Purpose. Consumers are increasingly combining distribution channels, thus displaying so-called omni-channel behavior, both to complete a given purchase and between purchases. The authors make a distinction between omni-channel customers, who make use of distribution services in both channels and omni-channel users, who make partial use of the distribution services of one channel to support purchases in another. This paper aims to identify the omni-channel behavior among the customers of a global fast fashion retailer dealing in a wide range of apparel and clothing accessories. Design/methodology/approach. Using a multinomial logit model, the authors perform a customer segmentation based on observed omni-channel behavior, considering the explanatory roles of demographics, distribution service features and customer service policies across the different retail channels. Findings. The authors observe that the key retail channel features for explaining omni-channel customer behavior are product accessibility, both in store and online; the assurance that goods purchased online will satisfy the customer’s needs and expectations; and the option to return goods found unsatisfactory. Practical implications. The results clearly show that the nature of the visits and purchases made by customers is determined by various components of the companýs customer service policy, which can, therefore, be used to guide the retailer’s segmentation strategy.
Currently, consumers display what is known as omnichannel behavior, that is, the combined use of digital and physical channels providing them with multiple points of contact with firms. We combine the Stimulus-Organism-Response model and the visual attention theory to study how customers' attention to digital channels varies across different purchasing tasks.
We use eye-tracking techniques to observe attention in an experimental setting. The experimental design is composed of four purchasing tasks in four different product categories and measures the attention to the website and time spent on each task in addition to several control variables.
The results show that shoppers attend to more areas of the website for purposes of website exploration than for performing purchase tasks. The most complex and time-consuming task for shoppers is the assessment of purchase options.
The actual purchase and postpurchase tasks require less time and the inspection of fewer areas of interest. Personal involvement also plays a role in determining these patterns by increasing attention to the product area.