Analysis of omni-channel implementations that are preferred by consumers in clothing sector

1 Introduction

Today’s intensive rivalry conditions canalize enterprises toward differentiation and new product and service presentation to consumers. Customer satisfaction and customer loyalty become more important for the enterprises, especially for the ones whose ultimate outputs are bought by consumers. Clothing sector is one of the sectors, in which customer satisfaction and customer loyalty are at the forefront. Enterprises and brands use different strategies in order to provide customer satisfaction and loyalty in clothing sector, where the rivalry is intensive and the customer loyalty is low. Omni-channel strategy is one of the strategies, which have been used in this context and which have become prominent.

Omni-channel strategy is a retailing strategy, which aims to present continuous and effortless shopping experience to consumers by providing the full integration of different channels. Consumers give great importance to implementations, which ease their lives and decrease time pressure, in their intensive and stressful daily lives. Therefore, omni-channel strategy, which eases the shopping experience and provides effortless and enjoyable buying process, allures the consumers and helps the enterprises and brands, which successfully implement this strategy, for becoming prominent. The enterprises and brands, which differentiate from their rivals and increase consumer satisfaction, achieve an increase in success, sales, revenue, and profit as an ultimate result.

In this context, this study aimed to analyze the consumer-preferred omni-channel implementations (price, discount, information share, delivery, services, etc.) in clothing sector. Within the scope of this aim, the most and least preferred omni-channel implementations are determined and differences and similarities between these implementations are found out on the basis of demographic properties. Besides, suggestions, which are based on consumer desires, are made to clothing producers and marketers by analyzing omni-channel implementations.

There are many studies in the literature, which analyze the omni-channel strategy in terms of retailer and/or entrepreneur. Within these studies, studies that give examples from the clothing/fashion sector [1,2] or that focus on clothing sector within different countries (United Kingdom, Holland, China, South Korea, and Türkiye) [2,3,4,5,6] can be found. On the other hand, there are also studies that analyze the omni-channel strategy on the basis of consumer and focus on different sectors in different countries (USA, United Kingdom, and Türkiye) [7,8,9,10].

However, the studies that analyze the omni-channel implementations on the basis of consumer and clothing sector are limited [11,12,13,14,15,16,17]. These studies have been actualized in USA, China, Romania, Holland, and Türkiye. Within the studies that have been performed in Türkiye, limited sample sizes have been used and the questions have not been prepared on the basis of clothing sector.

At this point, this study is detailed and comprehensive on the basis of both scope and used methods. All studies are designed on the basis of clothing sector and all analyses and evaluations are actualized on this basis. In this context, this study differs and individuates from the other studies in the literature due to these aspects. This study contributes to the deficiencies in sector’s marketing and retailing areas and to the fulfillment of gap within the literature.

2 Definition and properties of omni-channel strategy

The widespread convergence of physical stores and online retailing has led many retailers toward omni-channel retailing in order to provide a continuous shopping experience to consumers in all sales channels [18]. Embracement of omni-channel model has caused the disappearance of the boundary between online and offline shopping and has turned the retailing world to an unwalled showroom [3,19].

Omnis means all or universal in Latin and states that all channels are together [20]. On the other hand, channel is a medium in which enterprise and consumer interact with each other [21]. In this context, omni-channel can be defined as continuous, effortless, and high-qualified customer experiences, which occurred between and inside the related channels [3]. Therefore, omni-channel strategy is the synergetic management of many existing channels and customer touch points, which will optimize the customer experience in channels and all channels’ performance [20,21,22,23,24]. Omni-channel strategy or marketing is a customer-focused approach, which aims to provide a holistic shopping experience to customers by presenting a straight, flawless, and continuous buying process in all channels [11,20,25,26]. In other words, it is a synchronized and steady business model in which enterprise’s all channels are linked and presented to customers as one face [27].

In omni-channel strategy, the obstacles between channels are blurred and the natural boundaries, which separate them at one time, disappear [25,26,28]. Therefore, all channels can be used in an interchangeable, flawless, and continuous manner in research, buying, and after buying processes [26]. When all channels are connected to each other, customers can start their journey in one channel and can end it in another channel. This provides a continuous and flawless experience, which increases the easiness and commitment, and a steady brand experience [25]. In omni-channels, inventories and order processes have been combined and customers can order from one channel (e.g., via smart phone), receive from another channel (e.g., home delivery), and return from a third channel (e.g., physical store) [29].

3 Method of the study

This study aimed to analyze the consumer-preferred omni-channel implementations (price, discount, information share, delivery, services etc.) in clothing sector. Besides, it aimed to determine the most and least preferred omni-channel implementations. Also, it aimed to make suggestions, which are based on consumer desires, to clothing producers and marketers in the light of the obtained findings.

In accordance with the aim of this study, a survey is conducted to consumers, who live in Türkiye and whose ages are 18 and over. The age of legal majority is 18 in Türkiye, so the Turkish citizens whose ages are 18 and over are incorporated in this study. According to the data of Turkish Statistical Institute [30], the population of Türkiye is 83,154,997 by 31.12.2019. The number of individuals, whose ages are 18 and over, is 60,278,199. Therefore, the sample size is calculated as 384 at 95% confidence interval with 5% error margin.

However, considering that the study is consumer-based and the results should represent the whole of Türkiye, it is thought that increasing the sample size may be more beneficial. Therefore, the targeted sample size is determined as at least 1,200. The individuals, who constitute the sample, are determined according to simple random sampling. Volunteerism principle is applied in survey participation.

A survey form, which consists of 8 main and 37 sub-questions, has been used as a data collection tool. Also, the survey has been ethically approved by Ege University’s Ethical Board of Social and Human Sciences Scientific Research and Publication in 28.11.2019 with 439 protocol number.

The surveys are conducted online between March 2021 and September 2021. Individuals from 66 provinces of Türkiye have been participated in the survey. In other words, 81.5% of the provinces in Türkiye have been included in the research. After the repatriation and evaluation of the sent-back questionnaires, 2,789 of them incorporated to the study. The obtained findings are analyzed via SPSS program.

4 Findings of the study and their analysis

At the beginning of statistical analysis, the reliability of the questionnaire is measured and the reliability coefficient α is found to be 0.949. According to this, the scale of the questionnaire is addressed to be highly reliable. If the demographic properties of the participants are analyzed, it can be seen that 73% of the participants’ ages are between 18 and 41 (Table 1). About 60% of the participants are women and 40% of them are men. Of them, 81% have graduated from university or graduate schools. Of them, 67% possess a 647$ or below monthly income. It can be said that the participants are generally well-educated young consumers who possess middle-income. Omni-channel implementations in clothing sector are mostly preferred and used by the well-educated young consumers in Türkiye because they use the internet and its applications much more than elder and less-educated ones. That is why, it can be said that the survey sample represents all consumers in Türkiye who prefer and use omni-channel implementations.

When the participants’ residences are evaluated, it is seen that 61% of them live in İstanbul, Ankara, and İzmir, which are the three biggest provinces of Türkiye (Table 2). These three provinces are followed by Bursa, Balıkesir, Tekirdağ, Antalya, Muğla, Mersin, Denizli, Adana, Konya, Kocaeli, Hatay, and Aydın. The other provinces from where participations have been occurred can be listed as Adıyaman, Afyonkarahisar, Ağrı, Amasya, Artvin, Batman, Bilecik, Bitlis, Bolu, Burdur, Çanakkale, Çankırı, Diyarbakır, Edirne, Elazığ, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Giresun, Gümüşhane, Isparta, Kahramanmaraş, Karabük, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kırklareli, Kütahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Muş, Nevşehir, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Siirt, Sinop, Sivas, Şanlıurfa, Şırnak, Tokat, Trabzon, Tunceli, Uşak, Van, Yalova, Yozgat, and Zonguldak. Individuals from 66 provinces of Türkiye have been participated in the survey. In other words, 81.5% of the provinces in Türkiye have been joined in this study.

If the properties of participants’ clothing expenditures are analyzed, it is seen that 75% of them separate 20% or less from their monthly budgets for clothing expenditures. Besides, 50% of the participants usually buy their clothing products from physical stores, whereas the other 50% buy via online channels. The tendency toward online clothing shopping has been increased. The pandemic has also increased this tendency.

The survey offers 30 statements, which analyze the omni-channel implementations on the basis of clothing sector. All participants should choose their agreement levels for each of these statements. In quinary Likert scale, I absolutely agree is coded as 5, I agree is coded as 4, I have no idea is coded as 3, I don’t agree is coded as 2, and I don’t agree absolutely is coded as 1. First, the averages and standard deviations of the statements are calculated. The obtained findings are given in Table 3.

According to the obtained averages, consumers give great importance to all omni-channel implementations (Table 3). They give the greatest importance to return of online purchased clothing products to physical stores and their alterations in physical stores. Besides, consumers want to access all technical information about clothing products (color, size, measures, fabric type, etc.) in all channels and information in all channels should be the same. They also want to access the addresses and inventory information of physical stores via online channels. In addition, the online purchased clothing products should be delivered quickly. Furthermore, the online purchased clothing products’ delivery charge should be cheap or free, the coupon that is given in a physical store should be used in online channels, the comments of other consumers about clothing products should be accessible in all channels, modifications of online purchased clothing products should be actualized in physical stores, comments about clothing products should be done in all channels, and online purchased clothing products should be received from physical stores.

As it can be seen from the obtained results, consumers give great importance to all omni-channel implementations. Consumers demand a simple, easy, fast, and satisfying shopping experience as far as possible due to the reasons such as increasing demands and expectations of consumers, innovations brought by technology and information era, and increasing importance of time management. In order to achieve this, enterprises should provide a full integration between different channels. In other words, they should successfully implement the omni-channel strategy. According to the study results, consumers are aware of the advantages of the omni-channel strategy, and they demand these factors from brands/enterprises/retailers.

After the basic assessment, the statements are evaluated with exploratory factor analysis and gathered into five groups. Exploratory factor analysis has been performed in order to accomplish compendious and meaningful dissimilarity and similarity tests (hypotheses tests). The results of exploratory factor analysis indicated that the samples are suitable and reliable for factor analysis (Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin measure of sampling is found to be 0.958, and the significance of Bartlett’s test of sphericity is found to be 0.000). Principal component extraction is used for extracting factors with eigenvalues over 1, and the rotation of the factor loading matrix is chosen as varimax. The standard loadings of 30 statements are higher than 0.50, and the cumulative variance of 5 factors is found to be 63.346%. The loadings (scores) of the statements within Table 3 are taken from rotated component matrix (only two loadings are lower than 0.50, and their values are 0.493 and 0.466). The five factors, which are obtained as a result of exploratory factor analysis, are renamed (Table 3). Then, the following hypotheses are suggested by considering the results of exploratory factor analysis:

H₁: Given importance to omni-channel implementations in clothing sector differs with regard to women and men consumers.

H₂: Given importance to omni-channel implementations in clothing sector differs with regard to consumers’ education levels.

H₃: Given importance to omni-channel implementations in clothing sector differs with regard to consumers’ ages.

H₄: Given importance to omni-channel implementations in clothing sector differs with regard to consumers’ monthly incomes.

Four main hypotheses include 20 sub-hypotheses due to 5 factors and 4 demographic properties. All sub-hypotheses are tested at 95% confidence interval. According to the obtained results, 10 sub-hypotheses are accepted, whereas 10 sub-hypotheses are rejected.

Two sub-hypotheses belonging to the first main hypothesis have been accepted (Table 4). According to the obtained results, women consumers give more importance to the integration of online buying to physical buying with regard to men consumers. Similarly, women consumers give more importance to price integration between channels with regard to men consumers. Women consumers want more to change, modify, return, and receive the online purchased clothing products via physical stores with regard to men consumers. Women consumers are more addicted to clothing and fashion products, and they give more importance to perfect fit of clothes with regard to men consumers. Due to these reasons, their desires for return, change, and modification are much more than men consumers. Besides, women consumers pay more attention to price and discount differences between channels with regard to men consumers. Since they are more addicted to clothing and fashion products, they spend much more money to them, and due to this reason, they give more importance to prices and discounts.

Two sub-hypotheses belonging to the second main hypothesis have been accepted (Table 5). According to the obtained results, consumers whose education levels are university and above give more importance to information integration between channels with regard to consumers whose education levels are high school and below. On the other hand, consumers whose education levels are high school and below give more importance to the price integration between channels with regard to consumers whose education levels are university and above. In other words, consumers whose education levels are higher give more importance to information integration between channels, whereas consumers whose education levels are lower give more importance to price integration between channels. It can be said that, mostly, as the education level increases, consumer awareness and income increased. Thus, the consumers whose education levels are higher give more significance to obtaining information via all channels, whereas the consumers whose education levels are lower give more importance to prices and discounts mostly due to their lower incomes.

Three sub-hypotheses belonging to the third main hypothesis have been accepted (Table 6). According to the obtained results, consumers who give the most importance to integration of physical buying to online buying and to information integration are between 18 and 25, whereas consumers who give the most importance to price integration between channels are between 42 and 49. Omni-channel implementations in clothing sector are mostly preferred and used by young consumers in Türkiye because they use the internet and its applications much more than elder ones. As it can be seen, the obtained results proved this. Young consumers prefer and want a full integration between online and physical channels.

Three sub-hypotheses belonging to the fourth main hypothesis have been accepted (Table 7). According to the obtained results, consumers who give the most importance to integration of physical buying to online buying possess a monthly income 294$ and below. Similarly, consumers who give the most importance to information integration between channels possess a monthly income 294$ and below. However, consumers who give the most importance to price integration between channels possess a monthly income between 471$ and 647$. As it can be seen, consumers who possess low-income or middle-income give more importance to channel integration. Since they earn limited salaries, they mostly prefer lower prices and discounts. Therefore, they prefer to actualize an information and price search before their shopping, which can be easily achieved by price and information integration.

5 Conclusions and suggestions

Enterprises both should struggle with their rivals and should meet the consumers’ desires and expectations in the best manner in order to survive under today’s intensive rivalry conditions. Nowadays, consumers investigate the products before buying, compare them with their equivalents, and prefer the enterprise/brand, which offers the best product and the service to them. In other words, nowadays, consumers are the individuals, who are aware that they are indispensable and increase their desires and expectations every day. At this point, enterprises and brands should be successful and increase their competitiveness by meeting the desires and expectations of consumers that gradually become harder. In this context, omni-channel strategy is one of the strategies that can be used, which is a retailing strategy that enables a continuous and issueless shopping experience to consumers by providing a full integration between channels.

Clothing sector, in which consumers’ desires and expectations come into prominent, is one of the sectors that use omni-channel strategy. Sector successfully implements multi- and cross-channel strategies. However, some difficulties of omni-channel strategy, such as logistic integration, information integration, and high costs that should be endured for providing a full integration, prevent the proper implementation. Despite these difficulties, sector endeavors for implementing the omni-channel strategy. At this point, the key point in the implementation of the strategy is the procurement of consumer satisfaction and loyalty by meeting consumer desires and expectations. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the consumer-preferred omni-channel implementations in clothing sector. At the same time, it aimed to make suggestions, which are based on consumer desires, to clothing producers and marketers in the light of the obtained findings.

Individuals from 66 provinces (81.5% of the provinces in Türkiye) of Türkiye have been participated in the survey that has been conducted within the scope of the study. It can be said that the participants are generally well-educated young consumers who possess middle-income. Omni-channel implementations in clothing sector are mostly preferred and used by the well-educated young consumers in Türkiye because they use the internet and its applications much more than elder and less-educated ones. That is why, it can be said that the survey sample represents all consumers in Türkiye who prefer and use omni-channel implementations. The significant results that have been obtained within the scope of this study and the suggestions that can be made to clothing enterprises, brands, and retailers on the basis of these results can be summarized as:

1. The tendency toward online shopping has been increased also with the effect of pandemic. According to the obtained study results, 50% of the consumers usually buy their clothing products via online channels. Therefore, clothing enterprises and brands should give great importance to online channels. They should increase the online channel options (web site, mobile application, social media, etc.) that they present to their customers, and they should provide integration both between these channels and between these channels and physical stores.

2. Study results indicate that consumers are aware of the omni-channel strategy’s advantages, and they demand these factors from enterprises, brands, and retailers. Thus, clothing enterprises and brands could not provide consumer loyalty and stand out among their rivals anymore only by implementing multi- and cross-channel strategies. In this context, clothing enterprises and brands should properly implement the omni-channel strategy and provide the full integration between their owned online and offline channels.

3. Most important omni-channel implementations for consumers are the return of online purchased clothing products to physical stores and their alterations in physical stores. This result also indicates that consumers’ tendency toward online clothing shopping is increased. Besides, if an online purchased product could be returned to or changed in physical stores, it contributes to consumers’ continuous and effortless shopping experiences. Therefore, clothing enterprises and brands should give importance to providing integration of online channels to offline channels as well as increasing the given significance to online channels.

4. Consumers give great importance to accessing all technical information about clothing products (color, size, measures, fabric type, etc.) in all channels. Besides, information in all channels should be the same. In addition, addresses and inventory information of physical stores should be accessed via online channels; comments of other consumers about clothing products should be accessible in all channels; comments about clothing products could be done in all channels; QR codes, which involve all information about clothing products, should be provided in all channels; inventory information of online stores should be accessible via physical stores; clothing products’ categories should be the same in all channels; and the given clothing orders should be followed from different channels. In this context, clothing enterprises and brands should give necessary importance to information integration between online and offline channels. Technical information about products, information about inventories, and information about stores should be easily accessed via all online and offline channels.

5. Consumers demand that online purchased clothing products should be delivered quickly, and their delivery charge should be cheap or free. Thus, clothing enterprises and brands should provide fast logistics services. At this point, they could establish their own logistic network or they could get service from logistic enterprises that are powerful in their field and that give great importance to customer satisfaction.

6. Consumers demand that clothing products’ discounts should be the same in all channels, clothing products’ discounts should have occurred at the same time in all channels, and purchased clothing products’ prices should be the same in all channels. In this context, clothing enterprises and brands should equalize their products’ prices in all online and offline channels in which they serve to their customers. Besides, they should provide discount service at the same time and at the same ratio in all channels.

7. Consumers demand that a coupon that is given in a physical store should be used in online channels, and similarly, a coupon that is given in an online store should be used in physical stores. Therefore, clothing enterprises and brands should provide promotion and discount integration between all online and offline channels.

8. Consumers also give great importance to other omni-channel implementations that aim integration between online and offline channels. In this context, clothing enterprises and brands should establish an infrastructure, which enables that all processes related to a purchased product can be actualized in any channel no matter where the product has been bought. Besides, this service could be easily used by their customers. For example, an online purchased product should be returned, altered, modified, or delivered via physical stores, and similarly, a product that has been bought from physical stores should be returned, altered, modified, or delivered via online channels.

9. Clothing enterprises and brands should also provide full customer service integration between their owned online and offline channels. In this context, according to consumers’ desires, brands should provide clothing products via using different channels, membership features should be used in the same way in all channels, purchased clothing products should be returned unconditionally from all channels, customized service should be provided in all channels, a clothing product that has been investigated in one channel could be bought from another, and product reservation should be actualized from all channels.

10. Women consumers want more to change, modify, return, and receive the online purchased clothing products via physical stores with regard to men consumers. Similarly, women consumers give more importance to price integration between channels with regard to men consumers. Therefore, the clothing brands and enterprises, especially whose targeted consumer groups consist of women, should give great importance to online and offline channel integration and price integration between channels.

11. Consumers whose education levels are higher give more importance to information integration between channels, whereas consumers whose education levels are lower give more importance to price integration between channels. Thus, the clothing brands and enterprises, especially whose targeted consumer groups consist of highly educated consumers, should give great importance to information integration between channels. On the other hand, the clothing brands and enterprises, especially whose targeted consumer groups consist of lowly educated consumers, should give great importance to price integration between channels.

12. According to the obtained results, consumers who give the most importance to the integration of physical buying to online buying are between 18 and 25. At this point, the clothing brands and enterprises, especially whose targeted consumer groups consist of young consumers, should give great importance to online and offline channel integration and information integration between channels.

To sum up, Turkish consumers give great importance to omni-channel strategy and its elements. More specifically, they give great importance to the integration between physical and online channels, and they prefer a full information, customer services, and price integration between channels. The study results indicate that the consumers are aware of the advantages of omni-channel strategy and they demand these factors from enterprises, brands, and retailers. Therefore, clothing enterprises and brands, which desire to create difference and defeat its rivals, should give necessary importance to omni-channel strategy and should successfully and properly implement this strategy. The successful implementation of omni-channel strategy will lead to customer satisfaction and loyalty, and increased customer satisfaction and loyalty will turn to enterprise and brand as increased sales, revenues, and profits.