Challenging the "integration imperative": A customer perspective on omnichannel journeys |
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| Institution: | 1. Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, School of Administration, Rua Washington Luiz, 855, Porto Alegre, 90010-460, Brazil;2. University of Turku, Turku School of Economics, 20014, Turun yliopisto, Finland;3. Tampere University, Faculty of Management and Business, Kalevantie 4, FI-33014, Finland;4. IMED, Postgraduation Program of Management, Business School, Rua Senador Pinheiro, 304, Passo Fundo, 99070-220, Brazil;1. School of Business Administration, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, Sichuan, 611130, PR China;2. Shantou Polytechnic, Shantou, Guangdong, 515000, PR China;1. Centre of Value Creation and Human Well-being, Faculty of Economics and Management, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia;2. School of Business and Economics, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia;3. Emerging Markets Research Centre (EMaRC), School of Management, Swansea University, Bay Campus Fabian Bay, Swansea, SA1 8EN, Wales, UK;4. Department of Management, Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune & Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, Maharashtra, India;5. Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand;1. Department of Management & Marketing, College of Business & Economics, Qatar University, Qatar;2. Marketing Department AUDENCIA Business School, 8, Route de La Jonelière, 44312, NANTES, France;3. CEGEDIM, Boulogne-Billancourt, France;1. School of Economics and Management, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, China;2. School of Business Administration, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, China;3. North South University, Bangladesh;4. Department of Operations and Systems Management, Portsmouth Business School, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK;5. Essex Business School, University of Essex, UK |
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| Abstract: | Omnichannel literature largely assumes that retailers should integrate touchpoints across channels to promote seamless experiences. This paper challenges this assumption by exploring how perceived journey integration affects customer experience in omnichannel retailing. A qualitative study reveals that two dimensions of journey integration—consistency and connectivity—interact to form four patterns of omnichannel journeys, each prompting distinct experiences. When looking at this phenomenon through the customer’s perspective, we find that there are cases in which low consistency or connectivity can trigger positive experiences, contradicting extant literature. We then formulate research propositions that challenge the “integration imperative” in the omnichannel literature and provide managerial implications for retail firms that want to improve their customers’ experiences. |
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| Keywords: | Omnichannel retailing Customer experience Customer journey Journey integration |
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