The Omni-channel Concept: A Case Study about the Union of Sales Channels in Portugal

Abstract

This article contributes to a better understanding of the omni-channel concept in fashion retail, more specifically, in the Portuguese footwear segment and understand if the current challenge of brands is based on the union of all sales channels in order to gain, to locate and to provide a perfect experience to their customers, having regard to the online world and the offline world. The methodology employed was the case study of two Portuguese footwear brands. The collection of data was obtained through two distinct and complementary tools: the semi-structured interview and indirect observation of how brands are moving in their sales channels. The data collected have concluded that there is a big discrepancy between the integration of brands' sales channels, one brand implements more strategies that aims to unify the channels compared to the other.