Digital technology-empowered omnichannel integration: a review and research agenda

Abstract

PurposeDigital technology plays a vital role in empowering omnichannel integration. Research on digital technology has recently attracted attention and rapidly developed. However, a comprehensive assessment of the research status and potential gaps is yet to be conducted. Thus, this study investigated the current research status of digital technology-empowered omnichannel integration, and future research directions are proposed.Design/methodology/approachA three-stage bibliometric analysis was conducted on 764 articles published from 2000 to 2023, cited in the Web of Science database. Furthermore, performance and thematic analyses were performed.FindingsThe most productive contributors and influential articles in this field were identified, and four themes of focus were discovered: service quality, o2o commerce, omnichannel retailing, and digital transformation.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this work is the first attempt to enable researchers to understand the vast body of published scholarship on digital technology-empowered omnichannel integration.

Omnichannel shopping habit development

“…Recognizing monitoring, crafting, and managing customer experience as fundamental to an omnichannel firm's competitiveness (Gahler et al, 2023), the customer experience stream identifies the variety of experiences customers seek during their buying journey (Cuesta-Valiño et al, 2023;Kacprzak & Hensel, 2023;Zhang et al, 2024;Zheng & Li, 2024). Existing studies emphasize the role of digital and physical touchpoints (e.g., Cui et al, 2022;Nguyen & Tran, 2023;Yang & Hu, 2024). Customers use digital touchpoints for tasks such as checking product availability, gathering information, conducting price comparisons, and achieving time and cost savings, all while enjoying convenience and accessibility from virtually anywhere (Both & Steinmann, 2023).…”

“…This attribute gains even greater significance within omnichannel shopping, where customization and personalization (Yin et al, 2022) utilize shoppers' past behaviours to offer tailored product recommendations, including personalized discounts and notifications. Augmented reality further amplifies this effect by diminishing uncertainties related to product quality and fit, while simultaneously providing hedonic value through the novel experience of emerging technologies (Kacprzak & Hensel, 2023;Massa & Ladhari, 2023;Thaichon et al, 2023;Yang & Hu, 2024). Moreover, the logical information shared on social media platforms triggers meaningful user responses through utilitarian and hedonic values (Pang, 2021).…”