Abstract:

Under omnichannel conditions, consumers should not experience differences in the level of the offer and service regardless of the channel used to make a purchase. However, due to being economically unviable, it is difficult to expect distributors to offer the same conditions in channels that are less preferred by customers. This article deals with the problem of shaping the level of customer service in a multi-channel distribution environment. The aim of the article is to identify consumer choices in the area of multiple supplier distribution channels together with the assessment of the level of service offered.

As part of the theoretical part, a systematic literature review based on the Scopus database of academic articles was done. In the practical part, a survey based on an original research approach was conducted on a sample of 188 respondents and the analysis of the results included quantity tables, testing the normality of distribution using the Anderson-Darling method and testing the hypotheses by means of Mood's median test.

The Scopus database, as part of omni-channel (729 articles in total), features only 4 publications that address the subject of customer service - narrow interest, research gap. The survey shows that young consumers are eager to take advantage of the possibilities offered by omnichannel. They check conditions in many channels and mostly make rational purchasing decisions by choosing the channel with the most favourable conditions. The conducted research allowed to state that the most favourable conditions were offered in online stores.

The results of the study provide knowledge about customers’ preferred behaviour in the environment of supplier multiple distribution channels - tips for suppliers as to which distribution channels work and whether the offer in them should be improved or not.

The advantages of the article are as follows: niche subject matter (customer service in omnichannel), interdisciplinary character (logistics and marketing approach), comprehensiveness of the research (simultaneous evaluation of all marketing mix components), unique original research approach (possibility of precise in-depth identification and analysis of the customer purchasing process sequence - direct link between the effects of decisions and their causes).