Abstract

Multichannel retailers generally have more competitive advantages when compared with single channel retailers due to the integration effect between online and offline channels. Even though multichannel integration has been recognized as a key factor for retailers, its influence on customers' responses remains unclear and deserves further exploration. To address this knowledge gap, this study investigates how multichannel integration and perceived affordances can benefit multichannel retailers by enhancing economic and customer values, satisfaction, and loyalty. We also examine the interactions between different channels. This study involves the collection and analysis of 387 questionnaires from customers of certain multichannel retailers. We then verify the assumed casual links in our proposed model using SEM analysis. We are able to confirm the positive influences of multichannel integration and perceived affordances on economic and relational values. We also validate the positive impacts of economic and relational values on satisfaction; the effect of online and offline satisfaction on both online and offline loyalty. Additionally, this study examines how offline satisfaction transfers to online satisfaction as well as how offline loyalty transfers to online loyalty. We contribute to the marketing literature by offering a complete model that explicates customers’ multifaceted responses in the multichannel context. Most importantly, we believe multichannel retailers should enthusiastically pursue managing strategies regarding multichannel integration, and design finest perceived affordances so that online and offline channels can reinforce each other. These understandings will enable managers to systematically coordinate efforts to take full advantage of multichannel integrations.  

Keywords

multichannel integrationperceived affordancescustomer valuesatisfactionloyalty