Effects of Omnichannel on Pleasure, Resistance, and Repurchase Intention

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to verify the effects of omnichannel characteristics on pleasure, resistance and repurchase intention in the omnichannel situation in order to provide the innovative commercial business. Research design, data and methodology: The study examined relations between research concepts centered on previous studies, set hypotheses, developed a research model, and verified the model through a questionnaire survey. A total of 297 questionnaires were used for the final analysis, excluding the questionnaires showing insincere or outliers. Results: First, Omnichannel showed multi-dimensional characteristics consisting of consistency, innovation, economy, and integration. Second, innovation and economic feasibility had a positive effect on pleasure. Third, only economic feasibility had a negative effect on user resistance. Fourth, consumers' shopping pleasure had a negative effect on user resistance. Fifth, repurchase intention of consumers was positively affected by innovation. Conclusions: This research contributed to extend academic framework of distribution research by examining causal relationship through adoption of economic and innovation factors as new characteristics from the integrated perspective beyond the research frame of the existing omnichannel distribution environment. Companies should provide meaningful experiences by resolving concerns about side effects caused by human-computer interaction and providing smart information that matches the products most suitable for consumer needs.

1.Introduction

With the convenient purchase and information exchange through online, the showrooming shopping trend and direct purchase from abroad has increased. Due to the shopping pattern change, offline distributors faced a crisis try to actively enter online shopping mall, but the corporate sales it not effective because of competition between online and offline distribution channels (Lee & Seo, 2018). As consumers tend to purchase items by collecting and analyzing information crossing the border of on/offline channels, the on/offline channels become important subjects for corporate to manage in an integrated way as one linked market, rather than a separate single market. Therefore, firm’s distribution channel strategy evolves from a single channel to multichannel andfurther to omnichannel beyond cross channel (Kim, 2016). For example, a Korean distributor Lotte provides the same service in all channels by constructing omnichannel service, and Shinsegae and Hyundai Department Stores try to integrate and operate several channels into one channel. Global distributors such as Amazon, Walmart, BestBuy, Macy’s have provided the omnichannel service a long time ago (Ahn, Kim, &Hong, 2019). Omnichannel aims to provide customer with the same service even accessing different chmiannels (Rigby, 2011)Thus customer can obtain what they want easily.For advantages of the omnichannel service and effective integrated strategy implementation of distribution environment, it is important to identify whether omnichannel’s environmental characteristics affect consumers’ behaviors includingconsumers’ emotions and purchase intention. Nonetheless, studies on omnichannel service environmental characteristics, customer sentiment, behaviors and attitudes have focused on omnichannel service use motivation (Jung, 2018), psychological characteristics of omnichannel (Min, 2016), acceptance behaviors of consumers (Han, Kim, & Jang, 2019), and thus extensive studies are relatively insufficient. This study aims to examine what environmental characteristics of omnichannel induce the consumers’ positive emotions and affect their purchase intention. In addition, due to the problem caused by the rapid growth of omnichannels and difficulties of customer’s decision making due to the excessive information supply and new technology adoption (Venkatesh, 2000), it is necessaryto examine the customers’ psychological issue.As Walsh et al. (2002) emphasizedto be required to understand negative factors causing confusion when doing shopping it is significant to find what ominchannel characteristics affect psychological resistance.

However, research related to the degree of dependence and interest of companies on omnichannel is limited. Until now, research on omnichannel has been limited to the concept and characteristics of omnichannel and the effects of omnichannel, so it is difficult to identify the effect of omnichannel on the complex psychological phenomenon of consumers. Therefore, this study aims to identify the consumer's response to the omnichannel characteristics. Also, it is important to identify the role of happiness recognized as key factor for the long-term relationship between the firm and customer in consumer behavior field (Keyser & Lariviere, 2014) and modern people prefer enjoyable shopping experience (Boven, 2002). Thus, Pleasurecanreduce users’ resistance on new channel, works as a key emotional value and continuously motivates the omnichannel to experience. Perceived pleasure also can have a positive effect on accepting an unfamiliar technology (Venkatesh &Davis, 2000). Herein this study intends to verify the effects of omnichannel characteristics: four factors, consistency, economic feasibility, innovation, and integrationon consumer behaviors: repurchase intentionto seek more efficient management of omnichannel and examines what roles customers’ emotionsplay in marketing situations or omnichannel by verifying the influences of characteristic factors on brining resistance or generating pleasure.

To achieve the purpose of this study, hypotheses were set based on the previous studies on omnichannel characteristics, consumers’ resistance, pleasure, and repurchase intention, and set consumers’ clothes shopping environment as the study subject. Through this study, strategic implications for effective channel management to omnichannel operators and practical implications for useful marketing decision making will be provided

2. Literature Review

2.1. Omni-Channel Enviromental Characteristics

Omnichannel is defined as a shopping environment to make consumers feel they are using the same store in any channels crossing online, offline and mobile channels by combining each distribution channel (Park &Kim, 2020). Piotrowicz and Cuthbertson (2014) mentioned the characteristics of omnichannel are providing efficient and convenient functions like consumers use the same store, even though they use any stores by combining each distribution channel.Customers’ goods purchasing activity is made through cognition-exploration-consideration- purchase-repurchase stages, and thus it is important for firms to be equipped with an integrated service system so that customers can have the same purchasing experience and receive consistent value, after they use any type of channel in the abovementioned process (Cummins, Peltier, &Dixon, 2016). What critically affects the purchase intention of omnichannel service is omnichannel characteristics (Verhoefet al., 2015). This study examines the omnichannel characteristics, centered on integration and consistency (Hansen &Kien, 2015; Herhausen et al., 2015; Verhoef et al., 2015; Piotrowicz et al., 2014), economic feasibility (Heitz-spahn, 2013), and innovation (Lee, 2020), based on previous studies carried out on the basis of multichannel and mobile channel characteristics. Combining previous studies, omnichannel characteristics consist of four factors: consistency, integration, innovation, and economic feasibility.

Consistency: refers to a characteristic that service quality and content are maintained at the same level all the time without distinction of channels (Yang, Lu, &Chau, 2013).Lee and Kim mentioned that omnichannel provides consistency service no matter what store you use.Sousa and Voss (2006) emphasized consistency as a key attribute of integrated interaction within plural channel environment.

Integration: is the level to construct a mutually supporting system to easily convert on/offline to mobile channels vice versa (Cao &Li, 2015)providing combined services including product order, payment, receipt, delivery, replacement and refund (Hansen &Kien, 2015; Herhausen et al., 2015; Verhoef et al., 2015;Piotrowicz et al., 2014, Nguyen, 2021). Integration among the various channels should be established (Beck et al., 2015) as it provides new value through combining of various values between a channel and it would be a unique characteristic of omnichannel.

Innovation:is an essential factor for firms’ survival and competition, and it is defined as the successful implementation of creative ideas within an organization, as its scope expands beyond just technological innovation (Vilà & MacGregor, 2007). Hult et al. (2005) asserted that innovative companies can get more benefit when they maintain closer relations with customers. Jaworski and Kohli (1993) said if companies are capableto be close to customers, it can help create knowledge on the present and future customer’s needs and respond. The innovation in omnichannel can be viewed as a corporate capability to continuously provide creative, fresh, and influential ideas and solutions to market (Kunz et al., 2011). As ultimate decision on successful innovation whether or not is made by customer it is important to examine serviceinnovation as omnichannel’s environmental characteristics.

Economic feasibility in omnichannel related to economic benefit from the rational purchase is obtained using promotional events or coupons and is animportant feature to consumers. The consumers enjoying frugality make more efforts to explore priceand productinformation (Alba & Hutchinson, 1987), and continuously compare brands and channels for the best transaction. Konuş et al. (2008) indicated consumers using multichannel is more sensitive to prices than single channeluser. According to a study on mobile coupons of Shimp and Kavas (1984), a possibility to use coupons to maximize economic values is higher as consumers’ perception of economic benefits is higher. Based on the previous (Shimp &Kavas, 1984), this study lays foundation for omnichannel characteristics’ variables, centered on economic feasibility.

2.1.Pleasure

Wankel and Soften (1989) defined pleasure as a positive attitude associated with the same context as vibrant and friendship, opposite to sorrow, annoyance, and anger. Scanlan and Simons (1992) interpreted the meaning of pleasureas a positive emotional response such mood as pleasure, fondness, or interesting. In addition, pleasureis defined as the level perceived through fun and interest in the use of a specific information system (Park &Kim, 2014).In several domestic and foreign studies, empirical studies on emotions felt upon the Internet users’ shopping are being carried out, and they assert that consumers’ negative emotions should be avoided and positive emotions should be promoted with various experiences through shopping in the offline store and online environment (Seo &Kim, 2002). Consumers prefer sensitive and pleasant experiences in the new product accepting process through online shopping (Byunet al., 2017), and the benefits induce users’ positive attitudes, satisfaction, and continuous use (Chung &Tan, 2004).

2.3. Resistance

Sheth (1981) defined resistance as negative psychological state that consumers felt as they accept innovation, and Zaltman and Wallendorf (1979) defined consumer resistance with psychological response to maintain existing state when they face new changes. Ram (1987) defined resistance, as natural psychological state the consumers experience in the innovation accepting process, not as an opposite concept of innovation (Ram, 1987). Through studies that consumers learn how to operate when they face an innovative technology service and that innovation resistance increases as they feel difficulties to check what function are, or as complexity through which they feel discomfort is higher (Rogers, 1995), resistance felt by inconveniences is evaluated as a major negative factor in new technology acceptance. Therefore, firms’ efforts to lower shopping resistance factors and enhancing purchase intention in the shopping environment are important, and it is necessary to find what channel environment characteristics can lower shopping resistance.

2.4. Repurchase Intention

Improving repurchase intention became a core marketing strategy for firms’continued growth under the difficult circumstance to attract new customer. Mackenzie and Luts(1989) defined repurchase intention as one’s own belief to repeatedly purchase specific products based on past purchase experience, and as a possibility to repeatedly use the products in the future as well. Oliver (1980) and Biong (1993) defined repurchase intention as a possibility for customers to use the current service providers in the future as well based on past experience. In addition, Chang and Liu (2009) said repurchase intention meansconsumers’ plan to purchase specific brands and intention to continuously use goods or services. Almost studies done in online shopping industries have mainly dealt with customer satisfaction as antecedents of repurchase intention (Park, 2003) and there wasalso reliability (Ahan, Kim, &Hong, 2019), related quality (Park, 2020), emotions (Jung & Kim, 2020), and value (Lee &Hong, 2016). This study examines relations between environmental characteristics and pleasure and resistance as consumer emotions affecting repurchase intention, cantered on omnichannel that has been rarely discussed.

3. Hypothesis Development

3.1. Relationship between Omnichannel Environmental Characteristics and Pleasure and Resistance

As Omnichannel provides temporally and spatially integrated shipping experience appropriate to meet purpose oriented shopping experience, a possibility to experience positive happiness is high (Piderit&Kim, 2020). A study of Shin and Oh (2020) insisted that integration and individualization factors as omnichannel service’s attributes have a significanteffect on customer’s hedonic experience. The integrated channel structure brings positive effects to customers on shopping benefits (Mbengueet al., 2015), and a study of Bendoly et al.(2005) also indicatedthat channel integration quality continuously affects customer evaluation on firms or brands and the result brings apositive result to retailers (Herhausen et al., 2015; Seck &Philippe, 2013). A study of Song and Kim (2006) was about determinants of innovation resistance targeting mobile-commerce, and verified the negative effects in the case of relative advantage. The following hypotheses are set based on the above previous studies:

H1:Omnichannel characteristics (Consistency, Integration, Innovation, and Economic feasibility) have a positive effect on shopping pleasure.

H2:Omnichannel characteristics (Consistency, Integration, Innovation, and Economic feasibility) have a negative effect on shopping resistance.

3.2.Relationshipbetween Omnichannel Environmental Characteristics and Repurchase Intention

Consumers generally make a decision in a direction to maximize value that they think important and attributes can be used as an evaluation standard(Gutman, 1982). Wang and Jiang (2021) said channel integration plays an important role in maintaining customers.Melis et al. (2015) insisted that integration of prices or products may have a positive effect on the decision to purchase of consumers. Omar et al. (2018) also said small and medium-sized retailers’ economic feasibility is an important factor affecting users’ acceptance intention. Kim et al. (2013) investigated product’s innovation has a significant effect on products purchase intention, and product innovation more favorably builds the relations between products and consumers. Bendoly et al. (2005) empirically proves that customer loyalty is higher as channel consistency is higher. Based on the above studies, we set hypothesis as below.

H3:Omnichannel characteristics (Consistency, Integration, Innovation, Economic feasibility) have a positive effect on repurchase intention.

3.3.Relationshipbetween Consumers’ Pleasure and Repurchase and Repurchase Intention

Consumers’ positive emotion inthe purchasing process induces positive attitude towards products and enhances satisfaction (Blackwell et al., 2006). Many previous studies on the positive relations between positive emotion state and behaviors (Babin etal., 1994; Dawson et al., 1990) can be found, and the effects of pleasureon purchase intention have been more extensively reviewed in the online environment (Childers et al., 2001). Westbrook (1987) suggests experienced emotion may have a significant effect on shopping intention. Hirschman and Holbrook (1982) also said purchase intention is revealed by the status of consumers’ emotional satisfaction. Oh and Kim (2014) insisted the informative pleasurebrings positive perception to users, and helping consumers more easily approach products and services. Likewise, as consumers’ cognition of positive emotion of pleasureis higher in shopping in an integrated distribution channel situation, it may be connected to positive attitude and behavior and so the following hypothesis was set:

H4:The pleasureof consumers’ shopping have a positive effect on consumers’ repurchase intention.

Resistance was a major effect variable on userintention in various new technologies studies (Gwon et al., 2018). Many previous studies (Shin & Lee, 2016; Bae, 2018) proves: as resistance is higher on new services, the use intention of consumers is lower. Park and Kwon (2018) examined that consumer resistance has a positive effect on AI-based curation service use intention of online shopping malland Choi et al. (2016) examined that user resistance on O₂O service has a positive effect on the use suspension intention.Ram(1987) insisted that innovation resistance is revealed if consumes are exposed to innovation. He said new product acceptance is revealed if innovation resistance is not huge, and thus it is ignorable, and new product acceptance is rejected, if there is no room for improvement. In the innovation products or innovation services, resistance is expected in the acceptance process of heterogeneous characteristics to consumers, and the resistance is regarded as a key variable determining repurchase intention. Therefore, the following hypothesis was set:

H5:Consumer resistance have a negative effect on consumer’ repurchase intention.

3.4.Tables and Figures

Based on previous studies and this study tried to verify the effects of the four factorsas ominchannel characteristics on pleasure, resistance, and repurchase intention and the structural relations of those. The research model set based on the relations between the composition concepts is as follows:

Figure 1:Research Model

3.5.Measurement of Variables

This study used established measurements from previous research tailored to fit the context of distribution channel theory. The omnichannel characteristics estimated four variables: consistency, innovation, economic feasibility, and integrationwith 16 items developedby Jessica (2013), Lin (2016), Roy et al. (2017), Piotrowicz andCuthbertson (2014), Hansen andKien (2015), Verhoef et al. (2015).

The pleasure, resistance and repurchase intention, each of four and five items were assessed adopting from Davis et al. (1989), Bloch et al. (1989), Kim &Kankanhalli (2009), Piderit (2000), Hollebeek et al. (2007), Qureshi et al. (2009). All items included in the survey instruments were measured on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from 1(strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Finally, demographicvariables (e.g. gender, age, income, occupation and shopping experience).

3.6.Survey Design and Analysis Method

A questionnaire survey was carried out for an empirical analysis on the proposed hypotheses. The survey was conducted with those who experienced domestic clothing purchasing within three months via online research agent to extract uniform and reliable samples from October 24 to 28, 2019. The survey research agency distributed online questionnaire randomly and selected subjects through pre- questions: shopping experience, whether or not they use on/offline store. Atotal of 297 copies of the questionnaire were used for the final analysis except 13 copies showing insincerity or abnormality. To verity the research model, an empirical analysis was performed using SPSS 23.0 ver and Amos 23.0 ver.

4. Empirical Analysis

4.1.Sample Characteristics

The demographic characteristics of the respondents are shown in Table 1. Regarding gender, 148 males (49.8%) and 149 females (50.2%) were evenly distributed. As for age, 125 were in their 30s (42.1%), the most, followed by 67 people in their 40s (22.6%) and 58 people in their 20s (19.5%). Concerning education, university graduates was the most (73.1%), followed by high school graduates or lower (19.2%) and graduate school graduates or higher (7.7%). As for occupation, company employees took up the most (56.2%) and students and housewives took up 8.8%, respectively. As for mean monthly income per household, 108 households earned KRW 5 million~KRW 10 million (36.4%), the most, followed by 63 made KRW 4 million ~KRW 5 million (21.2%), and 55 KRW 2 milion~KRW 3 million (18.5%). Regarding shopping type, Online purchasing ratio was 59.92% based on price, and 60.74% based on the number of purchase. The number of accessing online shopping mall per week was 6.09 times on average, and the number of mean offline store visit was 4.1 times.

Table 1: Composition of Samples

4.2. Confirmatory Factor Analysis

A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to assess the overall model fits of the measurement model and specify the relationship between the observed variables and latent constructs using maximum likelihood estimation. With poor model fit indices: SRMR, 0.058 and GFI, 0.810, two items in ‘Innovation’variable were removed after checking the MI index.

According to the analysis result, the following were indicated: χ²=511.541, p=.000, RMR=.0.47, GFI=.889, NFI=.958, IFI=.958, CFI=.958, RMSEA=.048 and all goodness of fit indices were within acceptable limits. The composite construct reliability (CR) value is higher than threshold, 0.7 and AVE indicating convergent validity of all constructs with value above 0.5, and therefore convergent validity can be good (See Table 2).

Table 2: Confimartory Factor Analysis

4.3. Discriminant Validity Analysis

To verify the discriminant validity of the concept inputted in this study, a correlation analysis was performed and average variance extraction (AVE) index’s square root value was drawn (See Table 3). AVE value of most variables was higher than correlation coefficient square between variables. Because the confidence interval of the correlation coefficient between variables was not included in 1.0, discriminant validity was judged to be secured.

Table 3: Discriminant Validity and Descriptive Statistical Anslysis 4.4.Hypothesis Testing

Note 1) *p<.05, **p<.01, ***p<.001 Note 2) The parenthesis ( ) shows the sqaure value of correlation coefficient.

4.4. Hypothesis Testing

The structural model was used to empirically test hypothesis 1 to 5, and the results are shown in Table 4. The p value of the model was smaller than 0.05, but the fit of the research model was χ²=511.541, RMR=.047, GFI=.889, NFI=.958, IFI=.889, CFI=.958, RMSEA=.048, etc., which exceeds the general standard and is evaluated as an overall acceptable level.

For H1: the relationshipof omnichannel characteristics withpleasure, the innovation (CR=4.995) and economic feasibility (CR=7.393) had a positive effectsupporting the result of existing studies (Yu, Kim, &Lee, 2006; Tse & Wilton, 1988). It revealed that ifomnichannel is innovative, and gives economic benefits to consumers, it is known that consumers feel the pleasureof shopping.

For H2: the effects of omnichannel characteristics on resistance, only economic feasibility (CR=-2.483, p=0.013) had a negative effect, reducing resistance and other factors were not related to the resistance or hadpositive effects, opposingof the hypothesis.

Regarding H3, in the relation between omnichannel characteristics and repurchase intention, only innovation (CR=1.919) has positive effect on repurchase intention and the consistency, integration, and economic feasibility did not have a positive effect on repurchase intention.

Regarding H4, the pleasureof consumers’ shopping had a significant effect on resistance (CR=-2.173, p=0.030), indicating that pleasureplays a role in reducing resistance. This result is consistent the existing studies of Hsieh et al. (2012); Wu et al. (2016); Lee et al. (2019) that pleasureplays a pivotal role in converting resistance into acceptance and positive attitude.

For H5, in the relation between pleasureand repurchase intention, a significant positive effect was made with pleasure(CR=2.006, p=0.045). Lastly, resistance (CR= - 1.744, P=0.081)didn’t have any relation with repurchase intention, rejecting H6.These results are inconsistent with studies showing theuser’s resistance to the O₂O service has a positive(+) effect on the intention to discontinue use (chi et al, 2016). In general, it is found that when consumers feel new innovation resistance, it will have a significant effect on repurchase intention, however, resistance to distribution channels does not necessarily seem to waken repurchase intentions.

Table 4: Hypothesis Test Results

Note) *p<.05, **p<.01, ***p<.001

5. Conclusions

To verify the effects of the factors on consumer emotions such as pleasureor resistance and also repurchase intention, this study examined the relations between research concepts, centered on previous studies, set hypotheses, developed a research model, and verified the effects through a questionnaire survey targeting clothes purchasing consumers. The empirical study results are summarized as follows:

First, innovation and economic feasibility among the omnichannel characteristics had a positive effect on pleasure and bybeing consistentwith the study ofTse and Wilton (1988) that shopping satisfaction becomes higher, as perception on psychological and economic benefits is higher. Therefore, omnichannel’s innovative factor and economic benefits are judged to be important factors to make omnichannel users feel pleasureof shopping.

Second, only economic feasibility among omni characteristics had a negative effect on user resistanceby supporting hypothesis 2 partially. When looking at previous studies, economic feasibility in mobile simple payment service affects the monetary benefits that consumers gain due to lower connection fees or commissions than other services (Eun &Kim, 2018) or affects the profits or values believed to be gained by users when they use mobile service (Kim &Park, 2014). Therefore, economic feasibility is considered as a key factor in selecting simple mobile payment service and may work as very important factor that may reduce the negative resistance factor.

Third, the pleasureof shopping had a negative effect on user resistancesupporting hypothesis 3. As proved existing research on the technology of acceptance model (TAM), including internet shopping mall and mobile banking (Rogers et al., 1971; Davis, 1989), if consumers feel pleasurein omnichannel using shopping, it is expected for omnichannel using shopping to play a role in easing resistance. It was proved that pleasurebecomes a huge motivation for users to continuously use omnichannel and it is a key factor toinduce positive and emotional value in the process.

Fourth, innovation had a positive effect on consumers repurchase intention supporting hypothesis 4 partially. Omnichannel innovation indicates how quickly and easily new things are accepted, and it is a key factor promoting consumers’ omnichannel use. This result implied that omnichannel is regarded as promoting the repurchase intention through more convenient shopping for consumers through continuous innovationas presented by Henard and Szymanski (2001)studied that product results are better as product’s innovation is higher. Herein, it was confirmed that innovation and economic feasibility improve pleasure, and reduce user resistance, and they can be variables having positive effects on the improvement of repurchase intention.

Fifth, pleasure in consumers’ shopping positively affected the repurchase intention. Although this was supported by study result of Blackwell et al. (2006) that consumers’ positive emotions induce positive product attitude and raise satisfaction, consumers’ resistance did not have a significant effect on repurchase intention.

5.1.Academic Implications 

The academic implications of this study can be summarized as follows:

First, this study expanded the academic framework of omnichannel distribution study by examining the causal relations through adopting economic feasibility and innovation factors as new characteristic factors from an integrated perspective beyond several characteristic factors (integration, consistency, personalization, privacy, connectivity, mutual workability, location-based, entertainment) dealt with in the existing omnichannel distribution environment through synthesizing the existing previous studies on the service environment of on/offline distribution channels.

Second, the existing omnichannel studies mainly focused on the functional factors from a supplier’s perspective or the studies were carried out on omnichannel service characteristics. Meanwhile, this study examined However this study considered the positive and negative psychological factors through omnichannel characteristics and verified the structural relations between them, expanding the scope of existing studies.

Third, the existing studies mainly used resistance and acceptance of innovative products as dependent variables, and researched individually by separating the antecedents. However, this study incorporated resistance and acceptance togetheron the premise that resistance and acceptance can co-exist, leading to the academic implication. Studies related to existing user resistance mainly focused onthe factors affecting individuals’ support for new systems or new technologies and continuous use, however, it is difficult to understand recently rapidly changing system acceptance process with only the fragmentary theoretic background (Benbasat & Barki, 2007). In this context, this study simultaneously paid attention to user resistance, a negative attitude revealed by people with hostility and repurchase intention on the premise of acceptance and customer retention in the environment where uncertainty is mixed, and confirmed that the role of pleasureis huge as a role to induce repurchase intention by easing user resistance.

5.2. Practical Implications

Based on the empirical study results by the questionnaire study targeting clothes purchasing consumers, the following implications are presented:

First, innovation and economic feasibility of omnichannel shopping had a positive effect on consumers’ pleasure, but economic feasibility only had a negative effect on user resistance, revealing that especially economic feasibility is very important to lower resistance and enhance pleasure when shopping. On the other hand, consistency and integration factors were indicated as less important for customer pleasure and repurchase intensionin this study even those were proved as key in other studies (Piercy, 2012; Aaker & Joachimsthaler, 2001). It implies thatcustomer possibly accept them naturally exists as being consistent with prices, offered service and benefit, leading to the low expectation for them. Rather, customer expects service innovation for personalized service suited them in the consumption environment that becomes smarter.Through consumer personalization, if participation rate is enhanced and online such as SNS is used, various sales promotional activity increase and cost reduction can be expected to companies. In addition, it is important that innovation technology including unmanned system within stores solves concerns about side effects revealed by interactions between humans and computers in line with contactless trend diffusion (Kallweit, Spreer, &Toporowski, 2014; Priporas, Stylos, &Fotiadis, 2017). Efforts for diverse changes and innovation can immediately solve unexpected problems including chatbot or digital signage and providing reliability to services. Omnichannel economic feasibility plays a key role in improving the pleasureof shopping and reducing user resistance, and so an effort to convert cost reduction through omnichannel system into consumers’ economic benefits is necessary.

Second, pleasure in the omnichannel use situation had a negative effect on user resistance. Itmeansthat the pleasure motivates consumers to overcome resistance for themselves and can be a factor to promote repurchase intention. Therefore, if curiosity is stimulated to consumers and funny information and content are provided, and so the consumers become pleasant, improving the pleasure and curiosity on the companies and products concerned can be enhanced. Ultimately, repurchase intention can continue. In addition, it is required todiversely use contents such as games, free gifts and events that target customers can sufficiently enjoy and have fun, as well as convenience. User resistance can offset or ease the pleasure of shopping, thus system construction and content development by which consumers can be quickly familiarized are necessary, given that resistance can be induced due to use barrier, value barrier, and psychological barrier that consumers perceive from a new system or technology. It is also important to reduce user resistance by emphasizing better advantages than the existing distribution channel or shopping system (Kim & Jung, 2020).

Third, regarding the effects of omnichannel characteristics on the resistance and repurchase intention, some hypotheses were rejected. It implies that consumer behavior results can be divided by segmented market due to the following, if the consumers purchase clothes using integrated distribution channel, rather than the concepts in some hypotheses affect repurchase intention directly: Positive path (reduction or ease of fatigue and annoyance → pleasure enhancement → repurchase intention) and negative path (annoyance enhancement → loss of Pleasure → resistance) coexist. Therefore, barriers that may be caused in the omnichannel acceptance or repurchase intention process should be removed, factors to make resistance relax should be explored, and continuous use by maintaining existing customers based on clear definition of target market and exact need survey on the detailed market should be promoted.

Fourth, the negative effect of user resistance to omnichannelon repurchase intention was meaningless and so the relevant hypothesis was rejected, which implies that resistance to omnichannel means the temporary rejection of acceptance or severance of transactions, and so it implies no reduction of or no effect on repurchase intention. However, if user resistance gradually increases, this can be a factor the can be connected to negative emotion or response, and thus methods to improve factors such as omnichannel economic feasibility that can reduce user resistance should be steadily devised. A long-term strategy that may lower or control defense barrier according to acceptance by exploring segmented market showing a defensive trend due to high trend of resistance in the initial stage of omnichannel construction and by removing uncertainties or risks perceived by the consumers is necessary.

5.3.Limitations and Future Study Direction

Although this study presents strategic implications useful for omnichannel operation, the following study limitations and tasks for future study can be presented:

First, this study examined consumers’ omnichannel use experiences without a path between onand offline stores even though interactions from online stores to offline stores and those from offline stores to online stores were different. Future study needs to classify and compare between customers who experienced integrated distribution channel online and those who experienced integrated distribution channel offline into online.

Second, despite of the recent trends to stimulate companies with various channels this study dealt with just two integrated distribution channels: online and offline, except other channels such as mobile, catalog, and TV Homeshopping. In addition, channels possessed by each company and the level of integration between the channels differ. Thus, it will be meaningful if study considering various channels’ influence is carried out.

Third, this study performed a questionnaire survey targeting limited number of samples and specific consumption products of clothes and so there can be some unreasonableness to generalize the study result. There is a need to survey by combining strategies from the corporate perspective and an empirical survey targeting consumers in the fashion companies’ integrated distribution channel situation. In case of consumers, there is a possibility that information processing capability differences between generations and by age group exist, and thus there is a need to study by classifying various segmented markets.