How does channel integration quality promote omnichannel customer citizenship behavior? The moderating role of the number of channels used and gender
ISSN: 0368-492X
Article publication date: 5 May 2023
Issue publication date: 30 October 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Building on stimulus organism response theory, the current study examines the influence of channel integration quality dimensions (channel service configuration and integrated interactions) on the omnichannel retail store's shoppers' satisfaction, trust and commitment, subsequently leading to customer citizenship behavior (CCB). It examines the relationships proposed against boundary conditions, the number of channels used during the purchase and gender.
Design/methodology/approach
The research is descriptive, quantitative and cross-sectional investigation. It was conducted using data from 451 Indian omnichannel shoppers using a validated self-administered questionnaire. The proposed conceptual model was tested using PLS-SEM and PLS-MGA.
Findings
The results indicate that channel service configuration positively impact the dimensions of relationship quality of the omnichannel shoppers. However, integrated interactions influence trust and commitment directly but affect satisfaction indirectly through trust. Subsequently, relationship quality significantly explains CCB. The model results show r2 = 0.402 for CCB; that is, 40.2% of CCB is explained by channel integration and relationship quality. The moderating effect of the number of purchase channels used and gender on all proposed relationships were tested. PLS-MGA results revealed channel service configuration led to shopper commitment, subsequently impacting CCB. The effect was more among shoppers who used more than 2 channels. The impact of channel service configuration on commitment was seen more among female shoppers. Male and female shoppers exhibited satisfaction-driven and trust-driven citizenship behavior, respectively.
Research limitations/implications
The study is carried out in the Indian population, where omnichannel retailing is still in the nascent stage.
Originality/value
This is the first study to demonstrate channel integration quality may influence customer citizenship behavior through relationship quality dimensions, tested against boundary conditions, the number of channels used during the purchase and gender. The findings from this research would help retail store managers design their omnichannel operations to encourage firm-beneficial value co-creation behaviors among omnichannel shoppers.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors sincerely thank Dr. Janarthanan Balakrishnan, Assistant professor of Marketing at the Department of Management Studies at NIT-Trichy, for his valuable insights in carrying out this research.
Citation
Natarajan, T., Veera Raghavan, D.R. and Jayapal, J. (2024), "How does channel integration quality promote omnichannel customer citizenship behavior? The moderating role of the number of channels used and gender", Kybernetes, Vol. 53 No. 10, pp. 3133-3159. https://doi.org/10.1108/K-11-2022-1594
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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