Managing the bricks and the clicks – Omnichannel retail logistics from an in-store staff perspective

The attention for omnichannel retail has increased impressively in the last years, making it a buzz-word in business and research. Articles on the topic found on the scientific database Google Scholar emerged as from 2012 and have since then almost doubled every year. Omnichannel retail entails a strategy that integrates online and offline retail channels and is generally implemented by pure retail players with only one channel distinctly developed: the web-shop or the physical store. Not only is it a means to respond to intensified competition, when done right it also represents a tool to increase overall revenues. For an omnichannel retailer, an adequate logistics organisation that facilitates consumers’ flexibility is critical. Several models have been tested, implemented and investigated. These include click-and-collect, click-and-reserve and in-store fulfilment. Such models inevitably impact the in-store retail staff, but to this point, it is unclear how and to what extent. Therefore, we executed case-studies with two omnichannel retailers in Belgium. We surveyed in-store staff and interviewed the commercial and logistics retail managers. The paper covers an overview of additional logistics activities that in-store staff of omnichannel retailers deal with, their perception of the omnichannel retail evolution and how the retail organisation can respond to their in-store staff’s changed environment.