Investigating the continuance use intention of omnichannel retailing in South Africa: the role of customer experience

Abstract

The rapid evolution of retailing has been driven predominantly by digital transformation, necessitating retailers to integrate online and offline channels to enhance customer engagement and experience. South African retailers are increasingly adopting omnichannel strategies to provide seamless shopping experiences across digital and physical channels. However, determining the role of customer experience in the continuance use intention of omnichannel’s seems to be sparsely investigated. This study investigated the role of fashion retailer’s customer experience in the continuance use Intention of omnichannel’s in South Africa. To address the purpose of this study, the Expectation Confirmation Model (ECM) and Customer Experience Model (CX) were integrated to develop the conceptual model. A quantitative cross-sectional research design was adopted. An online self-administered survey was conducted, which obtained 233 respondents who made use of fashion omnichannel’s in the past 12 months. Descriptive and inferential statistics were analysed using SPSS version 30. The findings revealed strong empirical support for seven among the eight proposed hypotheses, evidently customer satisfaction did not significantly influence customer experience when using a fashion retailer’s omnichannel. This study provides practical insights for South African fashion retailers, emphasising the need for integrated customer-centric omnichannel strategies to enhance satisfaction, drive desirable customer experiences and overall continuance use intention of fashion retail omnichannel.