E Managerial Suggestions

Abstract

The managerial suggestions on channel integration are based on the conceptual development and the empirical findings of this work. Overall, the channel integration features tested in this study helped increase customer loyalty in online and offline channels and also had a positive effect on willingness to pay, as well as purchase intention in the online channel, while the offline channel was not significantly cannibalized. Therefore, channel integration in general, and especially integrating the online channel, may be a recommendable strategy to the multichannel system, enhance the multichannel customer experience, create customer value online, increase customer share of wallet online in the short run, and eventually across all channels in the long run. Nevertheless, due to the high costs of implementation, companies are well advised to thoroughly analyze whether channel integration is meaningful and which channels should be integrated.