Dual-shopping-channel Choice Study Based On Customer Perceived Value

Most of former literatures analyzing customers' channel behavior and studying the strategy of channel integration is from the point of enterprise. As the circumstance of internet has been formed, dual-channel shopping behavior based on both traditional store channel and web store can bring better performance for enterprises and dual channel customers'ability to catch value is obliviously greater than single-channel customers. Both scholars and practioners have reached a consensus that in marketing enterprises should take more serious about customers. It is also a tendency in researching customers'shopping behavior. It is from the angle of customer perceived value that this dissertation explores customers'view on dual-channel integrated both the traditional store channel and web channel.Dual-channel retailers have been adopting different dual-channel formats that range from complete channel separation to close integration. The purpose of this dissertation is to determine which dual-channel strategy offers the most value to dual-channel shoppers. The success of a dual-channel retailing strategy is believed to depend on the degree of channel complementarity as perceived by the retailer's customers. Channel complementarity is defined as the degree to which duple retail channels work synergistically to create value. Complementary channels give customers integrated solutions that create more value than the sum of the parts. It is proposed that channel complementarity arises from two distinct value creating factors-fulfillment integration and channel similarity. Integrated fulfillment refers to consumer perceptions about the existence of logistical links between the channels, which create purchasing process benefits that enable a customer to use the two channels interchangeably. Merchandising similarity is defined as consumer perceptions about the degree of correspondence between the channels in terms of product variety and assortment, pricing, and promotion.Based on the relationship between customer value and customer's multi-channel choice behavior and combined expected utility with decision utility from customer reason this dissertation explores channel complementarity. Through simulating dual-channel with conjoint analysis and then separating utility from dual channel characteristics and their levels we conclude a relationship between channel utility and fulfillment integration, product similarity, brand similarity, discount similarity and price similarity and customer's preference to dual shopping channel choice.