sajm






Cross-Channel Integration and its Impact on Customers’ Behavioral Intentions: A Serial Mediation Model

Chetan Srivastava* and Raja Debashis**

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62206/sajm.30.4.2023.123-149

PUBLISHED : 26 Feb 2024

Abstract

The present study aims to understand customer behavior in response to Cross-channel Integration (CCI) facilities provided in an omni-channel retail setting, a topic that has attracted significant attention in academia and industry. Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) theoretical framework, the key contribution of this study is to simultaneously analyze negative and positive organisms which channel the stimulus triggered by integrated channels to produce different consumer responses. This research examines the impact of “trust” and “interest in alternatives” on omni-channel customers’ behavioral intentions manifested in repurchase intention and word of mouth referral. It also explores the serial mediation path via the identified factors. The findings of the cross-sectional survey, conducted among consumers of the largest South Asian country, demonstrate that CCI and customers’ behavioral intentions are positively related. The results also show that seamless integration of various channels enhances customer trust in the retailer and, at the same time, diminishes their Interest in Alternatives (IIA) provided by competing retailers. Furthermore, both mediators were found to serially mediate the association between CCI and customers’ behavioral intentions. Finally, the study’s limitations are discussed, along with implications for theory and practice.

Key Words

Behavioral intentions, Cross-channel integration, Interest in alternatives, Omni- channel, Stimulus organism response (S-O-R), Trust

Author Biography

Chetan Srivastava
Professor, School of Management Studies, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India & Director, Office of International Affairs, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India. E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Raja Debashis
Ph.D., Scholar, School of Management Studies, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India; and is the corresponding author. E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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