Search Results (5)

With the rise of omnichannel (OC) retailing in food e-retail, understanding how OC retailing and product quality attributes influence consumer purchasing behaviour and value perceptions is crucial for developing e-retail strategies and enhancing consumer services. This study examined their impacts on Chinese consumers’ purchases of Australian beef (brisket) through a discrete choice experiment in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen and analysed 872 valid responses using multinomial logit, random parameter logit, and latent class models. Our findings reveal that Chinese consumers prefer buying Australian brisket via OC apps and offline stores, paying approx. 44% and 134% more per 500 g, respectively, compared to self-operated e-commerce stores. Brand, manufacturer and origin traceability are key quality attributes, with additional paid for brisket manufactured and packaged in Australia (under Australian brands) and featuring the MLA “True Aussie Beef” label over QR codes. This study also identified four distinct consumer clusters: (i) premium shoppers, (ii) channel and traceability-oriented shoppers, (iii) omnichannel and price-oriented shoppers and (iv) tech-savvy and discerning shoppers, highlighting varying sensitivities to e-retail channels and product attributes. These findings offer strategic and actionable insights for Australian beef exporters and OC retailers seeking to optimise consumer engagement and value creation in China’s evolving e-retail landscape. Full article

Although the importance and benefits of logistics integration in omni-channel (OC) retailing have been discussed in the literature, the impacts of logistics integration from the dimension of internal and external logistics remain unknown. To fill this gap, this study aims to investigate the relationships among internal and external logistics integration capabilities, supply-chain integration (SCI), and financial performance (FP) in OC retailing based on the dynamic capability view. An empirical study is conducted based on a survey of 230 OC retailers in China’s market. Factor analysis and regression analysis are conducted to examine the hypotheses of the proposed conceptual model. The quantitative analyses show that the internal logistics integration capability is significantly related to the external logistics integration capability, and they both have positive effects on SCI, while the external logistics integration capability generates a higher impact (i.e., almost 1.5 times that of the internal logistics integration capability). The numerical results also demonstrate that the logistics integration capabilities and SCI have similar positive effects on FP (i.e., all the relevant regression coefficients show values around 0.25), and SCI plays a partial intermediary role in the relationships between logistics integration capabilities and FP. Furthermore, the quantitative evidence addresses the fact that the FP is not influenced by OC retailers’ characteristics, indicating a fair business environment in the OC retail industry. Full article

The goal of this study is to investigate the regulation effect of relationship quality in the process of the omni-channel (OC) model on service supply chain (SSC) collaboration of agricultural products. Furthermore, it is also to explore the intermediary effect of SSC collaboration in the process of service innovation and OC. A questionnaire was developed, research data were gathered from businesses in the agricultural SSC in western China, and an empirical study was carried out by using the AMOS multivariate statistical analysis approach after a thorough review of the literature in recent years. The study demonstrates that the OC model has a considerable impact on service innovation, SSC collaboration has an intermediary effect, and the quality of supply chain (SC) relationships has a regulation effect in the model. The results inspire academics and industry professionals to focus on SSC collaboration, improve the OC model’s administration, and promote service innovation in agricultural SC. Finally, the paper proposes suggestions to promote agricultural product development in western China in terms of enhancing SSC collaboration, OC model, and service innovation. Full article

Last mile logistics (LML) is the least efficient and complex part of supply chain. The main objective of this study was to identify major challenges of urban freight LML and opportunities for intervention. For this, 42 peer-reviewed full papers published after 2010 and three additional references were used. The findings indicated that urban freight flow has a trend of steady growth. The main driving forces behind this steady growth are population growth, urbanization, densification, globalization, online and omni-channel (OC) retailing, and urban economic development. Using typology analysis, three main potential freight LML configurations were mapped and discussed. Freight LML configurations that involve light cargo vehicles and cargo bike-based delivery schemes could be more attractive freight LML models if the delivery failure is minimized. The LML challenges were categorized as technological, infrastructural, LML system and management, and logistic cost related challenges, and discussed broadly. Similarly, the potential opportunities were discussed from environmental, economic, and social sustainability aspects. Finally, this report has pinpointed future potential research agendas related to LML. The study could be a knowledge base useful for academicians and practitioners, logistics and technical service providers, policy makers, and customers. Full article

New opportunities and challenges forced by the ever-increasing importance of the online channel have arisen for retailers. The retailing industry is moving to a new phase, in which the distinctions between traditional and online channels disappear, namely omni-channel (OC) retailing. At the same time, the awareness of environmentally sustainable processes has been enhanced around the world and the environmental impact that results from the online order fulfilment process is becoming a key issue for logistics managers. The new challenge is to understand how multiple channels can be synergistically managed to provide a seamless customer experience, taking an economic and environmental perspective simultaneously. Retailers need to define the distribution configuration for serving the online demand, making decisions on the integration level between online and traditional channels. In this paper, we developed an assessment model of the operational costs and greenhouse gas emissions for three distribution configurations in OC retailing. The model was also applied to a real case operating in the consumer electronics industry. Results highlighted that the search for synergies between online and traditional flows in both warehouse and transport activities is a key factor for the economic and environmental sustainability of OC systems. Full article