Consumer Decision Making in Multi-channel Retail: the Effects of Online Channel Media Richness and Cross-channel Integration

Abstract

While more and more retailers adopt multi-channel presence to communicate with online consumers, there still exists many differences in the level of channel integration, and accordingly, in the efficiency to reduce online transaction-specific uncertainty and promote online loyalty. This study first examines how online channel media richness affects consumers’ online loyalty directly and indirectly through perceptions of information privacy concern and deception and further investigates how cross-channel integration moderates that effects. Results show that online channel media richness not only alleviates consumers’ information privacy concern and perceived deception, but also enhances online loyalty. The moderating effects reveal that cross-channel integration complements online channel media richness in reducing information privacy concern and perceived deception, as well as strengthening online loyalty. Theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.