Resumen de Omni-channel Retailing in the Fashion Industry: Its Definition and Implementation
Camila Portela, Nadzeya Kalbaska, Lorenzo Cantoni
“Omni-channel retailing” frequently catches the eye of fashion industry professionals browsing the web for insights or ideas on how to face the digital transformation deeply affecting their industry, accelerated by the global pandemic. In this paper, the following research gaps are addressed: (1) a clear definition of omni-channel retailing for the fashion industry and (2) a holistic view on the integration of channels or omni-channel initiatives implemented in the fashion industry. After thematically analyzing the results of 14 in-depth interviews conducted to senior/middle-level managers of fashion retailers and solution providers, omni-channel retailing for the fashion industry was defined, as well as an omni-channel experience framework was developed. Furthermore, a list of omni-channel characteristics and initiatives for the fashion industry was created and tested. To the authors’ current knowledge, it is the first time that these theoretical contributions have been made to the omni-channel and digital fashion domains. They will help in setting theoretical bases for the omni-channel literature. Moreover, this paper could serve as a guide to omni-channel retail implementation for fashion industry executives.
