OMNI-CHANNEL RETAILING: THE OPULENT BLEND MOVING TOWARDS A CUSTOMER DRIVEN APPROACH
Keywords:
Omni-Channel, Offline Retail, Online Retail, Consumer Touch Points, Consumer Buying Experience, Customer Satisfaction, Sales Channel DriversAbstract
The growth of ICT and the arrival of digital devices like the new age computers, tablets and “smart’ phones has transformed the retail sector. In the new and changed environment, the retail consumer now shops at his convenience, is more in control and follows different paths during his purchase journey. “Retail consumers are now omni-channel in their outlook and behaviour- they use both online and offline channels readily” (Bell, Gallino & Moreno, 2014).
This paper studies the ‘drivers’ of the two main channels of retail sales, specifically, the ‘offline channel’ (physical stores) and the ‘online channel’ (digital sales) and tries to recognize the buying journey of the urban consumer through various online and offline touch points. The paper also attempts to identify ways in which the retailer can deliver an enriching omni-channel buying experience to the consumer.
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References
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