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Emerging Topics in Omni-Channel Operations
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Emerging Topics in Omni-Channel Operations

A topical collection in Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research (ISSN 0718-1876). This collection belongs to the section "Digital Marketing and the Connected Consumer".

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Editors

Prof. Dr. Gang Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Management, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, China
Interests: supply chain management; e-commerce; sharing economy; platform strategy
Prof. Dr. T.C. Edwin Cheng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies, Faculty of Business, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Interests: e-business and e-commerce; information systems management; innovation and technology management; operations management; quality management; scheduling science; supply chain management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Tao Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Management and Economics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, China
Interests: supply chain management; omnichannel operations; economics of information systems; operations–marketing interface

Topical Collection Information

Dear Colleagues,

New technologies such as smart mobile devices, 5G in telecommunications, virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR), social network services (SNS), bilateral reviews, and personalized recommendations are facilitating the emergence of new business models and distribution channels, which expands the scope of the omnichannel supply chain and the related operations. With the rise of omnichannel operations, traditional business and e-commerce are faced with new challenges and opportunities, and new business models are emerging such as the crowdfunding/sharing economy, social media/livestreaming e-commerce, community group buying, retail/service platform, intermediary platform, opaque selling, knowledge sharing, etc. On the one hand, operations in retailing and supply chain management are become increasingly digital and intelligent. On the other hand, as technology advances and consumer behavior evolves, firms are expected to take advantage of such disruptive technologies and operations to provide consumers with a seamless and superior experience in their shopping journeys. To cope with the revolution in marketing and supply chain management represented by the omnichannel era, firms should re-think their strategies for product design (e.g., mass customization, product line evolution etc.), channel selection and integration, pricing and (targeted) promotion, and product information provision, delivery, and return policies.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to publish papers that rigorously address the emerging issues of operations in retailing and omnichannel supply chain management. Potential studies can quantitatively and/or qualitatively examine the impacts of emerging business models and distribution channels on traditional operations. In addition, researchers can target their studies at understanding the mechanisms of new business models and the features of emerging consumer behavior. This Special Issue is open to a broad range of research methodologies, including mathematical modeling, data analytics, empirical surveys, case studies, etc.

Examples of topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • new technologies for e-commerce
  • digital transformation
  • social commerce
  • platform economy
  • sharing economy
  • consumer behavior in the emerging business environment
  • product line design and assortment planning
  • pricing and revenue management
  • information strategy for the online platform
  • service strategy for the online platform
  • product fulfillment/delivery and return policies
  • channel selection and integration
  • supply chain design
  • targeted promotion
  • personalization and privacy
  • data analytics of new business models and consumer behavior

Prof. Dr. Gang Li
Prof. Dr. T.C. Edwin Cheng
Dr. Tao Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the collection website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • supply chain management
  • retailing
  • omnichannel
  • e-commerce
  • sharing economy
  • platform strategy
  • consumer behavior
  • online review
  • recommendation
  • information strategy

Published Papers (10 papers)

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2022

Jump to: 2021

26 pages, 4365 KiB  
Review
The Different Phases of the Omnichannel Consumer Buying Journey: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Directions
by Thales Stevan Guedes Furquim, Claudimar Pereira da Veiga, Cássia Rita Pereira da Veiga and Wesley Vieira da Silva
J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2023, 18(1), 79-104; https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer18010005 - 23 Dec 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5492
Abstract
In recent decades, retail has been faced with a challenging scenario, resulting from the digital transformation driven by advances on the internet that has transformed retail business models, especially in commercial transactions, giving consumers a new shopping experience. However, it has been a [...] Read more.
In recent decades, retail has been faced with a challenging scenario, resulting from the digital transformation driven by advances on the internet that has transformed retail business models, especially in commercial transactions, giving consumers a new shopping experience. However, it has been a challenge for retailers to maintain the same shopping experience in different marketing channel formats, mainly with regard to understanding the consumption habits of consumers and what can influence their purchase decisions. As far as is known, the buying process is not only about the act of buying. There is an entire buying journey that must be studied to ensure customer satisfaction from the first contact to the after-sales experience. In this context, this article identifies and analyzes the stages of the omnichannel retail purchase journey from the consumer’s perspective. To achieve the proposed objective, this study was conducted through a systematic literature review in accordance with the SPAR-4-SLR protocol. The results present several analyses that demonstrate the complexity involving the consumer’s perspective in the purchase decision process. The insights show how complex it can be to for companies to manage the purchase journey due to the individuality of each consumer. The main finding shows that most marketing studies do not address the omnichannel consumer journey and, when they do, they focus on specific parts to the detriment of a more holistic view of the buying process. The originality of this article lies in the fact that few studies on omnichannel retail have focused on the integration of all touchpoints using an empirical longitudinal evaluation. Full article
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25 pages, 3034 KiB  
Article
Opaque or Transparent: Quality Disclosure Strategy for Accommodation-Sharing Platforms
by Xin Fan, T.C.E. Cheng and Gang Li
J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2022, 17(2), 414-438; https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer17020022 - 02 Apr 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2631
Abstract
Compared with the conventional hotel providing a standardized service, individual supply on an accommodation-sharing platform makes consumers uncertain about service quality, which is mainly caused by information asymmetry between the consumers and individual hosts. In this paper, we develop a game-theoretic model to [...] Read more.
Compared with the conventional hotel providing a standardized service, individual supply on an accommodation-sharing platform makes consumers uncertain about service quality, which is mainly caused by information asymmetry between the consumers and individual hosts. In this paper, we develop a game-theoretic model to study the accommodation-sharing platform’s optimal quality information disclosure and its determining factors with consideration of consumer uncertainty. We find that it is optimal to provide either opaque, i.e., completely uninformative, or transparent, i.e., fully informative, quality information. We also examine the impacts of the incumbent hotel and market heterogeneity on the platform’s quality disclosure. The results show that market heterogeneity and the hotel’s service cost jointly affect the platform’s information disclosure strategy. In general, the sharing platform provides opaque information when market heterogeneity is relatively low but provides transparent information when market heterogeneity is relatively high. However, when market heterogeneity is medium, the hotel’s service cost plays a key role in affecting its pricing strategy, hence the information disclosure strategy of the platform. Specifically, a sufficiently high price of the hotel prompts the platform to disclose transparent information. These findings provide guidance for sharing platforms to design their information disclosure systems. Full article
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20 pages, 1555 KiB  
Article
Transitioning from Multichannel to Omnichannel Customer Experience in Service-Based Companies: Challenges and Coping Strategies
by Carmen Gerea and Valeria Herskovic
J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2022, 17(2), 394-413; https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer17020021 - 29 Mar 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 7519
Abstract
Omnichannel as a strategy has long been associated with retailing, but service-based organizations have been increasingly embracing it with the help of digital technologies. Moving from a multichannel to an omnichannel service-based organization is a challenge per se; we aim to add to [...] Read more.
Omnichannel as a strategy has long been associated with retailing, but service-based organizations have been increasingly embracing it with the help of digital technologies. Moving from a multichannel to an omnichannel service-based organization is a challenge per se; we aim to add to the discussion an understanding from a customer experience (CX) management point of view. Our goals are to (1) understand the key factors to unlock omnichannel capabilities, (2) identify the challenges of becoming an omnichannel service-based organization, and (3) propose a set of strategies to overcome them. We interviewed practitioners in key roles in traditional industries such as banking, insurance, and telecommunications. Based on the findings, we introduce and validate a conceptual framework, which includes enablers, challenges, drivers, and contextual factors, for the transition process from a multichannel to an omnichannel customer-experience-oriented organization. Full article
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2021

Jump to: 2022

16 pages, 1012 KiB  
Article
Determinants of Consumers’ Willingness to Participate in Fast Fashion Brands’ Used Clothes Recycling Plans in an Omnichannel Retail Environment
by Peng Shao and Hermann Lassleben
J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2021, 16(7), 3340-3355; https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer16070181 - 03 Dec 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 9425
Abstract
Omnichannel retailing and sustainability are two important challenges for the fast fashion industry. However, the sustainable behavior of fast fashion consumers in an omnichannel environment has not received much attention from researchers. This paper aims to examine the factors that determine consumers’ willingness [...] Read more.
Omnichannel retailing and sustainability are two important challenges for the fast fashion industry. However, the sustainable behavior of fast fashion consumers in an omnichannel environment has not received much attention from researchers. This paper aims to examine the factors that determine consumers’ willingness to participate in fast fashion brands’ used clothes recycling plans in an omnichannel retail environment. In particular, we examine the impact of individual consumer characteristics (environmental attitudes, consumer satisfaction), organizational arrangements constitutive for omnichannel retailing (channel integration), and their interplay (brand identification, impulsive consumption). A conceptual model was developed based on findings from previous research and tested on data that were collected online from Chinese fast fashion consumers. Findings suggest that consumers’ intentions for clothes recycling are mainly determined by individual factors, such as environmental attitudes and consumer satisfaction. Organizational arrangements (perceived channel integration) showed smaller effects. This study contributes to the literature on omnichannel (clothing) retail, as well as on sustainability in the clothing industry, by elucidating individual and organizational determinants of consumers’ recycling intentions for used clothes in an omnichannel environment. It helps retailers to organize used clothes recycling plans in an omnichannel environment and to motivate consumers to participate in them. Full article
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22 pages, 432 KiB  
Review
Influence of Personality Traits on Choice of Retail Purchasing Channel: Literature Review and Research Agenda
by Anna Hermes and René Riedl
J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2021, 16(7), 3299-3320; https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer16070179 - 03 Dec 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 7864
Abstract
Consumers can choose to buy products through various retail channels (e.g., online or in-store), resulting in a need for retailers to provide a well-integrated shopping experience. However, individual factors, such as a customer’s personality, can influence how a channel is perceived and, as [...] Read more.
Consumers can choose to buy products through various retail channels (e.g., online or in-store), resulting in a need for retailers to provide a well-integrated shopping experience. However, individual factors, such as a customer’s personality, can influence how a channel is perceived and, as such, can alter their subsequent behavior. Thus, it is critical for retailers to better understand personality-related influences and how these can affect a customer’s purchase channel decision. Against this background, the purpose of this structured review is to analyze the extant literature on the influences of personality traits on purchasing channel decisions. After extensive initial screening, 24 papers published in 2003–2021 were included in the analysis and synthesis phase of this literature review. The results show how personality traits (including Big Five factors and more fine-grained factors like playfulness) influence the choice of retail purchasing channels. Among other results, we find that online shopping intentions have been studied most as an outcome variable and that, in contrast to people high in openness to experience, people high in agreeableness are less likely to shop online. While we synthesize findings in the domains of mobile commerce, social commerce, mall shopping, and augmented and virtual reality as well, little research has compared the effects of personality traits on multiple channels. Based on our findings, we discuss managerial implications as well as directions for future research which are described in the form of a research agenda. Full article
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21 pages, 2541 KiB  
Article
Competition Strategies for Location-Based Mobile Coupon Promotion
by Pengcheng Xia, Gang Li, T.C.E. Cheng and Ao Shen
J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2021, 16(7), 3248-3268; https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer16070176 - 22 Nov 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2948
Abstract
Location-based service heightens consumers’ shopping convenience. By utilizing spatial flexibility of consumers, retailers can target consumers via location-based mobile coupons (LBMCs) to enhance market performance. Considering the strategies for LBMC promotion for two competing retailers, we find that under different market intensities, only [...] Read more.
Location-based service heightens consumers’ shopping convenience. By utilizing spatial flexibility of consumers, retailers can target consumers via location-based mobile coupons (LBMCs) to enhance market performance. Considering the strategies for LBMC promotion for two competing retailers, we find that under different market intensities, only no adoption and symmetric adoption of LBMC promotion are the possible equilibria for the competing retailers at a low marginal targeting cost. Then, we extend our model to consider vertical (quality) differentiation and analyze the implications of adopting LBMC promotion for a superior-quality firm (with higher product valuation) and an inferior-quality firm (with lower product valuation). Mixed strategies for LBMC promotion emerge when firms’ products have different qualities. Our research findings provide useful guidance for managers and marketing practitioners to formulate strategies for targeted LBMC promotion. Full article
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17 pages, 704 KiB  
Article
One Good Turn Deserves Another: Antecedents of Online Karaoke Paid Gift-Sending from Social Exchange Perspectives
by Susan (Sixue) Jia and Banggang Wu
J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2021, 16(7), 2515-2531; https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer16070138 - 23 Sep 2021
Viewed by 2861
Abstract
Understanding the dynamics of online karaoke virtual gift sending helps maximize its utility for all participants, including viewers, broadcasters, and platforms. However, extant paid gift-sending studies lack an integrated theoretical explanation of its incentives as well as practical implications that can facilitate the [...] Read more.
Understanding the dynamics of online karaoke virtual gift sending helps maximize its utility for all participants, including viewers, broadcasters, and platforms. However, extant paid gift-sending studies lack an integrated theoretical explanation of its incentives as well as practical implications that can facilitate the quantifiable implementation of service improvement. This study has successfully uncovered the motivation of paid gift-sending in an online karaoke context from a social exchange perspective using social exchange theory. By observing the activities of 11,640 online karaoke users over one year, it was discovered that their gift-sending behaviors adhere to the patterns of more-follower-more-gift-sending and receive-more-send-more. Moreover, such patterns are more pronounced for collaborative users and are accentuated over time. Theoretically, this study extends the scope of social commerce studies from B2C to C2C scenarios with more complicated interpersonal dynamics. Meanwhile, managers are advised to encourage following, stimulate collaboration, inject additional virtual gifts into the “market”, and retain their customers to generate long-term profits. Full article
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22 pages, 2342 KiB  
Article
A Theoretical Analysis of the Pricing and Advertising Strategies with Lévy-Walking Consumers
by Wei Wang and Gang Li
J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2021, 16(6), 2129-2150; https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer16060119 - 27 Aug 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3076
Abstract
The pervasive adoption of mobile devices and proximity technologies enables firms to trace consumers’ trajectories and locations. This connects firms’ marketing and operations strategies more tightly with consumer mobility. In this paper, we propose a novel analytical model to examine the economic effects [...] Read more.
The pervasive adoption of mobile devices and proximity technologies enables firms to trace consumers’ trajectories and locations. This connects firms’ marketing and operations strategies more tightly with consumer mobility. In this paper, we propose a novel analytical model to examine the economic effects of consumer mobility on pricing and advertising strategies by incorporating consumers’ Lévy-walking behavior into advertising economics models. We ascertain the convergent effect of consumer mobility, i.e., consumers’ convergence to a firm leads to higher product price and advertising level. Meanwhile, it improves social welfare by increasing firm profit and consumer surplus. More interestingly, we find that consumers’ average movement distance (AMD) has opposing influences in pricing and advertising strategies. Specifically, longer AMD strengthens the convergent effect on advertising strategy but weakens that on pricing strategy. Finally, we also conduct a numerical analysis to uncover the impacts of the presence of proximity technologies on advertising outcomes. The results of this paper provide advisable guidance to firms on how to craft and adjust pricing and advertising strategies in accordance to consumer mobility. Moreover, the results present insights on welfare implications of informative advertising from the perspective of consumer mobility. Full article
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17 pages, 1570 KiB  
Article
Omni-Channel Customer Experience (In)Consistency and Service Success: A Study Based on Polynomial Regression Analysis
by Wei Gao and Hua Fan
J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2021, 16(6), 1997-2013; https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer16060112 - 25 Jul 2021
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 7352
Abstract
Drawing on expectation disconfirmation theory, this study explores the dyadic nature of omni-channel consistency on customer experience. Specifically, we propose a conceptual model that focuses on a brand’s offline channel customer experience relative to that of its online channel, and test the influences [...] Read more.
Drawing on expectation disconfirmation theory, this study explores the dyadic nature of omni-channel consistency on customer experience. Specifically, we propose a conceptual model that focuses on a brand’s offline channel customer experience relative to that of its online channel, and test the influences of customer experience (in)consistency on customer satisfaction, which then improves repurchase intention and word-of-mouth. The results of polynomial regressions on 265 survey respondents indicate that given omni-channel customer experience inconsistency, customers prefer consistent online and offline experiences. For omni-channel consistency at lower levels of customer experience quality, customers prefer consistency at higher levels of quality. For omni-channel inconsistency where offline customer experience quality is lower than that online, customers prefer omni-channel inconsistency, where offline customer experience quality is higher than that online. These findings produce not only theoretical contributions but also insightful suggestions for how customer experience can be taken into consideration in the promotion of a brand’s omni-channel service success. Full article
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24 pages, 1201 KiB  
Article
Empty the Shopping Cart? The Effect of Shopping Cart Item Sorting on Online Shopping Cart Abandonment Behavior
by Dan Jiang, Guangling Zhang and Lu Wang
J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2021, 16(6), 1973-1996; https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer16060111 - 07 Jul 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 9270
Abstract
The vigorous development of e-commerce has led to online retailers or platforms increasing the capacity of online shopping carts. A large number of products are added to the online shopping cart, but they are not “emptied.” The resulting behavior of products being stuck [...] Read more.
The vigorous development of e-commerce has led to online retailers or platforms increasing the capacity of online shopping carts. A large number of products are added to the online shopping cart, but they are not “emptied.” The resulting behavior of products being stuck in the shopping cart is called the “shopping cart abandonment behavior.” Previous literature has focused on the large number of antecedent variables that affect shopping cart abandonment behavior in the pre-decision stage of online shopping. This previous research has studied how to reduce shopping cart abandonment behavior from the perspective of consumers. By focusing on the post-decision-making stage of shopping, this research proposes to sort the products in a chronological order (ascending and descending order) after the products are added to the shopping cart and reduce shopping cart abandonment behavior through the intermediary of forgetfulness and choice overload. We use an exploratory study and two laboratory experiments to reveal the above intermediary mechanism. Our results show that online shopping cart abandonment generally occurs in shopping carts on all major platforms. Forgetting and shopping cart page rendering may be the reasons that lead to shopping cart abandonment behavior. In the case of targeted tasks, ascending order has a significant impact on abandonment behavior, choice overload mediated this effect. Full article
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