ntthesis.
Researchprocess
3.1.Thefirststepwastoreviewtheliteratureandpriorrelevantpaperstoadoptthem e a s u r e m e n t scalesforallstudiedconstructs(i.e.,breadthofchannel- servicechoice,t r a n s p a r e n c y ofchannel- serviceconfiguration,contentconsistency,processconsistency,customerempower ment,satisfactionwithexperience,positiveemotions,patronageintention,internet usage,trustonretailer,andvarietyseeking);w i t h someminormodificationstofitthecu rrentresearchcontext.Alltheitemsoft h e s e constructswerethentranslatedintoV ietnamese,theofficiallanguageofthec u r r e n t r e s e a r c h c o n t e x t F o l l o w i n g t h e measurements c a l e s , a q u e s t i o n n a i r e w a s d e s i g n e d a n d p r e - t e s t e d w i t h 2 0 c u s t o m e r s ( i e , 1 0 M B A s t u d e n t s a n d 1 0 o f f i c e s t a f f s ) T hequestionnairewasthenmodifiedtoensureitsclarity beforefinalizationa n d distribution.
34;withapurposivesamplingbasedongender(i.e.,60%womenand40%men).Thes u r v e y wasc onductedatthefivebusiestshoppingmallandofficebuildingsinthem e t r o p o l i t a n areaofHo-Chi-
MinhCity(i.e.,VincomCenter,SaigonSquare,TakashimayaVietnam;DiamondPlaz a;ParksonPlaza).Aftercollection,thedatasetw a s analyzedusingSmartPLS3.2.8.Tobeginthispr ocess,atwo- stageapproachwasap p l i ed toassessthemeasurement model.Thereliabilityofthes tudiedconstructsw a s representedbyCronbach’salphaandcompositereliability,whiletheco nvergentv al i d i tywasrepresentedbyindicator’souterloadingandaveragevarianceextracte d(AVE).Furthermore,crossloadings,Fornell-
Monotraitratio(HTMT)wereusedtoassessthediscriminantvalidityofthem e a s u r e m e n t model.Thenextstepwascheckingwhetherthecommonmethodbias( C M B ) c o u l d t h r e a t e n t h e r e s e a r c h r e s u l t s A f t e r t h a t , t h e structuralmodelw a s a ss e s sed throughanumberofdifferentcriteria,suchas:theVIFvaluesforchecking
7 Test for common method bias (CMB)
6 Assessment of the measurement model (two-stage approach)
8 Assessment of the structural model
9 FIMIX analysis for data heterogeneity
10 Conclusions and managerial implications thecollinearityissues,theSRMRvaluetoevaluatethemodelfit,theR 2a n d Q 2o f theend ogenousconstructstoassessthepredictivepowerandpredictiverelevanceoft h e proposedre searchmodel,respectively.Ontestingthehypothesesofthecurrentthesis,a bootstrappi ngprocedureof5,000sampleswasappliedtotestthedirecte f f e c t s , themediatingeffects, aswellasthe moderatingeffects.Finally,theFIMIX-
Measurementscales
The current study includes three multi-dimensional constructs, two single-dimensional constructs, one single-item construct, and two control variables Measurements for these constructs were adapted from prior studies with minor modifications to suit the current research context Specifically, the two multi-dimensional constructs related to Channel-Service Configuration and Integrated Interactions each comprised two dimensions, with scales sourced from Lee et al (2019) The Channel-Service Configuration included breadth of channel-service choice and transparency of channel-service configuration, while Integrated Interactions encompassed both content consistency and process consistency, each measured by four items Additionally, the multi-dimensional construct of Customer Experience consisted of satisfaction with experiences and positive emotions, measured by three and ten-item indices taken from McLean et al.
( 2 0 1 8 ) U n i d i m e n s i o n a l c o n s t r u c t s o f customere m p o w e r m e n t and patronageintentionwereadaptedfromZhangetal.’sscales(2018)offiveandthreeitems,respective ly.InternetusagewasassessedbasedonGross's( 2 0 0 4 ) single-itemconstruct.
Regardingc o n t r o l v a r i a b l e s , t r u s t i n r e ta i l e r s w a s measuredw i t h f o u r i t e ms a d o p t e d fromC h i u e t a l ( 20 12 ), wh il e variety- seeking w a s m e a s u r e d withs e v e n itemstakenfromAdjeiandClark(2010).Allitemswer emeasuredwithaseven- pointL i k e r t s c a l e ( 1 = s t r o n g l y d i s a g r e e , 7 = s t r o n g l y a g r e e ) a n d w e r e t r a n s l a t e d i n t o Vietnamese,theofficiallanguageofthecurrentresearchcontext.
I can purchase products via the online or physical stores of X (BCSC1)
I can get support through the online or physical stores of X (BCSC2)
I can give feedback about the products through the online or physical stores of X (BCSC3)
I can get detailed product description from the online or physical stores of X (BCSC4)
I am aware of available services of the online and physical stores of X (TCSC1)
I am familiar with available services of both the online and physical stores of X (TCSC2)
I know how to utilize available services of the online and physical stores of X (TCSC3)
I know the di erencesffer of available services between the online and physical stores of X (TCSC4)
X provides consistent product information across the online and physical stores (CC1) The product prices are consistent across the online and physical stores of X (CC2)
X provides consistent promotion information across the online and physical stores (CC3)
X provides consistent stock availability across the online and physical stores (CC4)
Breadth of channel- service choice
Transparency of channel- service configuration
The service images are consistent across the online and physical stores of X (PC1)
The levels of customer service are consistent across the online and physical stores of X (PC2)
The feelings of service are consistent across the online and physical stores of X (PC3)
The online and physical stores of X have consistent performance in the speed of service delivery (PC4)
In my dealings with X, I feel I am in control.
During the shopping process at X, I can select products and services freely (Cemp2)
I can influence the choice-set offered to me by X.
The ability to influence the goods and services of X is beneficial to me (Cemp4)
My influence over X has increased relative to the past (Cemp5)
How many hours do you use the internet per day? Less than 2h; 2h to < 5h; 5h to < 8h; 8h and more
I am satisfied with the shopping experience at X.
The shopping experience at X is exactly what I needed (SE2)
The shopping experience at X has worked out as well as I thought it would (SE3)
1.IfeelencouragedwhenshoppingatX.(PE1) 2.IfeelconfidentwhenshoppingatX.(PE2) 3.IfeelsurewhenshoppingatX.(PE3) 4.IfeelunconfusedwhenshoppingatX.(PE4) 5.IfeeloptimisticwhenshoppingatX.(PE5) 6.IfeelcertainwhenshoppingatX.(PE6) 7.IfeelcontentwhenshoppingatX.(PE7) 8.IfeelrelievedwhenshoppingatX.(PE8) 9.IfeelundoubtfulwhenshoppingatX.(PE9) 10.IfeelsatisfiedwhenshoppingatX.(PE10)
2.IamlikelytorecommendXtomyfriends.(PI2) 3.IamlikelytochooseXasapreferredretailerifIneedthe productsthatIwillbuy.(PI3)
1.Xisatrustworthyretailer.(Trust1) 2.Xcaresaboutitscustomers.(Trust2) 3.Xkeepsitspromisestoitscustomers.(Trust3) 4.Xisnotopportunistic.(Trust4)
1.Whenshopping,Ifindmyselfspendingalotoftim ec h e c k i n g o u t n e w w e b s i t e s / a p p s / p h y s i c a l stores.(Seek1) 2.Itakeadvantageofthefirstavailableopportunitytofindouta boutnewwebsites/apps/physicalstores.(Seek2)
3.Iliketoinvestigateinformationaboutnewwe bsites/apps/physical stores.(Seek3)
4.I l i k e i n f o r m a t i o n s o u r c e t h a t i n t r o d u c e n e w web s it e s/ ap p s/ p h y si ca l stores.
5 I frequently look out for newweb sit es/ap ps/ph ysical stores.(Seek5) 6.IseekoutsituationsinwhichIwillbeexposedto newanddifferentsourcesofwebsites/apps/ physicalstoreinformation.(Seek6)
7 I am continually seeking out newwebsi t es/ app s/p hy si cal stores.(Seek7)
Note:Xreferstothelistedwell-knownortheself-declaredomnichannel retailerbytherespondent
Sources:Leeetal.(2019);Zhangetal.(2018);McLeanetal.(2018);Chiuetal.(2012);AdjeiandClark(2010).
Questionnairedesign
Thepaper- basedquestionnairewasdesignedinthreesections.Section1c o n t a i n e d anexplanation ofomnichannelretailersandscreeningquestionstoidentifyeligibler e s p o n d e n t s T h e s e c o n d s e c t i o n i n c l u d e d m e a s u r e m e n t o f t h e r e s e a r c h constructs.Fi nally,t h e l a s t s e c t i o n c o n t a i n e d t h e r e s p o n d e n t ’ s demographici n f o r m a t i o n Wepre-testedthequestionnairewith10MBAstudentsatawell- knownp u bl i c universityand10officestaffs.Thequestionnairewasthenmodifiedtoensureitsc laritybeforefinalizationanddistribution.
Sampleanddatacollection
Intheomnichannelretailingcontext,customersusebothonline(e.g.,websites,mobileap ps)andphysicalstorestocompletetheirpurchasingjourney.Lietal.
(2018)a l s o n o t e t h a t o m n i c h a n n e l s h o p p e r s a r e o n l i n e c u s t o m e r s A c c o r d i n g t o P i c o d i ( 2 0 1 8 ) , a g l o b a l e - c o m m e r c e p l a t f o r m o p e r a t i n g i n V i e t n a m , h a l f o f V i e t n a m e s e o nlin e cu sto mers (49%)wereaged between25and34yearsold.Moreover,60%oft h e m werewomen,and40%weremen.Similar ly,areportfromNielsenVietnamalsop o i n t e d outthat60%ofVietnameseonlinecustomer swerewomenand40%were men,withtheagebracketof25–29totaling55%
(UyenPhuong,2018).Thus,ther e s p o n d e n t s ofthecurrentstudywerelimitedtotho seaged25–34,andpurposivesamplingbasedongender(seeTable3.2)wasemployed.
Mi n h ( H C M ) City,w h e r e t h e retailbusinessactivitiesarestriking.Accordingto Tran(2019),HCM’sretailsalesandservicerevenuereachedmorethan4.07billio nUSDinApril2019,up14.4%fromthesametimelastyear.Inthefirstfivemonthsof 2018,statisticaldatafromG e n e r a l StatisticsOfficeofVietnamalsopointedoutthatHC Mwasthecitywiththefastestgrowthofretailgoodssales(13.5%)inVietnam(Thuy Mien,2018).Moreover,allofthewell- knownVietnameseomnichannelretailersdobusinessinH C M City.Therefore,th ecurrentstudyemploysHCMCityfordatacollection.
Thesurveywasconductedatthefivebusiestshoppingmallandofficebuildingsi n themetropo litanareaofHCMCity(i.e.,VincomCenter,SaigonSquare,TakashimayaVietnam
TheGioiDiDong(mobilecarri ersanddevices),orC o n c u n g (motherandbabyproduct s)-orself- declaredtheomnichannel retailertheyweremostfamiliarwith.Next,tobeincludedinthesurve y,filteringquestionswereusedtoensurethattheperson:
(2)hasmadeatleastonepurchaseeitheronlineorphysicalstoreofthisomnichannelr e t a i l e r ; an d (3)was aged 25–34 Ifanyofthese three conditions were notmet,thequestionnairewasnotgiven.Asmallsouvenirwasalsoofferedtothe minappreciationoftheirsupport.Thedatawerecollectedoverafive- weekperiodin2019( f r o m 8July2019to11August2019)atdifferenttimesofdayandonbothwee kdaysand weekends.
Theprocessapproachedmorethan400respondentswhodecidedtoparticipatein thisst udy.Afterpresentingthedefinitionofomnichannelretailersandthethreef i l t e r i n g questions, 356respondents mettheconditionsto continueansweringthe q u e s t i o n n a i r e Afterclosescrutiny,312validresponseswereusedforfurtheranalysi s.
This study utilizes SEM, which permits the use of small sample sizes, specifically fewer than 100 participants The sample size was calculated using G*Power analysis, focusing on the significance of individual effects rather than the overall variance explained by the regression equation The chosen method was "Linear multiple regression: Fixed model, single regression coefficient." With an expected standardized coefficient of 0.2 and an overall R² of 0.25, an effect size (f²) of 0.053 was incorporated The research model includes four predictors for the construct of customer experience, necessitating a sample size of 206 Additionally, larger sample sizes enhance the consistency of PLS results.
Samplecharacteristics
Themajorityofrespondents(82.4%)hadgraduatedfromacollegeoruniversity.Themostcomm onmonthlyincome level bracket was from9,000,000 VND and up.I n t e r m s o f omnichannels h o p p i n g , nearlyhal f oft h e r e s p o n d e n t s ( 4 7 4 % ) madep u r c h a s e s afewtimespermonth,withthevalueforeachordermostcommonlylesst h a n 1,000,000VND(41.3%).Furthermore,themostcommondailyinternetusagera ngewasfrom2hourstojustunder5hours(42%).Moredetailsaboutrespondents’p r o f i l e s and purchasebehaviorsarepresentedinTable3.2.
Gender Freq Realized quo ta Planedq uota% Purchasefrequency( webs/apps/stores) Freq %
Education Freq % Averageordervalue(web s/apps/stores)(*) Freq %
Dataanalysismethod
StatisticalanalysiswasperformedusingSmartPLSsoftware(version3.2.8).Tob e g i n thi sprocess,atwo-stageapproachwasapplied,followingBeckeretal.
(1) Cronbach’sαand compositeand compositereliabilityshould behigherthan 0.7to ensuretheinternalconsistencyreliability.
(2) Forthesatisfactionofconvergentvalidity, indicator’souterloadingshouldbehigherthan0.7,whileaveragevarianceextracted(AV E)valuesshouldbeabovethecut-offpointof0.5.
Larckercriterion,andtheHeterotrait-Monotraitratio(HTMT)wereused.
ThenextstepwastoapplyingHarman’sone- factor test,aswellascommonmethodfactorapproach(Liangetal.,2007)tocheck whetherthecommonmethodb i a s ( C M B ) c o u l d t h r e a t e n t h e r e s e a r c h r e s u l t s , a s t h e d a t a s e t o f t h i s s t u d y w a s collectedbasedonrespondents’self- reportedsubjectiveperceptions.
(3) Thep r e d i c t i v e p o w e r a n d p r e d i c t i v e r e l e v a n c e o f t h e p r o p o s e d r e s e a r c h modelwer e a s s e s s e d t h r o u g h th e R 2a n d Q 2o f t h e en do ge no usco nst r uct s, respectively.Inparticular,theR2v a l u e sof0.26,0.13and0.02representedsu bstantial,moderateandweaklevelsofpredictiveaccuracy,respectively(Cohen,1 9
The current thesis evaluated direct, mediating, and moderating effects through a bootstrapping procedure with 5,000 samples for hypothesis testing Hypotheses were considered supported if the p-value was less than 0.05 and the 95% bias-corrected confidence intervals did not include zero To assess the effect sizes of direct effects, Cohen’s f² was utilized, with values of 0.02, 0.15, and 0.35 indicating small, medium, and large effects, respectively (Hair et al., 2017) For moderation effect size evaluation, Kenny’s standard was applied, where values of 0.005, 0.01, and 0.025 represented small, medium, and large effects, respectively (Hair et al., 2017).
Summary
This chapter outlines the research methodology employed in the thesis, detailing the research process, measurement scales, questionnaire design, sample and data collection, sample characteristics, and data analysis methods The study focuses on three multi-dimensional constructs—channel-service configuration, integrated interactions, and customer experience—alongside two single-dimensional constructs: customer empowerment and patronage intention Additionally, it includes one single-item construct (internet usage) and two control variables (trust in retailers and variety seeking).
A l l m e a s u r e m e n t s f o r t h e s e c o n s t r u c t s w e r e a d o p t e d f r o m p r i o r studieso fLeeetal.(2019);McLeanetal.(2018);Zhangetal.(2018);Gross’s(2004);C h i u et al.(2012); andAdjeiandClark(2010).Datawerecollected fromcustomersw h o usedtohaveexperienceofshoppingwithomnichannelretailersa ndaged25-
3 4 , withapurposivesamplingbasedongender;atfivebusiestshoppingmalland o f f i c e buildingsinthemetropolitanareaofHCMCity.Afterclosescrutiny,312validr espo nses w o u l d b e u s e d f o r f u r t h e r analysisu s i n g S m a r t P L S 3 2 8 i n t h e n e x t c h a p t e r
Assessmentof measurementmodel
The research framework included unidimensional, multidimensional, and single-item constructs, as illustrated in Figure 2.6 Following the recommendations of Becker et al (2012), a two-stage approach was utilized In Stage I, the repeated indicators method was employed to derive latent variable scores, which were subsequently saved in the dataset for further analysis in Stage II In Stage II, the scores from Stage I served as indicators for their respective constructs, as shown in Figure 4.2 The results regarding the scale accuracy, including reliability and validity of the studied constructs, are presented in Tables 4.1 and 4.2.
Note:SeeTable3.1for allabbreviationsof therespective constructsin themodel
Note:SeeTable3.1for allabbreviationsof therespective constructsin themodel
To assess the reliability of the constructs, thresholds for Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability were set at 0.7, as recommended by Hair et al (2017) The data presented in Table 4.1 indicates a satisfactory level of scale reliability Additionally, convergent validity for the studied constructs was verified, meeting the minimum requirements for indicator loadings (0.7) and average variance extracted (AVE) values, which exceeded the cutoff point of 0.5 Specifically, the AVE values recorded were CSC-0.800 and InI-0.800.
Monotraitratio(HTMT)wereused.Eachindicator’sloadingonitscorrespondingc onstructwashigherthanallofitscross-loadingsontheo t h e r constructs Also,as canbe seenfromTable4.2, thesquare rootofthe
AVEofeach constructwas higherthantheconstruc t’shighestcorrelations withtheother constructs.Moreover,all HTMT values fell below the conservativemaximumlevel
Hierarchical measurement model Studied constructs
Integrated interactions (InI) Customer experience (Cexp)
No of scale dimension a 2 Dimension loading/ highest cross-loading
934/.489, 932/.667 of0 85 Overall, boththereliability andvalidity ofthe measurement model werea s s u r e d
Studiedconstructs(Dimensions) items a Alpha CR b AVE c Itemloading/highest cross-loading Channel- Breadtho f c h a n n e l - 4 837 891 672 800/.581, 833/.440, service servicechoice 843/.484,.804/.476 configuration Transparency of 4 841 894 679 806/.534, 893/.578,
Customer Satisfaction with 3 894 934 826 870/.650, 933/.676, experience experience 923/.707
Note: a based ona1-7Likertscale; b Composite Reliability; c Average VarianceExtracted;n.a.:notapplicable
Assessment Stage Studied constructs (dimensions)
BCSC TCSC CC SE PI
700 468 486 534 545 471 538 Channel- service confgurati on (CSC) 820 service configuration Transparency of channel- service configuration Content consistency Process consistency
Customer experience (Cexp) with experience Positive emotions 467 406 480 588 620 909 810 730
Patronage intention (PI) Internet usage (IU) (moderator) Trust on retailer (Trust)
Channel-service confguration (CSC) Integrated interactions (InI) 895
Customer (Cemp) empowerment Customer experience (Cexp) Patronage intention (PI)
Note:ThelowerandupperofthediagonalarebivariatecorrelationsandHTMTratios,respectively;diagonalb o l d valuesarethesquar erootofAVE(averagevarianceextracted);n.a.:notapplicable
Testforcommonmethodbias
The data collected relied on respondents' self-reported subjective perceptions, necessitating an assessment of potential common method bias (CMB) that could compromise the research findings To evaluate the seriousness of CMB, two statistical tests were employed First, Harman’s one-factor test was conducted through exploratory factor analysis, while principal component analysis without rotation determined the number of extracted factors The results indicated that the largest factor accounted for only 34.98% of the total variance, suggesting that no single factor emerged to explain the majority of the covariance among the scale indicators, in line with the methodology proposed by Liang et al.
(2007),aPLSmodelwithacommonmethodfactorwassupplemented.Theresults in di cate dt h a t 9 0% (4 4/ 49 ) oft h e methodfac to r loadings we re insignificant,whileth esubstantivefactorloadingsoftheprincipalconstructs’indicatorswereallsignificant(see Table4.3).Moreover,theaveragesubstantively- e x p l a i n e d v a r i a n c e o f t h e indicatorsw a s 0 6 7 3 , w h i l e t h e a v e r a g e m e t h o d - b a s e d v a r i a n c e wasonly0.005.Theratioofsubstantivevariancetomethodvarian cewasab o u t 135:1.Accordingtotheabovetwotests,therewasnoproblemwithCM Binthisstudy.
Assessmentofstructuralmodel
FollowingtheproceduretoevaluatethestructuralmodelasproposedbyHaireta l (2017),thecollinearityissuesamongeachsetofpredictorvariableswerefirstlyc h e c k e d ; allVIFvalues(seeTable4.4)ofhigherthan0.2andlessthan5.0demonstratedth atcollinearitywasunlikelytobeaconcern.
Antecedents Customere mpowermen Customere xperien ce Patronage intention
Toassessthequalityofthestructuralmodel,theSRMRvalueof0.079– lessthanthethreshold(0.08)– assertedagoodfitofthemodelfortheorytesting(seeFigure4.3).Inaddition,thepredictive powerandpredictiverelevanceoftheproposedresearchmodelwereassessedthroughtheR 2a n d
The R² values of 0.26, 0.13, and 0.02 indicate substantial, moderate, and weak predictive accuracy, respectively, while the Q² values must be higher than zero to demonstrate predictive relevance As illustrated in Figure 4.3, the R² values for customer empowerment (0.347), customer experience (0.541), and patronage intention (0.532) all reached substantial levels Additionally, the Q² values for these three endogenous constructs were above zero, signifying that the exogenous constructs had significant explanatory power and adequate predictive relevance within the model Overall, the quality of the structural model was confirmed, and the results of hypothesis testing—including direct effects, mediating effects, and moderating effects—are discussed in the following sections.
Directeffects:At- testcalculated fromthebootstrappingprocedure of5,000sampleswasapplied totestthedirecteffectsintheresearchmodel,whileCohen’s
0.35representingsmall,medium,andlargeeffects,respectively(Hairetal.,2017).T a b l e 4.5andFigure4.3illustrateshowallofthethreedirecthypotheses(H1a,H1ba n dH4)wer esupportedatatleast95%confidencelevel.Theeffectsizesofchannel- serviceconfigurationandintegratedinteractionsoncustomerexperiencewereb e t w e e n s m a l l a n d m e d i u m ( 0 0 3 6 a n d 0 1 2 9 , r e s p e c t i v e l y ) , w h i l e t h e e f f e c t ofcustomerexperienceonpatronageintentionwasratherlarge(0.395).
Pathcoe fficients pValue 95%Confidenceint ervals Significance a ( p< 0.05)?
Kenny’sp ro ced ur e a n d t h e S o b e l ’ s t e s t t o examinet h e i n d i r e c t , m e d i a t i n g e f f e c t s T h e b o o t s t r a p p i n g resultspointedoutthatbothindirecteffec tsstipulatedinH2aa n dH2bw e r epositiveandsignificantandthe95%biascorrectedconfidenceint ervalsdidnotincludezero(seeTable4.6andFigure4.3);thus,H 2aand H2bweresupported.Further ide ntifyingt h e t y p o l o g y o f m e d i a t i o n s w a s c o n d u c t e d I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e a b o v e significantandpositiveindirecteffects,thedirecteffectsofchannelservicecon figuration andintegratedinteractionsoncustomerexperiencewerealsopositiveand s i g n i f i c a n t , t h u s c u s t o m e r e m p o w e r m e n t w a s i d e n t i f i e d asa c o m p l e m e n t a r y me diationoftheproposeddirecteffects.
Totalin directef fects pValue 95%Confidenceint ervals Significance a ( p< 0.05)?
The study investigated the moderating effects of internet usage on the positive relationships between customer experience and its precursors, including channel-service configuration, integrated interactions, and customer empowerment Three interaction terms were developed for the moderation effect analysis, and the findings confirmed that all three moderating effects (H3a, H3b, and H3c) were supported According to Kenny's standards, the effect sizes for moderation can be classified as small (0.005), medium (0.01), and large (0.025) In this study, the interaction term's f² effect sizes were 0.040 for H3a, 0.030 for H3c, and 0.016 for H3b, indicating large and medium effects.
Controlvariables:Theanalysisofcontrolvariablessuggestedthatthereweres i g n i f i c a n t positiveandnegativeeffectsoftrustinretailersandvariety- seekingonp a t r o n a g e intention,respectively(Table4.5andFigure4.3).
H 3a , H 3b : moderating role SRMR: 079 Internet usage
Variety seeking First-order constructs
FIMIXanalysisfordataheterogeneity
Unobservedheterogeneityin theselected samplecanpreventthederivationofa c cu r at e findings(Beckeretal.,2013);thus,th ecurrentstudyappliedtheFIMIX-
P L S a l g o r i t h m w a s c a l c u l a t e d f o r differentnumberso f segments( K ) T h e p r o c e s s s t a r t e d w i t h K = 1 a n d s t o p p e d a t K = 4,a s t h e f o u r t h segmentofK=4oc cupiedonly3%(9observations)ofthesample,whichwaslackingi n producingreliablestatistics.Then,as thevalueofE N wasnotavailableintheK=1segmentsolution,onlythethreesolutions(K=2toK 4)werecomparedtofindtheb e s t segmentationsolutionviatwocriteria:
(1)lowestvaluesoftheCAIC,AIC3andBIC,and(2)ENofatleast0.50wereapplied(Hairetal.,20 17).Theresultsindicatednoneofthesegmentationsolutionswerebetterthantheothers;co nsequently,u n o b s e r v a b l e variablesremainedunidentifiedandtheresearchfindingswereunlikely b e distortedbytheunobservedheterogeneity.
SegmentI SegmentII SegmentIII SegmentIV SampleSum
Summary
Thisc h a p t e r a n a l y z e d t h e d a t a s e t o f t h e r e s e a r c h , i n c l u d i n g : a s s e s s m e n t o f measurement model,testforcommonmethodbias,assessmentofstru cturalmodel,andFIMIXanalysisfordataheterogeneity.Insummary,theresultsshowedthatCIQc o m p o n e n t s (i.e.,channel-serviceconfigurationandintegratedinteractions) significantlyaffectcustomerexperience,whichinturnleadstopatronageintention.Moreo ver,customerempowermentcomplementarilymediatestheimpactsofCIQc o m p o n e n t s onthecustomerexperience,whileinternetusagestrengthensthepositiver el at i o n sh i p s betwee nthecustomerexperienceanditsprecursors.Thenextchapter,t h e r e f o r e , movesontodi scusstheresearchfindingsandmanagerialimplications.
Discussionofresults
Thecurrentthesisexaminescustomerexperiencewithomnichannelretaile rs.B a s e d ontheSORframework,weproposethatCIQwithtwocomponents,channel- serviceconfigurationandintegratedinteractions,couldenrichcustomerexperiencethroug hthemediatingroleofcustomerempowermentaswellasthemoderatingroleofinternetusage
Research indicates a positive relationship between two components of Customer Interaction Quality (CIQ) and customer experience This supports the findings of Lemon and Verhoef (2016), who argue that service quality and its elements are crucial antecedents of customer experience Notably, integrated interactions have a more significant impact on customer experience compared to channel-service configurations This suggests that customers expect consistent messaging across all channels during their purchase journey Omnichannel retailers that expand their channel choices without maintaining uniformity risk failing to evoke positive emotions and satisfaction among their customers Additionally, customer experience plays a critical role in influencing patronage intention, aligning with previous studies that highlight the positive effects of satisfaction and emotions—key dimensions of customer experience—on customers' intent to return.
Customer empowerment mediates the impact of Customer Information Quality (CIQ) on customer experience, leading to higher satisfaction levels in omnichannel retail environments Enhanced CIQ enables retailers to better empower customers, aligning with the SOR framework that defines customer empowerment and experience as internal states This thesis supports previous research linking CIQ to customers' internal states and confirms the moderating effect of internet usage on the positive relationships between customer experience and its precursors, including channel-service configuration and integrated interactions Increased internet usage enhances customers' familiarity with omnichannel retailers' online platforms, facilitating easier task completion during the shopping journey and resulting in greater enjoyment and satisfaction These findings are consistent with earlier studies highlighting the critical role of internet experience in multichannel retailing.
Controlvariables,includingtrustinaparticularretailerandvariety- seeking,area l s o foundtohavesignificantimpactsonpatronagebehavior.Inparticular ,trustinr e t a i l e r s positivelyaffectspatronageintention,whilevariety- seekinghasanegativei n f l u e n c e TheseresultscorroboratetheideasofChiuetal. (2012)andZhangetal.
(2 0 1 8 ) , w h o s u g g e s t e d t h a t t r u s t mighti n f l u e n c e c u s t o m e r p a t r o n a g e i n t e n t i o n towardsretailers.Moreover,itisencouragingtocomparetheresults ofthisworkwitht h a t foundbyGountasandGountas(2007)whofoundthatcustome r’spersonalityt r a i t s (i.e.,varietyseekinginthecurrentthesis)mightberelatedtothei rrepurchaseintentions.
Ins u m m a r y , t h e c o m b i n a t i o n o f f i n d i n g s p r o v i d e s s o m e s u p p o r t f o r u n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e d y n a m i c mechanismso f formingc u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e a n d t h e subsequentpatronagebehaviorinomnichannelretailerscontext.Con sistentwiththeliterature,thisresearchindicatesthatcreatingaseamlessexperie nceistheaimofo m n ich an n el strategy(FrazerandStiehler,2014;Peltolaetal.,2015;IevaandZi liani,2 0 1 8 ;Jocevskietal.,2019).
This research enhances the understanding of omnichannel retailers and customer experience by emphasizing two key aspects Firstly, while earlier studies have primarily concentrated on channel integration, it is essential to acknowledge that the ultimate goal for omnichannel retailers is to create a seamless, consistent, and unified experience This thesis empirically highlights the importance of a well-integrated experience in omnichannel strategies Secondly, unlike previous qualitative and exploratory research on customer experience in omnichannel contexts, this study significantly contributes to the literature by quantitatively examining the dynamic mechanisms that shape customer experience and influence subsequent patronage behavior.
Basedo n t he e m p i r i ca l f in di ng s, m e a n i n g f u l p r a c t i ca l i m p l i c a t i o n s c o u l d be drawnfromamanagerialstandpoint.First,thecurrentthesispointsoutt hato m n ich an n el experienceactsasthekeydeterminantofpatronageintentio n.Thus,o mn ich an nel retailersareadvisedtooptimizetheirchannelmanagementtodeliv eraseamless,consistentandunifiedshoppingexperience totheircustomers.By integratingallavailablechannels,omnichannelretailersmakecustomersfeelmoree m p o w e r e d , w h i c h c o u l d e n r i c h t h e i r s h o p p i n g e x p e r i e n c e a n d l e a d t o p a t r o n a g e b e h a vi o r
Integrated interactions significantly enhance customer experience compared to traditional channel-service configurations To optimize channel management for improved customer satisfaction, omnichannel retailers should prioritize consistency in their content and processes This includes ensuring uniform messaging regarding product information, prices, promotions, and stock availability across all platforms, such as physical stores, websites, and mobile apps Given the diverse product offerings in omnichannel retail, maintaining a cohesive assortment and pricing strategy is crucial, as these elements are closely tied to the retailer’s category management process.
Kửk,2007) Therefore, omnichannel retailersarea d v i s e d toimprovecategorymanagementactivitytowellintegratetheiras sortmenta n d pricesacrosschannels.Whereas,forthepurposeofservingcusto merswithas y n c h r o n i z e d i n v e n t o r y informationacross channels,it’s essential that omnichannelr etai ler s build astrongand robust ordermanagementsystem(Konczal,
2019;Dang,2 0 1 8 ) , aswellasapplynewtechnologiesforsupplychainoperations.Fori nstance,w i t h theradiofrequencyidentification(RFID)tags,omnichannelretailerscant rackand r ec o r d t h e m o v e m e n t o f i n v e n t o r y a mo ng a l la v a i l a b l e c h a n n e l s (
Omnichannel retailers must ensure consistency in inventory data across all channels to accurately respond to customer needs It is essential for retailers to maintain uniform processes, both online and in-store, so customers perceive a seamless experience throughout their purchasing journey Training staff to adhere to standard operating procedures (SOP) is crucial for delivering consistent service Additionally, investing in new technologies can help eliminate barriers between channels For example, live online chat offers real-time customer service, mirroring the interactions customers have with staff in physical stores This approach enables shoppers to feel equally supported, regardless of the channel they use during their shopping experience.
Third,omnichannelretailersshouldalsopayattentiontothemoderatingroleofinternetusa ge.Ascanbeseenfromtheresearchfindings,internetusagestrengthenst h e impactsofcha nnel- serviceconfiguration,integratedinteractionsandcustomere m p o w e r m e n t r e g a r d i n g e n h a n c i n g t h e c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e Int h i s r e g a r d , f o r omnichannelretailers,especiallythosewithlimitsintermofresources(e.g.,smalla n d medium-sizedenterprises-
The current study acknowledges several limitations that present opportunities for future research Primarily, it focuses on key channels such as physical stores, websites, and mobile apps, while the scope of omnichannel retailers is rapidly expanding due to advancements in social media and technology Future investigations should explore new creative channels to enhance the understanding of Customer Experience Quality (CIQ) and its influence on customer experience Additionally, the empirical framework used in this research could be tested in other contexts, such as banking, food and beverage services, and tourism It is also important to consider other factors that may influence the formation of customer experience in omnichannel models, including customers' personality traits like innovativeness, which may act as moderators in the relationship between customer experience and its precursors Furthermore, constructs such as commitment and value co-creation are relevant to customer experience in the omnichannel context, suggesting that future studies should incorporate these elements.
Adjei,M.T.andClark,M.N.,2010.RelationshipmarketinginaB2Ccontext:Themo deratingroleofpersonalitytraits.JournalofRetailingandConsumerServices,1
Ailawadi,K L a n d F a r r i s , P W , 2 0 1 7 M a n a g i n g m u l t i - a n d o m n i - c h a n n e l dist ribution: Metricsandresearch directions.J o u r n a l ofRetaili ng,93(1),pp.120–135.
Anderson,E.W.andSullivan, M.W.,1993 The antecedentsandconsequenc esofcustomersatisfactionforfirms.MarketingScience,12(2),pp.125–143.
[Accessed1 4 Nov.2019].
Azhari,J.ElandBennett,D.,2015.Omni- channelcustomerexperience:Aninvestigationintotheuseofdigitaltechnologyinphy sicalstoresanditsimpactont h e consumer’sdecision- makingprocess.In:XXIVAEDEMInternationalConferenceLondon.London.
Bọckstrửm,K.andJohansson,U.,2017.Anexplorationofconsumers’experiencesi n p h y s i c a l s t o r e s : C o m p a r i n g c o n s u m e r s ’ a n d r e t a i l e r s ’ p e r s p e c t i v e s i n p a s t a n d pr esen t time.TheInternationalReviewofRetail,DistributionandC onsumerR esea rch,27(3),pp.241–259.
Basuroy,S , M a n t r a l a , M K a n d W a l t e r s , R G , 2 0 0 1 T h e i m p a c t o f c a t e g o r y m a n a g e m e n t onretailerpricesandperformance: Theoryan devidence.Jo u r n a l ofMarketing,65(4),pp.16–32.
M.,Rai,A.,Ringle,C.M.andVửlckner,F.,2013.Discoveringunobservedh e t e r o g e n e i t y instru cturalequationmodelstoavertvaliditythreats.MISQuarterly,3 7 ( 3 ) , pp.665–694.Becker,J.M.,Klein,K.andWetzels,M.,2012.Hierarchicallatentvariablemodelsin
PLS-SEM:G u i d e l i n e s foru s i n g r e f l e c t i v e - f o r m a t i v e t y p e models.LongR a n g e Planning,45(5–6),pp.359–394.
Blázquez,M.,2014.Fashionshoppinginmultichannelretail:Theroleoftechnologyine n h a n c i n g t h e c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e I n t e r n a t i o n a l J o u r n a l o f E l e c t r o n i c Commerce,18(4),pp.97–116.
Broniarczyk,S.M.andGriffin,J.G.,2014.Decisiondifficultyintheageofconsumere m p o w e r m e n t JournalofConsumerPsychology,24(4),pp.608–625.
Brun,I.,Rajaobelina,L.,Ricard,L.andBerthiaume,B.,2017.Impactofcustomerex perience onloyalty: Amultichannelexamination.TheServiceIndustriesJournal,37(5– 6),pp.317–340.
Cao,L.andLi,L.,2015.Theimpactofcross- channelintegrationonretailers’salesg r o w t h JournalofRetailing,91(2),pp.198–216.
Castillo,J , 2 0 1 7 T h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n b i g f i v e p e r s o n a l i t y t r a i t s , customere m p o w e r m e n t andcustomersatisfactionintheretailindustry.Jour nalofBusinessa n d RetailManagementResearch,11(2),pp.11–29.
Chang,H H a n d C h e n , S.W.,2 0 0 8 T h e i m p a c t o f customeri n t e r f a c e quality,s a t i s f a c t i o n an d s w i t c h i n g c o s ts o n e - l o y a l t y : I n t e r n e t e x p e r i e n c e asa m o d e r a t o r Co mput ersinHumanBehavior,2
Chang,H J , C h o , H J , T u r n e r , T , G u p t a , M a n d W a t c h r a v e s r i n g k a n , K , 2 0 1 5 Effect sofstoreattributesonretailpatronagebehaviors:Evidencefrom activewearspecialtystores.JournalofFashionMarketingandManagement,19(2),pp.136–153.
Chiu,C.M.,Hsu,M.H.,Lai,H.andChang,C.M.,2012.Re- examiningtheinfluenceo f t ru st onon li ne r e pe a t purchase intention:T h e moder atingr o l e ofh a b i t andi t s antecedents.DecisionSupportSystems,53(4),pp.835–845.
Cook,G.,2014.Customerexperienceintheomni- channelworldandthechallengesa n d o p p o r t u n i t i e s t h i s p r e s e n t s J o u r n a l o f D i r e c t , D a t a a n d D i g i t a l M a r k e t i n g Practice,15(4),pp.262–266.
[ o n l i n e ] A v a i l a b l e at:[Accessed19Oct.2019].
Dantri,2019.VìsaotínhnăngVinMartscan&gogâysốt?[online]Availableat: