Going online while purchasing offline. An explorative analysis of omnichannel shopping behaviour in retail settings

Retail customers are now omnichannel both for attitude and behaviour. Shoppers are also demanding a different and higher level of experience within retailer’s brand, channel, contact point and the way in which the retail is accessed. Such shoppers avoid retailers who are ill-equipped to deliver a seamless brand experience online, in-store and across multichannel media, both consistently and continuously (PwC & Kantar Retail, 2012). Therefore, a new and improved strategy aimed at delivering information and product to customers is becoming mandatory for retailers. Recently some retailers are showing an increasing interest in the application of advanced systems developed to enhance the shopping experience by providing customers with innovative tools able to engage them with multiple channels simultaneously to obtain deeper insights, save time and feel more independent while shopping. Such technologies can help retailers to better react to those emerging settings by (i) acquiring a positive image and reputation, being at the same time perceived as innovator; (ii) reducing management costs; (iii) maintaining and acquiring loyal consumers; (iv) making imitation strategies as difficult as possible for competitors; (v) reaching a unique and differentiated positioning. Consequently, many retailers have recently introduced advanced technologies in their stores such as self-service technologies equipped with radio frequency identification systems (RFID), interactive touch screen displays, digital signage and mobile applications, informative touch points and contactless technologies for mobile payments. Furthermore, the development of ubiquitous computing allowed companies to create virtual stores based on QR tags which can be located everywhere and enable consumers to purchase by their mobile devices. These technologies modify both consumer behavior and corporate approach to retail process, by changing the way customers access to information and firms reach their customers. Since individuals interact with multiple channels throughout their shopping journey, even simultaneously (Omnichannel Retailing), retailers must consider all channels holistically as consumers do, in order to provide them with a unified shopping experience. Preliminary result of our multiple case study involving 15 retailers, operating in different industries of the Italian market, shows that customers are increasingly willing to use the in-store innovations in order to obtain richer shopping experiences, while retailers achieve a stronger brand loyalty as well as a better and updated brand image. A deeper understanding of positive effects and threats resulting from early technology adoption by retailers will be essential for improving the omnichannel customer management, thus increasing business performance.