Omnichannel experience in customer purchase journey: An application for the banking sector

Along with technological developments, consumers have been using more than one channel in the purchasing process of products and services and they have been switching between these channels. Thus, the borders between channels are eliminated and all distribution channels are handled as a single channel and the services offered through the channels are combined in a single platform which is called " Omnichannel Strategy". The focus of an omnichannel strategy is the customer purchase journey. The banking sector is one of the sectors that implements this strategy. In this study, it was aimed to determine the mediating role of the customer purchasing journey in the effect of utilitarian value, perceived security and perceived risk on the integrated channel banking experience in internet, mobile and offline channels. The main body of the research consists of bank customers who live within the borders of Aydın, Muğla, Denizli Metropolitan Municipalities located in the South Aegean Region, called TR-32 region. The data were collected via the survey method, which is one of the primary data sources, over the sample. The obtained data were analysed with the help of statistics package programs. The Analysis of the data was done by using independent t-test, ANOVA, correlation, structural equation model and multi-group structural equation model. According to the results of the research, it is observed that the customer purchasing journey in internet, mobile and offline channels has a positive effect on the omnichannel experience. Bank customers use all three channels together in their customer purchasing journey. The results show that most of the bank customers adopt multichannel shopping behaviour. At the same time, the perception of risk and security in different channels in the customer purchasing journey varies according to the channels. It was concluded that the risk perception especially in the internet channel is high and it has a negative effect on the omnichannel channel experience. On the contrary, bank customers think that mobile and offline channels are safe and the perception of security in these channels positively affects the omnichannel experience on the customer purchase journey. In the study, it is revealed that the utilitarian value in all three channels has a positive impact on the customer purchasing journey. Likewise, channel integration has a positive effect on the omnichannel experience. While the utilitarian value perception on the internet channel of the participants who live in all three provinces positively affects the omnichannel banking experience in the customer purchasing journey, the utilitarian value perception of the customers who live in Aydın and Denizli in offline channels affects the omnichannel banking experience in the customer purchase journey in a positive way. However, the perception of utilitarian in the mobile channel has a positive effect on the omnichannel banking experience in the customer purchase journey in Muğla only. According to the comparison on the basis of generations; X, Y and Z generations's utilitarian value perception on the internet channel and cross-channel integration and X generation's perception of security affect omnichannel experience in a positive way. It is obvious that Gen Z's perception of utilitarian and risk on offline channels and perception of channel integration on mobile channel have a positive impact on the omnichannel experience on the customer journey. Key Words: Omnichannel Experience, Customer Purchase Journey, Multiple-Group SEM