What drives customer engagement in fresh food omnichannel retailing? The role of omnichannel integration, flow experience, and customer relationship quality

Information technology innovations are driving changes in retail channel management, and effective online and offline integration by omnichannel retailers has become an important source of customer engagement (CE). Based on stimulus–organism–response (SOR) framework, this study proposes a model to explore how omnichannel integration (OI) fosters CE by enhancing flow experience and the quality of customer relationships. The findings show that all three forms of OI: information integration, business integration, and service & distribution integration, positively impact flow experience and customer commitment, in turn, promote CE. Moreover, business integration and service & distribution integration also positively impact customer trust, which, in turn, enhances CE. Interestingly, information integration has a bigger impact than the other two, highlighting its importance in the fresh food market. By introducing three distinct forms of fresh food OI and elucidating the mediating mechanisms through which OI influences CE, this study enriches the literature on omnichannel, fresh product distribution channels and CE. The empirical evidence also provide insights into how retailers can manage omnichannel to drive CE.