Fostering Seamless Commerce Technology Adoption Pathways for Consumers and Retailers in Omni-Channel Retail

Abstract

Omni-channel retailing has grown to become one of the most important strategies for improving customer experience, but its use is hindered by major challenges. The issue of low digital literacy, privacy, high costs of implementation, and limitations of infrastructural barriers are some of the key barriers to consumers and retailers. Simultaneously, enabling factors, e.g., trust-building measures, user-friendly technology, and cost-effective solutions, have the capacity to speed up adoption in case they are utilized adequately. To solve such problems, the given research work offers a mixed-method research design that involves both quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews. A stratified random sampling of the consumers and a purposive sampling of the retailers will enable different and representative voices. Quantitative data will be examined through descriptive, inferential, and factor analysis methods, and qualitative data will be analyzed through the deployment of a thematic analysis with the assistance of coding software. Triangulation of findings in both methods will be done. Additionally, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) will be utilized to test complex relations between some latent factors, e.g., technology readiness, trust, and adoption behavior. Considering these analyses, the research will come up with strategic recommendations to both retailers and consumers, on strategies to be considered in training on how to use cost-effective technology, adoption of transparency in privacy policies. The recommendations will be streamlined using focus groups between stakeholders to make their application clear. The results will be made available via scholarly work, industry-specific conferences, and workshops to make both theoretical and practical contributions. The proposed methodology can be summarized in such a way that it uses both well-established statistical methods and qualitative research information in such a way that it becomes able to describe and counteract the obstacles to omni-channel retail implementation as well as reinforce its enablers.