Reinforcing Retail Customer Experience in the Omni Channel World
Author(s)
Girish Kumar* (Retail Business Consultant and Research Scholar, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru, India) and V.R. Uma (Associate Professor, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru, India), *Corresponding author's Email
Citation
Kumar, Girish and Uma, V. R. (2019), “Reinforcing Retail Customer Experience in the Omni Channel World”, MERC Global’s International Journal of Management, Vol. 7, Special Issue 1, pp. 140-145.
Article history
Submitted: April 03, 2019, Revision received: April 15, 2019, Accepted: April 20, 2019
Worldwide, customer behaviour towards shopping in Brick-and-Mortar stores is being redefined by their online shopping experiences. Although growth would come from digitalisation for retailers, there is the continued importance of physical stores as they integrate with online channels. Consequently, retailers are increasingly transforming into Omni channel hubs emphasizing on customer-facing aspects, to deliver an elevated experience anytime anywhere. And, experts have often indicated that an Omni channel Strategy delivers a unified shopping experience than a mere channel experience. As retailers bring in digital capabilities to Brick-and-Mortar stores, they are also considering the role these physical stores would play alongside online stores, to create an Omni channel engagement with customers. While the Omni channel strategy is emerging as one of the key focus areas for retailers, there is minimal action in this space, particularly in India. And, as digital disruption drives retailers to reform their operating models, there is a lack of clarity with regards to elements that reinforce Omni channel Customer Experience. This paper examines expert opinion to determine the key factors that underpin the Customer Experience elements in the Omni channel world, from the retailers’ perspective. The study employed qualitative research involving expert interviews of senior executives from major Organised Retailers in India. The findings of this study serve as a basis for retailers to evaluate their strategies to create a seamless Omni channel Experience. It also adds to the literature on Omni channel providing a conceptual background for further research.
Keywords
Retailing, Omni channel retail, Customer experience, Omni channel strategy, Omni channel experience.
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