Omnichannel management capabilities in international marketing: the effects of word of mouth on customer engagement and customer equity

Purpose The main purpose of this study is to fill the research gap on how B2B global service firms integrate dynamic capabilities within their omnichannel management to influence positive word of mouth (WOM), customer engagement (CE) and customer equity. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the dynamic capability and WOM theories, a model has been developed that defines the subjects of the empirical test. The paper reports on data collected from 312 service-oriented global firms in Australia, through a cross-sectional survey. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings The findings suggest that content management (i.e. information consistency, source trustworthiness and endorsement) and concerns management (i.e. privacy, security and recovery) capabilities are the two significant antecedents of positive WOM within a B2B omnichannel setting in international marketing. The findings also confirm the key mediating role of CE between positive WOM and customer equity. Originality/value The findings extend dynamic capability theory in the context of international marketing by linking WOM, CE and customer equity. The findings add further theoretical rigor by establishing the nomological chain between positive WOM and customer equity, in which CE plays a key mediating role

Integration quality dynamics in multichannel services marketing

In recent years, channel proliferation is taking place due to the advent of Information Communication Technology (ICT). In addition to the traditional physical stores, companies are developing interactive websites, engaging mobile apps, digital kiosks, and many other technologically advanced channels to provide service. However, if companies do not integrate all these channels to deliver a connected and seamless experience, they risk declining customer satisfaction and equity. To address this issue, the present study aims to answer the research question: What factors influence multichannel integration quality (MCIQ) and what are the impacts of integration quality on service outcomes? To explore the dimensions and outcomes of integration quality in multichannel services, this research used a systematic literature review and qualitative data analysis of two focus group discussions and twenty in-depth interviews. Furthermore, this research used 301 online survey questionnaires from multichannel banking customers to provide statistical evidence of dimensions and outcomes of MCIQ. PLS path modelling was used to test hypothesised relations and validate the hierarchical MCIQ model and its effects on outcome constructs

The Impact of Integration Quality on Customer Equity in Data Driven Omnichannel Services Marketing

The plethora of digital channels has shifted multichannel services to an omnichannel environment. In the omnichannel context, the borderline of offline, online and digital channels is diminishing as consumers utilize several channels simultaneously to complete any purchases. Additionally, as more channels are introduced, the amount of customer data collected at each touch point is increasing rapidly. However, the urgent need to integrate all information with service attributes within these channels will result in increasing cost and consequently customer dissatisfaction if they are disintegrated. To address this phenomenon, this research focuses towards developing quality dimension for data driven omnichannel services marketing. Within omnichannel literature, conceptualization of service quality perception on channel integration is rare. Therefore, additional research is required to know more novel outcomes of the channel integration within omnichannel services marketing. To address this gap, this research focuses on customer equity and its three drivers i.e. brand equity, value equity and relationship equity as the possible outcomes of data-driven omnichannel services marketing. Additionally, research on customer equity has not been addressed within this stream. Hence, this research illuminates a potential avenue for omnichannel services research by conceptualizing customer equity as a possible outcome of integration quality

Reconceptualizing Integration Quality Dynamics for Omnichannel Marketing

2019 Elsevier Inc. Omnichannel marketing, the notion of seamless integration between channels to provide consistent service experience for customers, has become one of the most crucial aspects of multichannel management for companies in recent years. Although many companies have embraced omnichannel strategies, there remains a gap of understanding factors influencing integration quality (INQ) within all these channels. Drawing on omni and multi channel services research, this paper develops and validates the dimensions and sub-dimensions of omnichannel integration quality. This research further examines how the perceived INQ impacts cross-buying behavior and customer value in an omnichannel environment. This research is based on 20 in-depth interviews, two focus group discussions (n = 18) and 301 survey data from multichannel banking customers in Australia. PLS path modeling was used to test hypothesized relations and validate the hierarchical INQ model and its effects on outcome constructs. The findings of this research confirm that INQ is a hierarchical construct consisting of four primary dimensions and ten sub-dimensions. Furthermore, this research provides evidence of cross-buying intentions as a behavioral outcome of INQ, which acts as a partial mediator between INQ and perceived value

Multichannel integration quality: A systematic review and agenda for future research

This paper aims to explore definitions, dimensions, and challenges of multichannel integration quality (MCIQ) in services marketing through a systematic literature review, and qualitative interviews. The findings from the thematic analysis of literature, qualitative data analysis of twenty in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions identified five major dimensions and eleven sub-dimensions of MCIQ. This study extends the emerging integration quality research by evidencing new dimensions and sub-dimensions in the context of multichannel services marketing. By incorporating these insights and addressing the challenges identified in this paper, managers will be able to engage the customers by creating a successful multichannel blueprint