MANAGING OMNICHANNEL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IN APPAREL RETAIL THROUGH CUSTOMER JOURNEY MAPPING
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46299/j.isjmef.20260505.05Keywords:
omnichannel retailing, apparel customer journey, customer experience, phygital touchpoints, fitting moment, virtual try-on, multi-criteria decision-analysis, Weighted Sum Model, action-priority matrix, strategic roadmapAbstract
the article develops a customer-journey approach to managing omnichannel customer experience in apparel retail. It argues that competitive advantage in clothing retailing rests less on the number of channels a firm operates than on its ability to deliver a single, coherent experience across them. Drawing on customer-experience research, the study maps the apparel customer journey and proposes a typology of «experience gaps» — the seams at which the journey breaks. The fitting moment is identified as the critical phygital touchpoint that determines conversion and returns. On this basis, the study formulates a journey-based management framework linking gaps to managerial levers, tools, and expected outcomes. To operationalize decision-making, a multi-criteria decision-analysis (MCDA) model based on the Weighted Sum Model is developed to rank the experience gaps by impact and implementation cost, supported by a Kendall’s concordance test framework for expert validation. Finally, an action-priority matrix and strategic roadmap are proposed to guide phased managerial implementation. The contribution provides a practical diagnostic instrument for retailers and a structural foundation for empirical testing.References
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Copyright (c) 2026 Olha Kavun, Maksym Belinskyi
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