Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on New Trends in Management, Business and Economics
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Determinants of Omni-Channel Integration in Fashion Industry
V. Aslihan Nasir Isler, Hande B. Turker, Gamze Uzun, Recep Kuzu
ABSTRACT:
Omni-channel retailing has become a crucial aspect of today’s fashion industry. In recent years, retailers have focused on the ways to enhance customers’ experience across their numerous channels and touchpoints through a unified and holistic manner. In this study, the main components of omni-channel integration are investigated along with their impact on customers’ satisfaction and loyalty towards fashion retailers’ efforts. Depending on the literature, an online survey was prepared to examine the aforementioned purposes of this study and the data were collected from 237 respondents through convenience sampling. After conducting exploratory factor analysis, it has been observed that the key components of omni-channel integration can be grouped under four categories, namely: interactivity and communication integration, operational integration, promotional integration, and order fulfillment integration. Subsequently, multiple regression analyses were run to figure out the predictors of customers’ satisfaction from and loyalty towards retailers as a result of omni-channel integration practices. It has been revealed that promotional integration and order fulfillment integration are the main determinants customers’ satisfaction, whereas, interactivity and marketing communication integration and operational integration are the predictors of customers’ loyalty towards fashion retailers. As a major implication, we have contended that the retailers in the fashion industry have to concentrate more on on-demand activities such as offering payment and delivery options across channels in order to meet expectations of customers for their satisfaction. Likewise, receiving matching and/or alike promotions in both online and offline channels of the retailers has an impact on the satisfaction of customers. Meanwhile, increasing customer loyalty is more relevant with using social media vehicles compatible with more traditional methods, getting service assistance via chat-bot programs for both online and offline purchases, or receiving shopping reward points across different channels. Similarly, post purchase services that are available in both online and offline stores of the retailers are effective ways of forming loyalty among customers. As a final word, the results of this preliminary research demonstrated that retailers have the opportunity to give the right message at the right time on the right channel to their target customers by utilizing effective omni-channel strategies.
keywords: fashion industry, loyalty, omni-channel integration, retailing, satisfaction