Integrate…then they might be all yours : A research on how Omnichannel retailing could affect customers Brand Loyalty.

Abstract: Omnichannel has become a central part of future retailing and is expected to be implemented by multiple brands. Omnichannel is an extension of multichannel enquiring complete integration between channels. As customers’ demands changes and demonstrate switching of brands, maintaining loyal customers’ in the evolving retail market with unlimited options is a continuous challenge. There are indicators of omnichannel retailing increasing customer satisfaction but there is no research investigating how it could affect brand loyalty, either through attitudinal loyalty, behavioural loyalty or a combination of both. This research aims to explore how implications of omnichannel retailing could facilitate the demanded satisfactory shopping experience and lead to embarked brand loyalty. A qualitative method was chosen to explore this phenomenon by using primary, secondary data and conducting of in-depth interviews. The results shows that omnichannel is an significant factor facilitating a satisfactory shopping experience, in turn inflicting attitudinal loyalty, but there were vague signs of behavioural loyalty. Thus, omnichannel was not considered the main factor affecting brand loyalty due to lack of expressed commitment to repurchase, hence omnishoppers rarely surpasses the step of satisfaction to fully becoming brand loyal.