L’INTÉGRATION DES CANAUX DE DISTRIBUTION EN CONTEXTE DE TRANSITION DIGITALE : UNE RELECTURE PAR LA THÉORIE DES RESSOURCES
Mots-clés:
Omnicanal, Théorie des ressources, Intégration, Systèmes d’information, Logistique, Technologies de l’Information (T.I.).Résumé
Channels’ integration is one of the strategies that retailers have to pursue in order to deliver a “seamless” consumer shopping experience. Channels’ integration is part of the digital transition of a company and, in order to study this transition, a strategic-level perspective is necessary. Indeed, channels’ integration involves inter-functional collaboration. Grounded in the Resource-Based View theory (RBV), this article aims to answer the following research question: what resources retailers have to leverage for successful channels integration? Thus, the analysis of resources leveraged by retailers is carried out according to the Duong and Paché’s (2015) classification of logistical resources which is used as a reading grid adapted to the context of channels integration.
An exploratory qualitative study based on six cases sheds light on the resources implemented by French and Canadian retailers in three sectors in their integration strategies. The findings show that retailers implement five resources: technological, organizational, physical, relational and expertise’s resources. In addition, this study is the first to confront the Duong and Paché’s (2015) grid with an empirical field and extends its application beyond the initial context of logistics. From a theoretical point of view, this article brings out and structures a reflection around the required resources for implementing an omnichannel strategy. From a managerial point of view, this research highlights the diversity of resources that underpin channel integration strategies and provides a tool for managers in order to establish diagnosis of resources.