Sequencing of Sales Channels in Customer Purchase Processes

Multichannel purchasing seems to become standard for consumers and the influence of digital channels is steadily growing. Extant research shows, that multichannel purchasing yields positive sales outcomes for organizations. However, it remains unclear how the use of different channels in different purchase phases affects customer perceptions. Based on Prospect theory, this study investigates if consumers evaluate different sequences of sales channels in the purchase process differently. Precisely, it shows that customers using a digital channel for the search phase and a personal channel for the purchase phase evaluate the selling organization more positively than customers using first a personal and then a digital sales channel. This study contributes to a better understanding of the impact of multiple sales channels on trust. It shows the relevance of sales channel sequencing in customers’ purchase processes and supports managerial decisions regarding multichannel structures.