Multichannel integration services: Consumer decision making in integrated sales channels

As digitalization and technological innovations have blurred the line between physical and electronic channels, enormous growth rates in internet use have motivated most established retailers to expand their business to include online sales. These multichannel retailers are now under severe pressure from pure online retailers, since their physical infrastructure decreases their ability to compete via prices. While this infrastructure could also present opportunities to differentiate themselves by offering integrated multichannel services, their appeal is not fully understood by either researchers or practitioners. Building upon previous studies in online and offline commerce, this study investigates and explains the impact of different multichannel integration services on consumers’ channel selection preferences. The results indicate that the appeal of integrated multichannel offerings differs widely from the previously investigated channel options. Accordingly, channel convergence requires research to adapt to technological advancements and apply a more complex view to the study of multichannel commerce.