Date of Award

3-27-2026

Thesis Type

Masters

Document Type

Dissertation

Divisions

Faculty of Business and Economics

Department

Department of Management and Marketing

Institution

Universiti Malaya

Abstract

Research aims: This study aims to investigate factors that influence customer loyalty in omnichannel retailing and mediating role of customer experience. It also examining an impact of customer engagement on customer loyalty within the omnichannel context. Design/Methodology/Approach: A quantitative research design was employed using a structured online questionnaire distributed to consumers in Malaysia who had purchased from the same retail brand through both online and offline channels. Data were analysed using Smart PLS (Partial Least Squares) Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypothesised relationships among omnichannel characteristics, individual characteristics, customer experience, customer engagement and customer loyalty. Research findings: The findings show that omnichannel characteristics (personalisation, integration and consistency) and personal innovativeness significantly enhance customer experience, whereas flexibility and technology readiness do not. Customer experience, in turn, increases customer engagement and loyalty and partially mediates the effects of omnichannel characteristics and individual traits on these outcomes, while engagement further strengthens loyalty. Theoretical contribution/Originality: The study integrates S–O–R, the Customer Experience model, TAM and TRI 2.0 into one framework where omnichannel design and traits act as stimuli, experience as the organism, and engagement/loyalty as responses. It shifts emphasis from loyalty alone to engagement and provides evidence from an emerging-market omnichannel retail context. Research limitations/Implications: Results are based on a single cross-sectional self-report survey in Malaysia, limiting causal inference and generalisability. Future research should use longitudinal/experimental designs, link perceptions to behavioural data (e.g., transactions/app logs), and extend the model with constructs such as trust, satisfaction, service quality and brand image. Practical/managerial implications and/or Social/economic implications: For managers, the findings point to a single omnichannel programme for personalisation, integration, consistency and flexibility. Create tailored, coherent, seamless journeys based on unified customer profiles, shared systems, real-time order and inventory synchronisation, aligned prices and policies across channels. Track an overall customer-experience index; track engagement metrics such as cross-channel feature use, reviews, participation in loyalty activities. Design organisational structures, processes, training and incentives around the end-to-end journey, not around separate channels. In Malaysia, fit omnichannel design to local norms: multilingual interfaces, common e-wallet options, convenient pick-up and return locations, social-commerce touchpoints. These practices strengthen experience, deepen engagement and build durable loyalty.

Initial

khm

Additional Information

Dissertation (M.A.) – Faculty of Business and Economics, Universiti Malaya, 2026.

Download

Share

COinS