Mobile Apps for Omnichannel Retailing: Revealing the Emerging Showroom Phenomenon

The transformation of the smartphone into a key integrating factor of the online & offline retailing environment has lead to the development of mobile applications that shape the omniretailing landscape. The present study provides evidence of the mobile retailing apps frequency of use inside physical stores and explores mobile retailing app assisted shoppers’ preferences of in-store omniretailing practices & technologies. Results reveal that price comparison that could lead to showrooming is of utmost important for consumers. In parallel, consumers that attach great importance to such practice significantly differ from the rest, in terms of the importance they attach to salespeople & omnichannel integration criteria, in order to purchase offline. In contrast, there weren’t found statistically significant differences in terms of the importance they attach to online & offline store atmosphere. Nevertheless, the importance attached to online store atmosphere is high among mobile retailing app assisted shoppers. Drawing on these results, the study provides feedback to retail entrepreneurs regarding the optimal design and features of the future physical retail store

Ενοποιώντας φυσικά και διαδικτυακά αγοραστικά περιβάλλοντα: η αλληλεπίδραση του πανκαναλικού (omnichannel) λιανεμπορίου και της ατμόσφαιρας καταστήματος στη συμπεριφορά καταναλωτή σε συνθήκες social-local-mobile

Omnichannel integration technologies, such as location-based services blend all the retail channels together, constituting Social-Local-Mobile (SoLoMo) settings that provide a seamless shopping experience. The research methodology employed in this PhD thesis included both exploratory research conducted through four surveys, which generated more than 22 research hypotheses, as well as conclusive research that was operationalised with a field experiment. Following the Stimulus-Organism-Response paradigm of Environmental Psychology, 29 research hypotheses were tested in a four-condition repeated-measures experimental design. The results of this experiment provide empirical evidence that consumers’ affective and cognitive states are affected by omnichannel integration and in turn mediate consumer behaviour in diversified ways. Decomposing Social-Local-Mobile effects, social media were found to influence channel switching behaviour in the form of showrooming and webrooming intention, whereas location-based services increased loyalty intention. Furthermore, Social-Local-Mobile settings, as a whole, contributed to higher consumer satisfaction, along with loyalty intention. In addition, it is the first study that considered showrooming as an avoidance behaviour in the S-O-R framework, exploring both affective and cognitive routes. Likewise, it is among the first studies that provided evidence of showrooming decline through Social Media integration. From a statistical and methodological perspective, it is the first study that applies mediation analysis in a within-participants four-condition repeated measures experimental design, incorporating a path-analytic framework with bootstrapping. By applying this methodology, it advances omnichannel research by exploring scaling levels of Offline-Online channel integration, identifying causal mechanisms through state-of-the-art mediation analysis software tools. As far as managerial implications are concerned, this research provides assistance for omnichannel transformation in multichannel retailing by effective and seamless integration of existing retail channels. Last but not least, it assists multichannel retailers to successfully treat and adjust decisions regarding omnichannel strategies and technologies.Η παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή διερευνά την αλληλεπίδραση του Πανκαναλικού (Omnichannel) Λιανεμπορίου και της Ατμόσφαιρας Καταστήματος στη συμπεριφορά των καταναλωτών, λαμβάνοντας υπόψη τις επιδράσεις τους στις Συναισθηματικές και Γνωστικές λειτουργίες τους, ως μεσολαβητές (mediators) της επίδρασης στην συμπεριφορά τους. Συγκεκριμένα, η διατριβή στοχεύει στο να διερευνήσει αν η ατμόσφαιρα καταστήματος στο πανκαναλικό (omnichannel) λιανεμπόριο, ως παράγοντας της ελκυστικότητας και της αποτελεσματικότητας ενός καταστήματος, επηρεάζει την καταναλωτική συμπεριφορά κατά την αγοραστική διαδικασία, εντός του φυσικού καταστήματος. Το κύριο θεωρητικό μοντέλο της διδακτορικής διατριβής βασίζεται στο θεωρητικό πλαίσιο «Ερέθισμα-Οργανισμός-Απόκριση» (Stimulus-Organism-Response: S-O-R) της Περιβαλλοντικής Ψυχολογίας, υποδηλώνοντας ότι το ερέθισμα σε ένα omnichannel περιβάλλον αποτελείται από ατμοσφαιρικά στοιχεία που προκύπτουν από την ενοποίηση καναλιών μέσα στο φυσικό κατάστημα (όπως το κανάλι κινητού (Mobile Channel) και των μέσων κοινωνικής δικτύωσης (Social Media Channel), συνεπικουρούμενα από τεχνολογίες ενοποίησης καναλιών, όπως τις υπηρεσίες επίγνωσης θέσεως (Location-Based Services)). Ο στατιστικός έλεγχος των ερευνητικών υποθέσεων έδειξε ότι το omnichannel, υπό τη μορφή της Social-Local-Mobile ενοποίησης, είχε αντίκτυπο τόσο στις συναισθηματικές, όσο και στις γνωστικές λειτουργίες του καταναλωτή. Αυτές οι εσωτερικές λειτουργίες, με τη σειρά τους, επηρέασαν την συμπεριφορά του. Οι τεχνολογίες επίγνωσης θέσεως υποβοήθησαν την ενοποίηση καναλιών και παράλληλα συνέβαλαν στην Πρόθεση Καταναλωτικής Πίστης, ενώ οδήγησαν σε αυξημένη Ικανοποίηση Καταναλωτών όταν συνδυάστηκαν με το κινητό κανάλι λιανεμπορίου. Επιπλέον, τα Μέσα Κοινωνικής Δικτύωσης μείωσαν το Showrooming και αύξησαν το Webrooming. Από στατιστικής πλευράς και μεθοδολογικής προσέγγισης, είναι η πρώτη μελέτη που εφαρμόζει ανάλυση μεσολάβησης (mediation analysis) σε πειραματική σχεδίαση επαναλαμβανόμενων μετρήσεων τεσσάρων επιπέδων εντός συμμετεχόντων, εφαρμόζοντας μεθοδολογία path analysis με bootstrapping. H διατριβή παρέχει χρήσιμη γνώση για τους λιανέμπορους, που έχουν ως στόχο την υιοθέτηση omnichannel πρακτικών και τον ψηφιακό μετασχηματισμό. Μεταξύ άλλων, μπορεί να βοηθήσει στελέχη της αγοράς στην omnichannel ενορχήστρωση καναλιών και στην υιοθέτηση του Internet of Things που βασίζεται στην τεχνολογία Bluetooth Beacons

Choosing Optimal Omnichannel Coupon Redeeming Options in Multiple Channel Settings

This article examines omnichannel redemption options when issuing digital coupons over social media. It investigates which channels or combinations of them provide optimal performance in terms of service-quality perception, customer satisfaction, and revenue. For that purpose, it compares three omnichannel redeeming options employing a between-participant quasi-experimental design that utilizes the primary data of a sporting goods retailer in Greece and a questionnaire as a data-collection instrument to investigate cause and effect relationships. Those three omnichannel redeeming options are analyzed in two pairwise comparisons: (a) multichannel (both online and offline) vs. offline-only (physical store), and (b) multichannel (both online and offline) vs. online-only (online store). Results reveal that while perceived service quality is essential to improve customer satisfaction, especially if satisfying the need for interaction with service employees, revenue performance depends only on the availability of multiple redemption options. Theoretical, practical, and research implications are thoroughly discussed at the end

Grocery Supply-Chain Management: MyGROCER innovative

The grocery industry is one of the largest and most important industries in the modern marketplace. Over the past seventy years, supermarkets and grocery stores have evolved into some of the most convenient and diverse businesses in the world. This evolution would not have been possible without effective supply chain management. In reality, nowadays supply chains-especially these of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG)- conceal numerous inefficiencies existing in the collaboration with trading partners that heavily affect the whole replenishment process. These inefficiencies imply at the same time that there is significant room for further improvements. Therefore, there are opportunities that should be leveraged stemming from real business needs. MyGROCER (Mobile shopping of electronically referenced grocery products) conception derived from the aforementioned needs and provides an effective solution to the inefficiencies of the retail grocery supply chain. The MyGROCER business and technology framework exploits the opportunities that emerging telecommunication and mobile commerce technologies (e.g. WAP, WML, GPRS, UMTS) and automatic product identification technologies (RF-Id) offer, to enable an efficient home replenishment schema, enhance the quality of service offered by retailers and add value to the consumer. This paper discusses the rationale behind this concept, identifies a number of pertinent research themes, and concludes with a critical appraisal of its market potential

Global impact of the first coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic wave on vascular services

This online structured survey has demonstrated the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vascular services. The majority of centres have documented marked reductions in operating and services provided to vascular patients. In the months during recovery from the resource restrictions imposed during the pandemic peaks, there will be a significant vascular disease burden awaiting surgeons. One of the most affected specialtie