Does integrated store service quality stimulate omnichannel shoppers' augmenting, co-developing, influencing and mobilizing behaviors? Moderating role of perceived relationship investment

Abstract

PurposeBuilding on Stimulus Organism Response theory, the current study examines the influence of Integrated store service quality (ISSQ) on the omnichannel customer experience dimensions (Cognitive, Affective and Relational), subsequently leading to their psychological ownership of the store, which eventually explains their Augmenting, Co-developing, Influencing and Mobilizing behaviors. The moderating role of omnichannel shopper perceived relationship investment in a few proposed relationships was tested.Design/methodology/approachThe research is a descriptive, quantitative and cross-sectional investigation. A purposive sampling technique was used. It was conducted using data collected from 554 Indian omnichannel shoppers using a validated self-administered questionnaire. The proposed conceptual model was tested using PLS-SEM.FindingsThe results indicate that ISSQ positively impacts all three dimensions of omnichannel customer experience (cognitive, affective and relational). All three dimensions directly affect psychological ownership, eventually impacting their (Augmenting, Co-developing, Influencing and Mobilizing) engagement behaviors. The moderating effect of the omnichannel shopper, perceived relationship investment, revealed that it had a significant positive impact on the relationship between dimensions of omnichannel customer experience and psychological ownership of shoppers towards the store, which eventually fosters the customer–retailer value co-creation like engagement behaviors.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is conducted in the Indian population, where omnichannel retailing is still nascent.Originality/valueThis study addresses the need to investigate other dimensions (apart from cognitive and affective) of the omnichannel customer experience that might eventually influence various service firms' customer engagement behaviors. This study is the first to show that integrated store service quality might stimulate (Augmenting, Co-developing, Influencing and Mobilizing) engagement behaviors through customer experience dimensions and the customer's sense of belongingness to the store. The moderating role of omnichannel shoppers' perceived relationship investment in a few proposed relationships was tested.

Does integrated store service quality turn omnichannel shoppers into price-insensitive, cross-category purchasers, and loyal webroomers? Moderating role of perceived relationship investment and alternative retailer attractiveness

“…In line with these findings, an integrated store that is different from the conventional brick-and-mortar store in its offerings and services, when customers are aware of the retailer’s consistency in omnichannel offerings across channels, perceive an absolute channel-agnostic experience they tend to be more immersed in the shopping process and pay a lot more attention to the things related to the retailer (Natarajan and Veera Raghavan, 2023b; Natarajan and Ramanan, 2023).…”

“…Interestingly, recent research has relied upon “Integrated store service quality” to demonstrate the different engagement behaviors of the omnichannel shoppers (Natarajan and Ramanan, 2023) and their online, offline and social media word of mouth behaviors (Natarajan and Veera Raghavan, 2023b) but not on the behaviors that bring in revenue to store like cross-buying behaviors or customers’ willingness to pay more. Parallelly, recent omnichannel literature has focused on webrooming phenomena to decode the antecedents (Aw, 2019) and factors affecting webrooming intentions (Shankar and Jain, 2021), highlighting its benefits to customers in terms of overall satisfaction (Roy, 2022).…”

“…When we concentrate on the in-store service quality of the integrated store, we mainly focus on the servicescape of the store. (Natarajan and Veera Raghavan, 2023b; Natarajan and Ramanan, 2023). Extant literature identifies physical and social servicescape as a significant determinant of CE in the hotel services context (Li and Wei, 2021).…”

“…Building a solid online customer experience for an integrated store also plays a critical role in engaging its customers. (Natarajan and Veera Raghavan, 2023b; Natarajan and Ramanan, 2023). Extant literature identifies the easiness of locating the website/app of the store, perceived enjoyment during shopping, perceived personalization, social interactions and multidevice compatibility to be the significant antecedents of unified online customer experience that has an impact on the brand engagement eventually (Bilgihan et al , 2016).…”

“…Establishing a solid integrated presence across channels is very much essential. When customers can experience the product as soon as they order online at a nearby integrated physical store, they feel more engaged and develop a strong sense of belongingness with the store (Natarajan and Veera Raghavan, 2023b; Natarajan and Ramanan, 2023).…”