Customer's reaction to cross-channel integration in omnichannel retailing: The mediating roles of retailer uncertainty, identity attractiveness, and switching costs

Although omnichannel retailing has gained significant interest among academics and practitioners, the mechanisms through which customers react to Cross-Channel Integration (CCI) in omnichannel retailing remain unclear. To this end, this study builds on the Push-Pull-Mooring (PPM) framework to unpack the processes through which uncertainty, identity attractiveness, and switching costs of omnichannel retailers play pushing, pulling, and mooring roles in shaping customers’ reaction to CCI. We further explore the moderating influence of showrooming in these relationships. Survey findings reveal that uncertainty, identity attractiveness, and switching costs of omnichannel retailers partially mediate the effect of CCI on customer retention while fully mediating the relationship between CCI and interest in alternatives. We also uncovered that customer showrooming strengthens the negative relationship between CCI and retailer uncertainty. We conclude this paper with theoretical and practical implications of our findings.