Phygital shopping experiences in retail stores: A qualitative research in the apparel retailing industry

In the research, a ready-made clothing brand that makes phygital applications in retail merchandising was examined. The aim of the study is to define the concept of phygital in retail merchandising, to examine the advantages and disadvantages of phygital stores by the retailer and the consumer, and to investigate how phygital applications affect the shopping experience. In this study, which aims to examine phygital shopping experiences, qualitative research method and case study, which is a design of this research method, were preferred. Semi-structured interview and observation were used as data collection methods in the research. The collected data were analyzed with the content analysis technique. As a result of the research, the concept of phygital in retail merchandising has been defined as a retailing method that brings together the superior aspects of online and offline shopping experiences seen by customers in physical stores and provides a personalized experience to the customer. Although it has been determined that phygital stores have lower costs compared to traditional stores in the long run, it has been concluded that high investment costs in the short term are the factor that prevents brands from being phygitalized. It has been determined that phygital applications create a sense of loyalty to the brand in customers and cause an increase in sales in the store. In addition to these, it was concluded that the usability of augmented reality technology in the fast fashion sector is low and it is not possible to reduce the use of paper to zero due to the regulation in the phygital stores created in Turkey. Finally, it was concluded that phygital applications mostly affect the shopping experience positively, while it negatively affects the shopping experience of some elderly groups and customers with low digital literacy. Keywords: Phygital, Phygital Marketing, Phygital Shopping Experience, Retail.