All for one but does one strategy work for all?

TLDR

The study applies the stimulus‑organism‑response paradigm and channel loyalty framework to model customer responses in multichannel distribution systems. The paper investigates how multichannel customers assess overall satisfaction across channels and identifies its antecedents. A survey of 479 Taiwanese bank customers was analyzed using structural equation modeling with LISREL 8.8, after testing reliability and validity. Overall satisfaction in a multichannel environment drives customer retention and participation, with service quality positively influencing satisfaction and switching difficulty negatively influencing it.

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how multichannel customers evaluate overall satisfaction across distribution channels and what the antecedents are of such satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach A survey of bank customers in Taiwan was conducted. The total number of valid questionnaires was 479. Reliability and validity were tested. Maximum likelihood procedure of LISREL 8.8 was used to test the hypothesized structural equation model. Findings The findings indicate that the overall satisfaction in the multichannel environment is a critical determinant of customer retention and participation. The present study also develops the antecedents of multichannel satisfaction. In the multichannel environment, perceived multichannel service quality is positively related to satisfaction, while perceived channel switching difficulty is negatively related to satisfaction. Originality/value The present study employs the stimulus‐organism‐response (S‐O‐R) paradigm and the channel loyalty framework to better model customers' response to marketing activities in the multichannel distribution system.