Citation: Riaz, H.; Baig, U.;
Meidute-Kavaliauskiene, I.; Ahmed,
H. Factors Effecting Omnichannel
Customer Experience: Evidence from
Fashion Retail. Information 2022, 13,
12. https://doi.org/10.3390/
info13010012
Academic Editors: Joanna
Paliszkiewicz and Marcin Ratajczak
Received: 21 November 2021
Accepted: 19 December 2021
Published: 28 December 2021
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information
Article
Factors Effecting Omnichannel Customer Experience: Evidence
from Fashion Retail
Hadiqa Riaz
1
, Umair Baig
2
, Ieva Meidute-Kavaliauskiene
3,
* and Hassaan Ahmed
4
1
Department of Business Studies, Bahria University, Karachi 75420, Pakistan; hadiqariaz.bukc@bahria.edu.pk
2
Department of Commerce, Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University, Karachi 75660, Pakistan;
umaiirbaig@gmail.com
3
Department of Business Technologies and Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Business Managments,
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Saul˙ etekio al. 11, LT-10223 Vilnius, Lithuania
4
Department of Business Administration, Salim Habib University, Karachi 74400, Pakistan;
hassaan.ahmed@shu.edu.pk
* Correspondence: ieva.meidute-kavaliauskiene@vilniustech.lt
Abstract: This research work was designed to investigate the changing dynamics of the retail land-
scape driven by omnichannel retailing, and to determine the effects on the omnichannel customer’s
experience. The role of omnichannel customer behavior in the relation between omnichannel retailing
and customer experience was assessed through a survey of 265 omnichannel customers of different
fashion retail brands in Pakistan. The results of partial least squares structural equation modeling
(PLS-SEM) showed a strong mediating effect of omnichannel customer behavior in channeling the
drivers of omnichannel retailing towards an enhanced customer experience. Omnichannel retailing
helps to enhance the customer experience via determinants of omnichannel integration, order ful-
filment, usability and seamlessness. The research findings underpin the positive significant effect
of all factors of omnichannel retailing on the customer experience. Among the four omnichannel
retailing constructs, seamlessness emerged as a major direct and indirect contributor, followed by om-
nichannel integration and usability dimensions. Notwithstanding the small sample size, this research
contributes to the omnichannel retailing landscape of Pakistan’s fashion retail industry by suggesting
a functional approach for creating a fully integrated shopping experience and omnichannel strategies
for fashion brands. Furthermore, it will also provide brands an opportunity to strengthen their
customers’ experience throughout the buying channel.
Keywords: omnichannel retailing; omnichannel integration; omnichannel seamlessness; omnichannel
fulfilment; omnichannel usability; omnichannel customer behavior; omnichannel customer experience
1. Introduction
Approximately 150 years ago, rapid urbanization disrupted the retail sector, driven
by industrialization, which helped department stores to blossom. This was followed by
the development of the automobile, which helped people to quickly move around cities
and suburbs, thus nurturing shopping malls. Later in the nineteenth century, the rise of
discount stores and category killers transformed the retail environment. Although these
developments and changes in the retail sector did not allow any of the previous formats
to fade away, they readily transformed and reshaped their predecessor’s value-creating
narrative [1,2].
Similarly, digital disruption is now reshaping the retailing landscape and, similar to
the case of previous disruptions, the changes are redefining consumer expectations. Internet
technologies and the dot-com bubble lured a large number of e-retailers to online platforms
with high expectations of gaining a first-mover competitive advantage [3]. As a result of
the continuous development of technology and digital platforms, the conventional retail
environment, in which customers shopped from separate silos, morphed into a completely
Information 2022, 13, 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/info13010012 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/information